[Peace-discuss] more 9/11 direct action plans

[Lisa Chason]

 The direct action for 9/11 working group met again this evening after the
AWARE meeting and fine tuned the plan for the Peace Picnic and Parade.
As I understand it, the Walk for Peace that Jenifer Cartwright referred to
in an earlier e-mail is another event being planned that day, for 7-9 pm,
that wouldn't allow AWARE to raise political issues, so we have continued
with our plans.

 There was a major concern raised: how can we make the event one that
contrasts with any mainstream events while being a big enough umbrella to
allow other groups and individuals to come up with creative ways to make
anti-war statements? In answer to this we decided to have the Picnic part of
the event include tables and booths -- a sort of Taste of Peace -- and
invite other organizations to come up with ideas to carry out. Examples
already suggested include a table where fliers are handed out explaining how
not to let yourself be hypnotized by the continuously repeated vision of the
towers being crashed into; a booth with a coffin mourning the death of civil
rights; a table where people can make their own posters; a Food for Peace
table; and a site where people will be dressed up as sheep. We will invite
other groups to come to the School for Designing a Society, 409 N. Race St.,
Urbana, on Saturday, Aug. 25 from 4 to 7 pm to work on creating
booths/tables/sheep costumes/giant puppets/etc. Peter will contact the peace
churches, Karen will contact the Quakers, Robert will contact the Green
Party. Next week we will make further assignments of groups to contact. Rob
Scott will contact Matt Reichel of Student Peace Action about sponsoring the
event and reserving the quad. Other things that still need work: will we
actually provide a picnic or suggest that people brown bag it? Should we
call it Peace & Protest Picnic and Parade, or perhaps Protest for Peace
Picnic and Parade? Speakers? What will happen after the march to downtown
Champaign?


Lisa