top
California
California
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Workshop Tracks Announced for Santa Cruz Anarchist Convergence

by SCanarchist (santacruzanarchist [at] riseup.net)
Workshop Tracks have been announced for the 2009 Santa Cruz Anarchist Convergence, May 7th to 11th.
hella_poster_-_color_1_1_1_1_1.pdf_600_.jpg

Workshop Tracks have been announced for the 2009 Santa Cruz Anarchist Convergence, May 7th to 11th. There are 5 distinct tracks meant to focus and encourage more depth in the workshops and panel discussions. These tracks in no way encompass all that is anarchism or everything we care about, but just the focus of this event's workshops and discussion panels.

  1. Community-Inter-relatedness: Ways we interact with each other as autonomous beings, free from the repressive hierarchies of the dominant culture. Examples could be, feminist and anti-racist praxis, open and direct communication, healing from sexual trauma, healthy coping with state violence.
  2. Green Scare, Security Culture and the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. How governments and corporations are trying to divide and conquer movements that use a diversity of tactics to stop the atrocities currently being carried out against animals and other forms of life.  What we can do to fight this repression, while protecting and supporting each other.
  3. DIY Infrastructure. How we define and meet our needs in our communities while fueling our autonomy and eliminating our dependency on repressive structures. Examples include free skools, infoshops, publishing projects, child care, radio and media, food sharing, communal living, and community conflict resolution. Do these anarchist foundations offer power in longevity and open-endedness, or do they merely perpetuate their own existence and offer opportunities to co-opt our efforts?
  4. Applied Anarchisms. Exploring the theories and applications of the distinct and nuanced streams of anarchism that many of us drink from. Which focuses quench our individual thirsts for freedom? Can any 'ism'; define the complexity of our behaviors, beliefs, and goals? How are these theories valuable, and what are their limitations?
  5. Resistance! How do we move beyond the walls of the comfortable anarcho-subculture and lead lives of resistance? How are we taking direct action, focusing resistance, using a diversity of tactics, and challenging the status quo?

We are calling for speakers, workshops, panels, and discussions on these and related topics. We request workshop/sessions fit within a one and a half hour time slot, sessions will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

If you are interested in speaking, or participating in a workshop, panel, or discussion please go to the website and complete a proposal form as soon as possible. http://santacruzanarchist.org

About the Santa Cruz Anarchist Convergence

Santa Cruz is proud to host the Santa Cruz Anarchist Convergence, a four-day anarchist event for building community and resistance and sharing radical ideas, including an Anarchist Bookfair, FreeSkool Conference, Workshops, Speakers, Discussions, Music and Games.

For more information, or to participate in the Book Fair, Workshops, or the Free Skool Conference, please contact santacruzanarchist@riseup.net. Or go to the website at http://santacruzanarchist.org

Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by M0
As someone who mostly identifies with Anarchistic politics, I find the announcement of this "convergence" a bit amusing. The announcement itself is childish and the choice of words are poor. "Santa Cruz is a hub of anarchist culture and resistance" .....I find that also amusing. Its pretty non-diverse out there. Mainly white kids who tout the same tactics, and have their little infoshops and bike collectives. Its the same old rigamaroll just another place. How about instead of wasting time and patting yourself on the back after serving Food not Bombs, holding a few workshops, and having an aging radical speak- try direct support. Travel to the impoverished areas around SC (are there any...?) and help struggling families with their bills, or with finding work. Take care of the necessities first, because we can't fight the struggle with a weak populace that doesn't respect these "radicals who impose their beliefs on us" (as most see it).

Just trying to level with ya'll. Good luck on your convergence, and hopefully much networking can be done. Peaz
by A. Reyes
Well said! Regarding Subrosa, the only difference between the people that hang out there and other white pissed-off middle-class people is an affinity for listening to Rush Limbaugh.
by Wes
I suspect that neither of these two posters (poseurs?) have stepped foot into SuibRosa. Happy to have a conversation with y'all and listen to your suggestions about what ways we can provide direct support to those you see who are in need.

Far from being white well-heeled trustafarians and college students, most of the SubRosa volunteers are part of "struggling families who can't afford their bills." And yes, that very issue is part of the struggle here in Santa Cruz, one of the most expensive places to live in the country.

I'm in SubRosa Monday mornings 8am to 10am and Thursday after 5pm. I'd like to hear your suggestions.

My guess is that neither Mo not A. Reyes -- much like the rest of the shit-talking loudmouths here on indybay -- will take me up on my offer. I'll try to remember to follow this post up in a week or two to reportback on whether anyone had the courage or gumption to step away from their computer for a minute to come talk.

Wes
by Reyes
I'll see you there but not during work hours, Thursday maybe if I can get a sitter.

Shit talking my ass.
by Shadow
Rumor has it that the city is well aware that SubRosa neither has a business license or a license from the county to prepare and sell food. They also don't pay the applicable business fee's and taxes whether being a non-profit or not.

Could something happen to SubRosa before this event?

Who knows?

Word of advice Wes. Before you ask certain city agencies for assistance you might want to make sure you have all your ducks in a row.
by amigo
dear friends,

you know as well as i do not to pay much heed to the undercover cops and cop-bootlickers who talk smack here. that being said, i did want to offer a quick thought about the convergence, which i intend to support in whatever way i can but...

the workshop tracks - seriously, why nothing on the collapse of corporate capitalism?

local newspapers are closing down, tent cities are sprouting up like mushrooms, people are scared and getting angry. you know, at the very least, we should view this as an opportunity to debunk the premise of hierarchy and private property that this dying system is based on - right now, most folks who're out of work just want things to go back to the way they once were. if we're against this, then it needs to be articulated, otherwise, we're missing the possibility of gaining allies (and avoiding making more enemies).

capitalism and the state has absolutely no shame in pitting the dispossessed against each other - suppose the only options for feeding yourself starts to boil down to flipping burgers at the local McCorporate shit-hole or cutting down redwoods for firewood? do we anarchists really wanna get caught in between defending what's left of the wild and desperate job seekers?

if we're going to adhere to the principles of equality and freedom, not just for our animal brethren, but for other humans too, then we should be thinking of ways to support the growing masses of unemployed while simultaneously challenging the primacy of the state. f n' b is great, can't we kick it up a notch and start flyering tent cities w/ subversive calls to action?

Emma Goldman had the right idea in addressing these issues head on, in public, demanding work or bread - advocating that if there is none of the former, then take the latter - no one should go without shelter as long as there's empty hotel rooms every night, no one should go hungry as long as there's surplus food that can't be sold for a profit. If industrial capitalism is reaching a tipping point, and our goal is to survive its demise, we need all the help we can get.


by Another Amigo
Good ideas RE gaining allies and discussing the opportunities this presents. Any ideas along this front?

The tracks are set up to inspire, not to lock out important discussion.

Pitch a workshop,. Even if you are not an "expert" or learned speaker on the subject, perhaps you can lead a discussion.

Workshop proposal form here: http://santacruzanarchist.org/workshops-discussions/
by skeptic
"Green Scare, Security Culture and the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. How governments and corporations are trying to divide and conquer movements that use a diversity of tactics to stop the atrocities currently being carried out against animals and other forms of life. What we can do to fight this repression, while protecting and supporting each other."

-OK, time for a little logic here. On the one hand, I see people talking about a "Green Scare", where law enforcement and corporations are using agent provocateurs to do violent (not going to niggle about what is "violent") acts to discredit the animal rights and environmental movements. ON THE OTHER HAND, in this same post we see someone mentioning "diversity of tactics", which refers to some nonviolent acts and some violent acts being done by people who share the same ideological goals.

You can't have it both ways: Either there is a "Green Scare", a paranoid witchhunt using provocateurs with the intention of discrediting causes. OR there are groups using "diversity of tactics", which means that there actually IS something that people should be scared of! Which is it, guys?

by A. Reyes
Swung by Thursday, even wore my Che shirt. Asked around, but no Wes.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network