Direct Action to Stop the War ASSEMBLY Jan. 10

Greetings all --

At the Dec 7th Spokes we decided that DASW would host a 2004 visioning and strategic planing meeting for actions and campaigns in 2004. The invitation and guidelines are below. Please share them with your affinity groups and come to the assembly ready to challenge the war for empire. A pdf version of the invitation and guidelines are on the shared web area of this list at http://www.indybay.org/uploads/daswjan10_print.pdf If you have questions about the assembly please contact daswmeetings [at] riseup.net

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DASW 2004 ASSEMBLY
Saturday, January 10, 2004 11am-5pm
St. Boniface Church
133 Golden Gate
San Francisco, CA

Food Provided
(Please come on time and stay for the afternoon)

2003 was an amazing year of direct action against war and corporate empire. Let’s make 2004 an even bigger year of resistance ~~~

Direct Action to Stop the War is planning our action campaign for 2004 and we invite our friends and allies to join us.
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Dear DASW friends,

Happy New Year!

Will you join us in a resolution for the coming year to do everything we can to end the war for empire and uproot the system behind it?

On January 10, 11am-5pm at St Boniface Church DASW is hosting an assembly to take stock of the past year’s actions, get reacquainted with one another, strengthen our network and sculpt plans of action for 2004. Come and share your vision and ideas with other bay area activists.

In 2003 DASW brought together many of us, our organizations and affinity groups in the strongest creative direct action resistance against the invasion of Iraq within the US. When the US invaded, 20,000 of us shutdown the San Francisco Financial District.

As the invasion continued and became an occupation, DASW coordinated actions linking corporate power and profit, the Bush Administration’s empire building policies, and the “war at home” impact on our local communities. Bechtel, ChevronTexaco, SSA, APL, Autonomy Corporation, Carlyle Group, and the Pacific Stock Exchange were among our targets.

During these actions we established continuing relationships with community groups like PUEBLO (People United for a Better Oakland), ILWU local 10, Communities for a Better Environment, West County Toxics, and the Richmond Greens. We have also networked with groups nationally and internationally against the WTO and FTAA at the recent protests in Cancun and Miami.

We believe that DASW has a key role to play in 2004, and we need you to join us. Let’s think proactively and consider longer term plans that break out of the action-to-action cycle. Gather up your friends and affinity groups and start thinking about ideas and proposals to share at the Assembly. Together we can strengthen our networks, organizations and create a remarkable resistance.

Please join us in challenging empire and creating peace & justice — DASW 2004 Assembly Planning Group

PARTICIPATING IN THE ASSEMBLY

ASSEMBLY OBJECTIVES
We seek to create an open, welcoming and inspiring space to connect, reflect and discuss concrete actions to proactively challenge the system of empire and injustice and create alternatives in our local communities. We expect folks to leave the assembly with stronger alliances, clear ideas of actions for 2004 and commitments to next steps.

HOW CAN I/MY GROUP PLAY A PART
We invite all individuals, affinity groups, and organizations who agree with our goals and want to work with DASW to participate in the assembly. To help us do a lot in a short amount of time we are asking attendees to do some preparatory work.

** RSVP: please send us an email (daswmeetings [at] riseup.net) letting us know you’re interested in participating so we can get a sense of how many folks will come out and so we can send you an agenda and proposals before January 10th.

** DRAFT IDEAS/PROPOSALS: We want to create a space where we can not only plan for the coming year, but also take a look back and learn from our past year of organizing. If you or your group has ideas/proposals for an action, campaign or project that you want to work on through DASW, send your proposal (1500 words or less) to daswmeetings [at] riseup.net by noon, Jan 5th. Please include who the idea/proposal is coming from and a summary of what the proposal is at the top. We will send it out to the other participants so they can review and discuss before the assembly. Some possible questions to think about: What strengths shall we build on? What actions or campaigns are crucial for us to take part in? Where do we need to improve, and how should we go about doing that? How can we build a stronger, more inclusive movement? What are the tools and talents you can commit to DASW?

** DISCUSS PROPOSALS/IDEAS WITH YOUR GROUP: We will send out all the proposals/ideas and agenda by 6pm on January 5. Please discuss the proposals & ideas with your organization or affinity group (existing or forming) and share your views with the assembly on the 10th.

** VOLUNTEER: If you’d like to help us with the event, send an email to daswmeetings [at] riseup.net

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DIRECT ACTION TO STOP THE WAR

--OUR GOALS--

1) End the war for empire and uproot the system behind it. War for empire includes three interlocking parts:
** Military war and occupation, including: US military presence throughout the world andsupport for war and occupation through other regimes.
** Economic war to impose corporate globalization on the world, including: the IMF, World Bank, WTO, NAFTA, FTAA, CAFTA, and Middle East Free Trade Agreement.
** War at home, including: racial injustice, sexism and patriarchy; cuts in and privatization of basic services; environmental injustice and ecological destruction; and attacks on civil liberties, immigrants, low-income communities, communities of color, unions, waged and unwaged workers.

2) Impose real economic, social and political costs on governments and corporations and stop business as usual until the war for empire ends. We publicly organize mass nonviolent direct action now, with the intention of ending current war and occupation and deterring future war for empire.

3) Assert our power to transform our communities and the world from profits, oil and war to resistance and life! We work to create open, welcoming, inspiring spaces where the voices of the anti-war majority can be heard through real, direct democracy. We will help catalyze racially just, non-patriarchal, mass movements to challenge corporate and government power and create socially just, directly democratic, ecological, equitable, and peaceful alternatives.