Questions and thoughts

• when is next UFPJ summit meeting
• how to set up a structure around the idea of people power strategy that will allow people to contextualize their actions within the framework
• art: how to set up a structure so PPS Art can be acknowledged and viewed.

Create People Power Strategy Website¶

I have yet to find a good website that provides information on directly democratic pre-figurative politics in an easily digestible format that isnt about one campaign. This site would build off the idea of the seattle website david is working on, but expand it to the strategy level.

The site

• very very clean an user friendly (flash would be nice)
• break out of pillars
  • info on pillars
  • archive of seminal actions with each pillar
  • campaign info for each pillar
• have login to People Power Network (powered by crabgrass)

Create People Power Network using Crabgrass¶

• tools for internal group communication and decision making in place
• network structure could be developed with the PPN in mind.
• what would this network look like?
  • groups in regions
  • groups within categories (art, prision, warming, etc)
  • campaigns coordinated with directly democratic participation from group members.
  • pulls (of blogs, of group statements, of proposals, etc) from group to network page keeps communication and inspiration flowing
  • create PPN with participation policies

Jump Start PPS Culture¶

• participatory challenge to build visible consistency
• multimedia onslaught
• iconography: symbols, iconographic style
• fashion: arm bands, reproducible symbolic garb
• music: songs, chants, rhythms.

UFPJ People Power Strategy Proposal Cliff Notes¶

What if we had agreed on a long-term strategy that would place our direct action, our education, grassroots organizing, and demonstrations into a longer term people power strategic framework? We could then pick our tactics and campaigns based on a shared understanding that we were not just trying to have our voices heard and influence those in power, but we were actually asserting our own power and withdrawing the sources of power or pillars of support for the war and occupation of Iraq and empire building policies.

A People Power Strategic Framework identifies key pillars supporting the war and occupation and wages a determined campaigns to weaken and eventually remove those pillars.

Proposal

1) Movement Building: Adopt and Promote a People-Power Strategy to Shut Down the War and Occupation of Iraq within UFPJ, the anti-war movement, and allied movements.

• Build active alliances between UFPJ, the anti-war movement, and allied movements that address root causes of war, racism, ecological destruction and economic injustice.
• Help develop and provide trainings, educational / organizing materials, media strategy support and resources, as well as broadly-representational national strategy summits.
• This strategy has to be part of a larger effort for systemic change. By creating a common strategy framework, diverse movements can cooperate and our efforts can be cumulative

2) Campaigns: Support and Coordinate Campaigns Around the following Key Pillars of War and Occupation at the local, regional and national levels.

A. TROOPS
Develop campaigns in the following areas:

• Support troops (or private or government employees) who refuse deployment or orders in compliance with international law.
• Counter-Recruit; Reduce the military’s ability to recruit young people, disproportionately low-income and of color.
• Resist the Draft and Draft Registration; Support young men to refuse to register for the selective service and prepare for mass resistance to a possible draft.

B. CORPORATE WAR PROFITEERS
Run campaigns targeting the following types of companies:

• Mercenary “private security” corporations who provide logistics and services, like CACI, which provides interrogators, including those involved in Abu Ghraib torture.
• “Reconstruction” contractors, such as Bechtel and Halliburton.
• Privatizers: Corporations who are working towards privatizing Iraq’s economy, such as ChevronTexaco.
• Manufacturers of weapons and military supplies, such as Lockheed-Martin

C. CORPORATE MEDIA DISINFORMATION
To confront the media, we must track it, target it, and support alternative sources.

• Media Accountability Campaigns to foster widespread public awareness or literacy about media bias, and curb some of the most outrageous lies and distortions.
• Independent Media Advocacy Campaigns

Organizational and structural implications for UfPJ:

• Strategy requires significant involvement of UFPJ member organizations.
• Training for staff, Steering Committee and member groups on People Power Strategy.
• Staff time and resources to produce People Power Strategy Framework trainings, organizing materials, target research, and media work.
• Coordinate campaigns in conjunction with other networks or organizations already working in these areas or develop campaigns where none exist.
• Staff time and resources to coordinate joint days of action.
• Web tools for networking between member groups to share ideas, materials, target information, etc.
• Resources for local, regional or national coordination, training and planning meetings on pillar campaigns.