Waging Peace: A Discussion on Civil Disobedience for Activists

Waging Peace: A Discussion on Civil Disobedience
for Occupy and other Activists


“Any power structure relies upon the People’s obedience to the orders of the ruler(s). If the People do not obey, rulers have no power.’’-- Gene Sharp

David Hartsough knows how to get in the way. He has used his body to block navy ships headed for Vietnam and trains loaded with munitions on their way to El Salvador and Nicaragua. He has crossed borders to meet “the enemy” in East Berlin, Castro’s Cuba, and present-day Iran. He has marched with mothers confronting a violent regime in Guatemala and stood with refugees threatened ​by death squads in the Philippines.

Hartsough has spent his life experimenting with the power of active nonviolence. His is the story of one man’s effort to live as though we were all brothers and sisters. He inspires, encourages and empowers us to help create a world that is peaceful and just. Hartsough will lead a discussion on what it takes to put your body on the line. Where do you find the courage? How do you deal with fear? How do you deal with arrest and jail? How do your comrades help and hinder? How do you create campaigns? How does a group bent on massive change actually get the job done?

David Hartsough is executive director of Peaceworkers, based in San Francisco, and is cofounder of the Nonviolent Peaceforce. He is a Quaker and member of the San Francisco Friends Meeting. Hartsough has worked actively and internationally for nonviolent social change and peaceful resolution of conflicts since he met Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. in 1956. He is a longtime friend of Occupy Forum.

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