[Peace-discuss] report: 9/11 direct action

[Lisa Chason]

Last night's AWARE meeting at the end broke into three working groups
(publicity/media/outreach, speaking event, direct action) to make
preparations for the anniversary of 9/11.
The direct action working group was attended by Sharyn DuPuy, Andy Assad,
Robert Dunn, Michael Walcher and Lisa Chason. We realized it would take some
thinking before we came up with the right idea, and that an activity on Sept
11 itself might require some solemnity. Perhaps when we hear about some
mainstream or university-sponsored event taking place that day the best
thing will be to leaflet there, getting across an alternative perspective.

The most developed direct action idea we came up with focuses on the FBI
office, as the organizers of last night's meeting had suggested. It is based
on the new TIPS initiative which is in the news now, so if people like the
idea perhaps it should be carried out sooner rather than 'keeping' it for
9/11. Andy is going to research the TIPS program itself -- he thinks it
allows you to register on the website and then you can turn people in. If
that's the case then the plan, still vague, would have something to do with
going en masse to the FBI bldg and turning ourselves in. Say that President
Bush and his administration say we are either with them or against them. We
want to admit it -- we are against them. Then make a further farce of the
program, and gum up the bureaucracy, by turning lots of people in (like the
neighbor whose flag is drooping...).

Just an idea. Reactions please. We all agreed we would spend the week
looking into what other people we know in other places are planning to do.

Lisa

Direct Action Working Group:
Sharyn DuPuy     337-6855    sharynd at HKUSA.com
Andy Assad        762-6855    assad at monticello.net
Robert Dunn        359-1241    prorobert8 at hotmail.com
Michael Walcher  367-0693    solaraycer at yahoo.com
Lisa Chason          344-6832    jnp at ux6.cso.uiuc.edu