Just coming off of four glorious days of Ruckus network Round-Up gathering.

I often wonder if people in other lines of work have the kind of experience I had on Sunday. I was standing in the closing circle of the Round-Up, and feeling the collective power of the people around me – their conviction, their vision, their sacrifices.

In the coming year we are poised to do the work we were created for – home defenses and occupations, climate and eco-justice actions, play a useful role in the fight against the Tar Sands, do action consultations and support and most of all, kick ass memorable actions – at the US Social Forum and on a frontline near you…

Now the staff is heading up the mountain to flesh out what we will be doing as a leadership team to advance these well-rounded dreams. Wish us luck!

It’s totally fitting to me to be heading into our Ruckus Network Round-Up the week that the world celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr.

I remember the first time I learned of MLK’s work. I’m sure most of the Ruckus network remembers…for me it was formative. I was in elementary school, and it was an explanation of the holiday. As an ARMY brat, I had learned of bodies and duty in a way that was defined by violence. To hear that the human body and voice and mind could be used to improve the human condition, through nonviolence, for love?

I’ve never been the same.

There are so many moments of hopelessness at this time in history, and I write from that place now…this is a hard time to have faith. The crises and inequalities in the African American community are actually worse by the numbers…. Internationally, Haiti is the latest point of black crisis to illicit our grief and our donations, and stands as New Orleans did, current proof of how unstable our infrastructures are, built on the sands of tokenization, racism, inhumane foreign policy and capitalist gain.

What is over the mountaintop for us? What is a promise land for all of us who labor and struggle and organize and unify and dream of better lives for ourselves and those we love?

It is not vision alone. We have learned the limitations of vision without action. Our lack of collective power now stems from the space between those who say they share the dream of King, and those willing to share the practices, or invest in the practices. King’s legacy inspires us because there are so many strategic, successful actions in it. If he had simply been a marvelous orator, he would have lacked the credibility that his tireless and incendiary action earned him.

When I doubt the power of nonviolent work, of actions speaking louder than words…when I feel angry and like the boundaries of civil society need to be pushed, I remember that one of my other heros, Malcolm X, was coming around to seeing King’s vision by the end of his life. Theirs is a great tale of the commitment to finding a path to strength, equality, power and righteousness – for black people and for all people. It is also a reminder of how dangerous it is to make that commitment, to stand with those most oppressed, with your people, and let nothing turn you away from what you know is right.

And people who have made that level of commitment in their lives, to continually stand with those most oppressed, to stand for justice…that’s who I get to sit with this week, that’s how I get to honor King’s work right now, today.

What a legacy. What an honor to know our work carries some piece of that torch forward through history.

Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr., and all those you stood with, for inspiring a generation of direct action.

Hey folks, check this call out from the folks in the Olympic Resistance Network. Get involved…any way you can!

CONVERGENCE FEB 2010

ALL OUT AGAINST THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES! The 2010 Winter Olympics will take place in Vancouver & Whistler, on unceded Indigenous land, from February 12-28 2010. We call on all anti-capitalist, Indigenous, housing rights, labour, migrant justice, environmental, anti-war, community-loving, anti-poverty, civil libertarian, and anti colonial activists to come together to confront this two-week circus and the oppression it represents. We are organizing towards a global anti-capitalist and anti-colonial convergence against the 2010 Olympic Games. * BASIC SCHEDULE: The basic plan thus far is: – Conference and People’s Summit on Wed Feb 10- Thurs Feb 11 – Fri Feb 12: Take Back Our City! “Welcome” the 2010 Olympic Torch with Free Games, Free Speech, and Free Food! Beginning with a festival at the Vancouver Art Gallery at 3 pm, followed by a parade and protest to BC Place Stadium. Details, including childcare arrangements, at: http://2010welcoming.wordpress.com/

- Autonomous days of action on Sat Feb 13 and Mon Feb 15 including

anti-corporate actions, rallies to oppose militarization, and more.

- On Sun Feb 14th, we will be standing with the 19th Annual Women’s

Memorial March to honour all the missing and murdered and women in the

DTES (this is not an anti-Olympic protest). Details at:

http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/

We will also be updating our website with additional anti-Olympic events

occurring during the month of February:

http://olympicresistance.net

or

http://no2010.com

* LOGISTICAL INFORMATION:

We are working to coordinate the logistics to host this convergence. For

information on billeting (whether you are in need of billeting or can

provide billeting), travel and border information, legal updates, food and

childcare arrangements, community spaces, welcome package, and more,

please check

http://olympicresistance.net

frequently for updates.

* SUPPORT THE CONVERGENCE AND GET INVOLVED!

1) Sign-up for our low-traffic list (1-2 emails per week) to stay updated

on upcoming events, meetings, and actions. Please email

olympicresistance@riseup.net

and ask to be added to our announcement list.

2) If you are part of another group (artist, activist, community, union,

campus etc) and are planning any kind of activity or event to oppose the

Games during Jan-Feb 2010, please do let us know so we can stay in touch.

3) Host an anti-Olympic educational on your campus or at your next

conference. Or invite a speaker to your next meeting to discuss what your

group can do. We are able to provide educational materials including

films, tshirts, comics, buttons, stickers and more!

4) Get involved in the Olympic Resistance Network or other anti-Olympic

groups in your neighbourhood or campus. The ORN has regular General

Meetings on Sundays as well as many committees.

5) Spread the word about the convergence! Forward this notice to your

contacts, join our facebook group

(

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22399134613&ref=ts

), download

posters and flyers about the convergence from our website and pass them

on!

6) Please donate! Hosting this convergence requires significant funds,

including legal defence funds. You can donate securely through PayPal on

our website:

http://olympicresistance.net/content/send-us-money

or cheques

can be made out to Olympic Resistance Network and mailed to ORN, 6 – 1857

Kitchener St, Vancouver, BC, V5L 2W5. Email

ornfundraise@riseup.net

to

arrange direct deposits or other queries.

* WHY OPPOSE THE GAMES:

The 2010 Winter Olympics will take place on unceded Indigenous land. Far

from being simply about sport, the history of the Olympics is one rooted

in displacement, corporate greed, and repression. As Olympic promoters and

sponsors seek to present their sanitized corporate brand image to the

world, the real impacts of the Games are apparent to everyone:

* Expansion of sport tourism on Indigenous lands

* Increasing homelessness across the province and especially in

Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

* Misdirected public spending and debt totaling $6 billion while funding

for the arts, educations, and health care are suffering cutbacks

* Corporate bailouts and corporate profits for companies with some of the

worst social and environmental records.

* Threats to basic civil liberties and free speech

* Union-busting and vulnerable working conditions for migrant labour

* Unprecedented destruction of the environment

* Unparalleled $1 billion police and security spending that is turning our

city into a militarized zone.

Watch: Eight Reasons to Oppose the 2010 Winter Olympics:

http://vimeo.com/4872922

Congratulations to all our comrades in Black Mesa and the many many supporters who have worked on this issue throughout the year.

repost:

Black Mesa Wins! Peabody’s Coal Mining Permit Revoked

Hey y’all, Sharon here. This is my attempt at a blog post summarizing what Ruckus was up to in Copenhagen this month. There was A LOT happening in a short time. If you want stories, well you’ll just have to come to a Ruckus camp…

A few months ago, the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) began a conversation with us about providing action support for their delegation to Copenhagen. The delegation included representatives from Indigenous Nations across North America. Myself, and Ruckus board member Heather Milton Lightening staffed the Indigenous support team.

Based on conversations with IEN, we arrived in Copenhagen with a few goals:

* to highlight and escalate negotiations in ways that support Indigenous vision and demands

* ensure Indigenous leadership in actions and mobilizations that could advance a climate and ecological justice agenda

* train IEN staff and allies to form their own action teams and execute their own direct actions in furthering their campaign work

We also came in with the goal of coordinating 4 actions in Copenhagen during the span of COP15 (we actually pulled off 5): a framing action to set the message “Respect Indigenous Rights”; an action calling out the US and its whacked out energy policy; an action around the Canadian Tar Sands; and an action around REDD’s (read IEN’s booklet on REDD if you want to know what it is and its impacts).  In addition we were looking to ensure Indigenous voice and leadership within other civil society actions.

A word about how we work: we took our direction from IEN and by extension, the Indigenous Caucus (recognized as stakeholders by the UN).  While direct action was being used as a tool to escalate IEN’s campaigns, the Indigenous People’s Power Project (IP3) was also brought along as an offering to the caucus to support actions the caucus wanted to engage in as a body. We briefed the caucus on an almost daily basis about IEN-initiated, and civil society actions that were taking place where Indigenous participation was strategic. We took our cues from the decisions made during those briefings. Its important to note that most of the members of the Indigenous Caucus are no strangers to direct action on their home turf, having to regularly intervene on threats to their homelands. That said, embracing direct action as a strategy within the UN was stepping into new territory for the caucus.

Indigenous Initiated Actions:

Framing Action: Respect Indigenous Peoples Rights

This action took place on the second day of COP 15.  A simple action was staged in the main hallway of the UN complex otherwise known as the Bella Center. We were there to elevate the voices of the Indigenous Peoples, who are recognized stakeholders in the UN process, and to make our presence known to the negotiators roaming the hallways, wheeling and dealing. We wanted to frame the action in such a way that was dignified, respectful of where we all come from, but that said we were here and we meant business.

You have to be permitted to do an action inside the UN and we were testing the waters with UN security to see where they were drawing their lines. Here’s how our permit read:

“This is a cleansing ceremony for conference party leaders to cleanse their minds & spirits; for clarity, compassion, strength & perseverance in coming out of the COP negotiations with a binding commitment to Save Mother Earth”

We whipped up 2 banners over night. It would be the first of many late night banner painting sessions:

We assembled with our banners, our prayers, and our message.

Check out this interview with Ben Powless, Mohawk from Six Nations Canada and one time Ruckus trainee: youtube

On December 10th, day 4 of COP 15, International Human Rights Day, and the day Barack Obama received his Nobel Peace Prize, Indigenous Peoples stepped out with something to say. We were calling out the US and its energy policies which escalate ecological devastation and cultural genocide not only for Indigenous People in the United States but also globally.

More late night banner fun with good results:

A scroll with a letter to Obama was prepared and delivered to a representative from the US Embassy. Democracy Now told the story pretty well.

And check out Faith Gemmil and Wahleah Johns on the NBC nightly news:

As usual, our press team kicked out some jammin media of our own: IEN Pitch Engine and a video of our own

And if you’re curious, here’s how the scroll read:

Dear Ambassador:

As the United States President Barack Obama accepts his Nobel peace prize today, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and First Nations Peoples come to Copenhagen to speak out against the United States energy policy that is detrimentally affecting our lands, health and livelihoods. We represent the following Nations: Mathais, Colomb Cree Nation, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Cree, Nakoda, Blackfoot, Ojibwe, Pit River/ Wintu, Neets’aii, Gwich’in Athabascan, Navajo, Mikisew Cree, Dene, Inupiaq, Oneida, Mayan, and Yaqui.

We support a full and effective participation of Indigenous people within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

We support the free, prior and informed consent, including the right to oppose the extraction of fossil fuels by destructive industries.

We call for the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and other international human rights instruments and agreements.

We strongly call for a moratorium on all new exploration for oil, gas, coal and uranium as a first step towards the full phase-out of fossil fuels, without nuclear power, with a just transition to sustainable jobs, energy and environment.

We support vibrant green economies: the U.S. assisting Indigenous communities to help supporting a just transition into a green economy, freeing ourselves from dependence on a carbon-based fossil fuel economy

We support the most stringent and binding emission reduction targets: Carbon emissions for developed countries must be reduced by no less than 40%, preferably 49% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 95% by 2050. We call for national and global actions to stabilize CO2 concentrations below 350 parts per million (ppm) and limiting temperature increases to below 1.5ºc.

We oppose false solutions: These include nuclear energy, large-scale dams, geo-engineering techniques, clean coal technologies, carbon capture and sequestration, bio-fuels, tree plantations, and international market-based mechanisms such as carbon trading and offsets, the Clean Development Mechanisms and Flexible Mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol and forest offsets.

Signed,

Indigenous Peoples of North America

International Human Rights Day: Implement Indigenous Peoples Rights

After the US Embassy we headed back to the Bella Center for another action.  The co-chairs of the caucus proposed a human chain in commemoration of International Human Rights Day. It just so happened that the youth caucus were doing a “rainstorm” action just before ours and a blending of youth and Indigenous people was quite a treat.

Unfortunately UN security wasn’t as excited by this swarm of people as we were. So off we went, around the bella center!

I got a “yellow card” for this action; meaning UN security flipped out on me because we moved our human chain around the Bella Center. It was quite the joke around the action team for the next few days…

Faith Gemmil vs Ken Salazar

The day wasn’t over yet for Faith Gemmil. She heard Ken Salazar, secretary US Department of the Interior, was giving a press briefing. With the help of her new friends over at NBC (see the nightly news link above) she managed to get in and address Ken Salazar. Check out the video that was captured as Faith asked her question.

Rolling out the welcome mat for Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper

This was our much anticipated action of the COP. We had first nations folks in the house from tar sands affected communities, and allies from the UK and Canada were also rolling deep. Together with our friends at Rainforest Action Network we decided to roll out the welcome mat for Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper and pay the Canadian embassy in Copenhagen a visit, just to let them know we were there. We also thought we’d bring him a welcome basket, with some useful things, like treaties, literature on the tar sands, even one of our “Respect Indigenous Rights” placards (translated into Danish for his convenience):

Oh, did I mention more late night banner painting (Heather is a machine!)

Here’s the press release our action media team pulled together. On the way to this action I got a phone call from Danish police, informing me we were not allowed to assemble at the embassy. Unfortunately for them, there were already about 20 people gathered when we got there, dozens more on their way, and we had no intentions of stopping. After all, we were only there to welcome Harper, drop him a gift basket, and let him know there’s always the opportunity to do the right thing.

Smart Meme helped us pull a video together too (in addition to their incredible support during COP15)

Also, around Canada and the UK folks were marking Canada’s oily footprint in their home cities. Check out the UK solidarity action.

NO RIGHTS NO REDDS

This was the last day we knew most of us would have access to the UN. It was also the morning after President Evo Morales of Bolivia had arrived in Copenhagen. Bolivia came to the COP with the most aggressive targets of any government. They also came with a message: RIGHTS FOR MOTHER EARTH.

Delegates from Bolivia came to the Indigenous Caucus with a request for support for a welcoming ceremony and action they wanted to do. We thought it would be a good time to pull out our NO RIGHTS NO REDDS!!! Shirts.

This was also the day of the Reclaim Power action, so at this point, it was all about keeping the energy up until our friends marching outside reached the bella center.

Indigenous Participation in civil society actions:

Marching through the streets of Copenhagen

Watch Tom Goldtooth’s rap at the rally at the end of the march.

RECLAIM POWER

In solidarity with our brothers and sisters from Bolivia, we joined them in leading the Reclaim Power march out of the Bella Center to join our comrades on the outside. Here are some of the days highlights

And a  few from outside

EJ Groups at the US Embassy

Well, we didn’t think we’d go to the US Embassy twice in one trip, but we thought it’d be worth it to unite with our friends in the Environmental Justice movement in the US. Oh yeah, we had one more delivery for Obama:

And of course, there’s an awesome video

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS…
We’re already in conversations about COP 16. Help us get there! Donate to Ruckus today…

As the year comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on our work in 2009.  While the story of economic recession has been told on the nightly news through dire images of home foreclosures and job loss, we’ve gotten to see a different side of the story.  We’ve seen that when times are tough and money is tight, communities know that the most effective way to bring about real change is by taking action!

We’ve had a busy year, pulling off some of the most work on some of the least resources in our history.  We’ve helped train, vision, and support actions for groups fighting police brutality, resisting foreclosure evictions, and ending Israel’s assault on the Palestinians in Gaza; groups fighting for clean air and water in their communities; resisting shale gas extraction in NY, and the Tar Sands oil extraction in Alberta; student groups fighting for just policies on their campuses; community groups from New Orleans to Milwaukee working to develop their folks’ skills to serve their communities’ needs; and of course, folks in our backyard here in the Bay Area who are taking Chevron to task and building up community solutions to the impending climate crisis (check out this growing list of eco-justice actions we’re developing!).

In addition to all the community-requested trainings and action support, some of the Ruckus Program highlights from 2009 were:

• The first annual Network RoundUp in January, where folks from our volunteer network of skilled NVDA coordinators and trainers gathered for 4 days in Oakland to share best practices across generations of Ruckus and develop methods to grow and deepen the skills within the Ruckus network.
  

• The Capitol Climate Action in March, where Ruckus helped train, prep and coordinate (with our allies at RAN, Greenpeace, and Energy Action) the first mass civil disobedience for climate justice.  3,000 folks risked arrest at the Capitol Power Plant in Washington, DC, demanding that congress take real steps towards ending the climate crisis.

• Localize This! Action Camp on Vashon Island, WA, in July. Upon request for training by the local Vashon community who was gearing up to (successfully) fight off a multinational corporation from decimating a local island, we used the opportunity to hold one of our cornerstone Action Camps.  Dozens of folks from around the U.S. and Canada convened for a week of nonviolence theory, direct action planning and prep, and hands-on tactical skills such as climbing, blockades on land and sea, and creative visuals.  Several of the participants from the camp went on to take high-level actions against the Tar Sands!  Check out the action on Niagara Falls, and at RBC Headquarters!
  

• West Coast Convergence for Climate Justice & Action (WCCCJA) in September.  As a central planning partner of the Mobilization for Climate Justice-West coalition, we helped host this Bay Area training camp which provided participants with in-depth ecological justice analysis and community solutions tools in addition to direct action training.  MCJ-West has mobilized actions for climate justice each month since the kick-off action at the Richmond Chevron refinery in August, including this action from 9/21 shown here in the U.K. Guardian (that’s our intern, Lydia!), the 10/24 International Day of Action for Climate Justice with 350.org, N30 10th anniversary of the WTO shutdown actions, and December 7th when we blockaded all three gates at Chevron’s Headquarters in San Ramon, CA on the opening day of the COP15 Climate Talks.
  

• Indigenous Peoples’ Delegation action support in Copenhagen Dec 7-18.  Our Indigenous Peoples’ Power Project, under the leadership of Ruckus Program Director Sharon Lungo, helped pull off action after action with Indigenous activists from around the world who traveled to Copenhagen to demand strong and just climate policies at the U.N. COP15.  Check out this video of Sharon in Copenhagen explaining why IP3 was there.

What a year!  Thank you so much to all of you who have supported us financially and otherwise to make all of this important work possible!  We couldn’t have done it without you.

For a sneak preview of what we’ve got in store for 2010, check out our upcoming events page!

Check out this video of Sharon from Copenhagen explaining why our Indigenous Peoples’ Power Project is there, and a little about the action to welcome Canada’s PM Harper…!

Canada is one of many governments who have sent “delegates” to Copenhagen to derail the UN climate conference…but Prime Minister Harper and his delegation no longer have stealth on their side. They are leaving a trail of oily Tar Sands wherever they go.

This Monday (Dec. 14) young indigenous organizers from Tar Sands impacted First Nations will lead thousands of allies in an action that is sure to electrify Copenhagen and the world.

They are calling for people of conscience across the Earth to stand with them. Solidarity actions are already planned for: Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and London (with other cities to be added).

We’ve made it easy for anyone to take a unified stance against the Tar Sands. Click here to download your very own Oily Tar Sands Footprint stencils. Then get together with your friends this Monday and take ACTION.

There are SO many banks, oil companies, and elected officials conspiring to commit the world’s greatest climate crime. But here’s a quick list of the dirtiest:

Banks: Canada – RBC, CIBC, BMO.  USA – BoA, CitiBank  Eupore – HSBC, RBS, Barclays
Oil Companies: Shell, Exxon, BP, Total, Chevron, Esso, Conoco, Enbridge,  Syncrude, Suncor
Your local MP’s Office: If the government is your thing.

So pick your favorite bad guy and leave a trail of footprints around their building.

Take Action!!

Sponsored by – Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Council of Canadians, The Ruckus Society, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Power Project (IP3)

Day 4 at COP 15

Hey y’all, Sharon here. I’m not used to blogging, and we are moving a million miles a minute here, but I’ll do my best to give you all the play by play as things go down there

- Action at US Embassy this morning in Copenhagen: Obama recieved his peace prize today but there is no peace in our land while our people suffer at the hands of US Energy policy. This was a woman’s action- organized by Indigenous women across North America (and as far as Central America if you include me), women from Alaska, the Southwest, the Midwest, East Coast and Canada representing many indigenous nations calling out Obama and US Energy Policy. US Energy policy affects Indigenous Peoples not only in North America but globally. There was a delivery of a scroll on behalf of Indigenous Peoples to the Ambassador.   About 50 ppl attended,  We got great media coverage:

Democracy Now!

NBC Nightly News

We’re also using a pitch engine to blast our events- Feel free to check it out- grab video and repost

-Calling out Ken Salazar (Secretary of Interior)- Faith of Red OIL and Wahleah of Black Mesa Water Coalition snuck into his press briefing (with the help of our new friends at nbc!) and Faith hit Salazar with a hard question about new oil and coal development in Alaska and the Southwest. Apparently he got flustered and avoided the question. Go Faith!!! Check out the post about it: Indigenous people raise a voice against more dirty energy There’s also video of Faith’s question

-Respect Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Action in the Halls of the UN- this was a very spontaneous joint action between youth and indigenous peoples on behalf of International Human Rights day and the lack thereof for indigenous people. The Action followed a youth “rainstorm” action and Indigenous Peoples and youth formed a human chain that spontaneously snaked all the way around the Bella Center (UN security was not happy about this one!) People spontaneously joined the snake and I would dare say at one point we were a giant circle in the Bella Center!

-Indigenous Peoples speak out is happening right now at the Klima Forum (the “peoples” alternative forum to COP).  I spoke on an IP panel yesterday talking about IP3 and action.

Photos to come!

Sharon

So we’re day 3 into the climate talks, and the lay of the land is fascinating. Copenhagen is not just expensive when it comes to food and drink – there’s also a steep cost for folks who engage in actions. Fines and deportation are the two pendulums swinging, and we have to plan our actions in a way that makes an impact throughout the entire process. So what are we doing?

We’re bringing it.

Yesterday there was a framing action inside the UN, in the main hallway between the NGO display area, and the climate negotiation space. The message was: Respect Indigenous Rights. Ruckus/IP3 is in Copenhagen to support the Indigenous Environmental Network and thereby the Indigenous People’s caucus, which is a recognized body within the UN, and a powerful participant in the proceedings. Our goal is to highlight and escalate negotiations in ways that support indigenous vision and demands, as well as ensure indigenous leadership in the actions and mobilizations that advance a climate and ecological justice agenda.

In addition to the actions and mass mobilizations we came here to do and support, new action opportunities are arising every day. As shit hits the fan inside the UN halls, delegations from all over the world are in careful strategic processes, trying to determine when, how and if they will have to walk out, and action will raise their voices loud enough to be heard inside the halls of negotiation.

As usual, we’re not trying to be reactionary, or act for the sake of action – we want to act for the sake of movement building and shifting the balance of power and the direction of the planet when it comes to climate.

It’s exciting to be here with so many amazing organizers and organizations – our friends from Smartmeme are here supporting messaging as the situation changes. Our friends from IEN are shaping policy daily – check out this video of them on Democracy Now.

More to come!

Sharon!