(please forward
widely) Report on the August 28 Chicago Meeting to Organize the
NATO/G8 Protests On Sunday, August 28, 163 people came together at the Kent
College of Law in downtown Chicago to organize protests at the May, 2012
NATO and G8 meetings in Chicago. The 163 people represented 73
organizations. Around 60 of those present came from outside of Chicago,
mainly from nearby states but including people from as far away as
California, Texas, Boston, New York, and Canada. The meeting supported
proposals from the United National Antiwar Coalition to build peaceful,
permitted actions at the opening of the NATO/G8 meetings on May 15, 2012 and
a mass demonstration on Saturday, May 19, 2012. Additionally, it
approved providing an educational platform during the NATO/G8 meetings for
national and international rally speakers to put forth an alternative agenda Presentations
were given by leaders who had organized the demonstrations at the St. Paul
Republican National Convention, the Pittsburgh G20 demonstrations, and the
Toronto G20 demonstrations, who described what they learned. Also presenting
were leaders of UNAC and other organizations, including UNAC steering
committee members Malik Mujahid of the Muslim Peace Coalition, Mark Johnson
of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Kathy Kelly of Voices for Creative
Non-Violence, and Chicago UNAC leader Joe Iosbaker from the Committee to Stop
FBI Repression. Joe Iosbaker is one of the antiwar and solidarity
activists whose home was raided by the FBI and who has been subpoenaed to
appear before a federal grand jury. Pat Hunt from Chicago
Code Pink and Chicago Peace Action chaired a number of sessions and played a
leading role in the meeting. Additional presenters were Andy
Thayer of the Chicago Coalition Against War & Racism and the Gay
Liberation Network, Keeanga Taylor of the Communities United Against
Foreclosure and Evictions, Mark Clement for the Campaign to End the Death
Penalty, N’dana Carter of Southside Together Organizing for Power, Demetrius
Lightfoot of Fearless Leading by the Youth, Muhammad Sunkari of Arab American
Action Network, Alex Han for Stand Up
Chicago, Bernadette Ellorin of BAYAN, a progressive Filipino organization,
and Abayomi Azikiwe of Bail Out the People. An educational panel on
NATO and the G8, and on why they are coming to Chicago, included UNAC leaders
Jeff Mackler and Ashley Smith along with Rick Rozoff of the group Stop
NATO. Additionally, UNAC
co-coordinators Marilyn Levin and Joe Lombardo spoke. Marilyn Levin’s opening remarks can be seen
by clicking
here There
were three breakout sessions. In the first, people organized themselves
into work committees such as outreach, logistics, media, etc.. The
second breakout session was for constituencies such as students, labor, etc.,
and the third breakout session was reserved for regional meetings. The
Chicago activists organized a well-run daylong meeting. The Chicago
media paid close attention to the meeting, and articles appeared in the
Chicago Tribune (click here
for Chicago Tribune article)
and the Sun Times as well as a major TV station. The
meeting voted on a proposal to organize the protests and coordinate activity
between local and national structures. It also voted on a set of
principles, the Chicago Principles, which was adopted from the St. Paul and
Pittsburgh demonstrations against the Republican National Convention and the
G20 meeting. These principles outline a method of cooperation and
mutual support by all groups involved in organizing protests during the
NATO/G8 meetings (click here
for the text of the Chicago Principles) It
is rare for NATO and the G8 countries to hold their meetings at the same
place and same time. It validates much of what the antiwar movement has
been saying for years: that the wars are tied to economic policies and
resources. These meetings are happening at a time when much of the
world is in revolt over the wars and austerity imposed by NATO and the G8
governments. Our protests will be part of our own revolt against
those policies. The entire world will be watching us. Web site,
email list and endorser campaigns will soon be set up. Please join
us.
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