[Peace-discuss] Chicago "die-in"

[David Green]

A message from the co-founder of Not In My Name:

Message: 4
   Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 21:27:41 -0700
   From: Steven Feuerstein
<steven at stevenfeuerstein.com>
Subject: A report on the NIMN vigil and die-in

Friends,

Not In My Name today held an all day vigil (8 AM to 5
PM) to protest 
the 
bombing in Gaza that took 15 lives, including 10
children [you can see 
pictures of the action at www.nimn.org, thanks to
Joel!]. We felt that 
it 
was important to respond to this terrible attack
because it was so 
clearly 
a response to the momentum gathering among Palestinian
organizations to 
announce a cease-fire. One of our primary tasks is to
show that the 
Sharon 
government uses violence to provoke violence, uses the
fear and terror 
of 
suicide bombings to build support for his extreme and
violent policies.

Four members of NIMN gathered at 8 AM and started
handing out flyers 
and 
holding signs that said:

BUSH STOP SUPPORTING SHARON
CHICAGO JEWS CALL FOR AN END TO MILITARY AID TO ISRAEL

After several hours of leafletting (with more and more
people joining 
the 
action), we held a "die-in" at noon. Originally we
were going to hold 
the 
die-in (described below) on the plaza next to the
building housing the 
consulate, but there were very few people there. So
instead, we held 
the 
action on a busy street corner in downtown Chicago
(Wacker and 
Michigan).

Each participant wore around their neck several signs
containing the 
names, 
ages and circumstances of death of Israeli and
Palestinian children who 
had 
been killed in recent weeks. On my signal (me being
the man with the 
microphone!), about a dozen people dropped to the
sidewalk and sprawled 
out 
flat. This, of course, attracted lots of attention
from passers-by. The 
Chicago police were very cooperative. As long as we
did not block the 
sidewalks, they did not try to make us move or stop
our action.

The die-in lasted for forty minutes (on a hot, humid
Chicago day, this 
represents quite an accomplishment and a lot of
commitment and 
discipline 
on the part of those who were prone!), accompanied by
somber drumming 
by 
Cindy Levitt. We then continued to hold signs, hand
out leaflets and 
talk 
directly to Chicagoans via our sound system until 5
PM. a contingent 
from 
Christian Peacemaker Teams also joined us for an hour,
giving us a 
welcome 
boost in numbers and spirit.

All in all, we handed out over 1200 leaflets. Many
people responded 
positively, joined us, took up a sign, gave us their
names and 
addresses to 
follow up. Others, of course, screamed, yelled, spit,
and showed us 
their 
middle fingers. Needless to say, we were not deterred.
Having a good 
sound 
system also made it easy for us to talk right past the
most obnoxious 
and 
belligerent people.

We had minimal media coverage, namely a Chicago
Tribune photographer 
and an 
AM news radio station interview (WBBM). We were
disappointed that the 
TV 
cameras did not come for the die-in. We learned from
today's action, 
though, how powerful and effective is street theater
well-done. I 
predict 
that NIMN will repeat the die-in the future, organized
on a larger 
scale, 
and succeed in generating lots of media coverage. And,
of course, if 
the 
Tribune does run a photo, this event will have had
much broader impact.

We are not under any illusions that what we did will
change the 
direction 
of US policy towards Israel, but we definitely raised
the awareness of 
a 
number of people (one man said to me wonderingly: "We
give money to 
Israel?"). Plus, we learned a number of lessons about
how to organize 
effective actions. And, finally, we took action, which
is vastly more 
satisfying and less depressing than reading the
endless stream of 
emails 
full of bad news. Protests as therapy!

Special thanks to Joel Finkel, who worked tirelessly
on this effort, 
particularly in writing the flyer and press releases!

Steven


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