UA in the Bay -- Bay Area Unconventional Action formed

NATIONALLY

The primary goal of UA in the Bay will be to help provide logistical and tactical support for the 2008 Republican and Democratic National Conventions. To this end, over the next year you will find us throughout the Bay Area and other parts of the west coast distributing propaganda, offering workshops, fund raising, and hosting tactical planning sessions. In many previous mobilizations things like fund raising and tactical planning were largely left up to organizers in the host city. We believe that this arrangement is unfair and inegalitarian. By doing our part in the Bay in conjunction with others doing their parts throughout the country we hope to help build national organizing structures that will outlive the political conventions – that, indeed, will outlive politics!

LOCALLY

UA in the Bay is extremely interested in making friends and cultivating relationships with radical groups in the Bay Area and throughout the west coast. It is our belief that sectarianism has long plagued the Bay, and that we must work to overcome it. We pledge, therefore to work with any group that agrees with our points of unity regardless of ideological slant. We will welcome reds, greens, pinks, blues, polka-dots, etc but if we must sometimes raise a flag, let it always be black!

ABOUT UNCONVENTIONAL ACTION

Unconventional action is an emerging network looking to complement the work of organizers in Denver and the Twin Cities with regional organizing throughout the rest of the country. Our goal is to build a horizontal, inclusive framework for protests that will disrupt the upcoming Democratic and Republican National Conventions. We are currently organizing meetings, propaganda, and consultas in our communities and encourage those in other regions to do the same.

UA in the Bay POINTS OF UNITY

We Reject all forms of hierarchy including capitalism, party communism, patriarchy, white supremacy, colonialism, and so-called representational politics

We believe in consent based processes and relationships. Members of UA in the Bay should always strive to respect the physical, mental, and personal boundaries of those they interact with. We are not willing to work with those that can not or will not own up to and attempt to reconcile transgressions they have committed against the boundaries of others. In any conflict in which consent is an issue we will respect the wishes of the survivor.

We will strive to be welcoming to all people in our group including but not limited to: minorities, people of all genders, queers, transgendered people, differently-abled people, and older or younger individuals. We support diversity of tactics; however UA in the Bay will not seek the cooperation or authorization of the police or any entity of the government. We believe in free association; We do not feel compelled to work with people that do not agree with our points of unity and we will not hold it against anyone who chooses not to work with us. We encourage individuals to act in whatever manner they see fit, however, in the interest of security culture we expect that those in our group will display a high level of tact and discretion when discussing actions.

Snitches will not be tolerated. Snitching is considered a violation of consent.

We are willing to work with anyone that agrees with our points of unity and process.

CONTACT

If you are interested in learning more about UA in the Bay, if you want to join up, help out, or just chat, please send us an email at UAintheBay@unconventionalaction.org.