Ruckus is emerging this spring with exciting news!
Our Program Director, Sharon Lungo is now the Executive Director of the Ruckus Society.
We are also excited to welcome Van Dell, the new Ruckus Operations Lead.
Ruckus is hiring a Development Director, read more about the position and apply!
With these new transitions on staff, we are sad to say goodbye to Emma Rubin who threw down hard and held it down on staff the past year and half. We are grateful for all your hard work and dedication Emma!
We spent the winter preparing for an exciting 2015 as well as supporting local protests and direct actions around state & police violence in the Bay area like the West Oakland BART Shut-down for #blackoutblackfriday, the shut down of the Oakland Federal Building, Home Depot Shut Down and the recent shut down of the San Francisco Police Department. Shout out to the many Ruckus Society trainers and activists who were involved!
Ruckus’ 2015 work is currently focused on the following issues areas:
- Indigenous Resistance & Direct Action Organizing
- Supporting Frontline Communities in the fight for Climate Justice
- New Emerging Project: Supporting the direct action capacity of movements against state & police violence
- Developing more Direct Action Organizers of Color
Celebrating 10 years of the Indigenous People’s Power Project (IP3)
This year marks the 10th year anniversary of the Indigenous People’s Power Project!
The Indigenous People’s Power Project (IP3) is a direct action training and support network that exists to enhance the ability of Indigenous communities to exercise our inherent rights of justice and self-determination.
This year, Ruckus is re-launching Training for Trainers for Indigenous Peoples [link to overview on website?] to build the capacity of Indigenous activists who have come up through TarSands fights or the emerging Idle No More movement, as well as from regions like Black Mesa, AZ and Alaska. As Indigenous resistance has been resurging, IP3 and Ruckus are there to provide skills and training capacity to their fights. In 2015 IP3 will launch the following programs in support of Indigenous Peoples.
Climate Justice News: Gulf South Rising
Gulf South Rising (GSR) is a regional movement of coordinated actions and events to highlight the impact of the global climate crisis on the Gulf South region (TX, LA, MS, AL, FL). Through collaborative events and actions around strategic dates in 2015 GSR demands a just transition away from extractive industries, discriminatory policies and unjust practices that hinder equitable recovery from disaster and impedes the development of sustainable communities. This year-long initiative aims to 1) build regional movement infrastructure; 2) connect and convene frontline communities around collective healing and ecological equity; 3) advance regional efforts of indigenous tribal and land sovereignty; and, 4) shift the regional narrative from resilience to resistance.
Visit http://www.gulfsouthrising.org to read more about Gulf South Rising
Introucing Ruckus’ Emerging Project on State and Police Violence
Ruckus is excited to announce a new emerging project to support the direct action capacity of movements against State & Police Violence.
A new mass movement has developed to confront the increased expansion of the criminal justice system and militarization of the police that has exploded since September 11th, 2001. In 2012, the murder of Trayvon Martin, followed by the acquittal of his murderer, George Zimmerman, sparked a new level of social unrest and began the seeds of a new movement in the form of Black Lives Matter. The killing of Michael Brown by the police in Ferguson, Missouri and the increased coverage of the case and local uprising combined with avalanching social media coverage of this and dozens of other police killings, has contributed to an on-going and growing mass movement.
Ruckus Society is collaborating with the Community Justice Network for Youth and the BlackOUT! Collective to convene a direct action training series to support and deepen the development of direct action capacity in the movement to confront and challenge State & Police violence against Indigenous Peoples, Black/Afrikan peoples, People of Color, Migrant communities, Undocumented Peoples and Young People.
Stay Tunes for More Updates!
In Solidarity & In Action,
The Ruckus Society