Call for RNC Convergence Attendees Interested in Taking the Streets on Sept. 1st

[RNC at Macalester]

Calling on anyone attending the Macalester Convergence who is interested in
taking to the streets on day 1...

Folks and Affinity Groups interested in participating in blockades / swarms
/ direct action during the RNC who haven't already made plans are encouraged
plug into Sector 5 (
https://lists.riseup.net/www/d_read/rnc08/WCSite/sectormap.jpg) on the first
day.  Sector 5 is in Macalester's backyard and will be easily accessible to
students.  Sector 5 would welcome any and all, so grab appropriate gear and
take to the streets for the RNC.

Plugging into Sector 5 is easy as showing up there on September 1st.  More
information can be provided at the Macalester Convergence.

Below are some points of unity for the Sector 5 "snowswarm".

The snowswarm is a direct-action contingent welcoming those who agree with
the following…

<1> Commitment to the Swarm, Sieze, and Stay (3S) strategy to blockade the
xcel center and crash the republican national convention.
i. Move into/around Downtown St. Paul via swarms of varying sizes, from
multiple directions, and with diverse tactical intentions.
ii. Seize space through both hard (e.g., lockboxes) and soft (e.g.,
congestion), fixed and mobile, blockading methods.
iii. Stay engaged with the situation in downtown St. Paul as long as
necessary. Regroup. Reinforce.

<2> Solidarity with the RNC Welcoming Committee's points of unity: (
nornc.org)
i. A rejection of Capitalism, Imperialism, and the State;
ii. Resist the commodification of our shared and living Earth;
iii. Organize on the principles of decentralization, autonomy,
sustainability, and mutual aid;
iv. Work to end all relationships of domination and subjugation, including
but not limited to those rooted in patriarchy, race, class, and homophobia.
v. Oppose the police and prison-industrial complex, and maintain solidarity
with all targets of state repression;
vi. Directly confront systems of oppression, and respect the need for a
diversity of tactics.

<3> Solidarity with Bash Back and the Pink & Blue Block (our friendly
neighbors in Sector 5 — bashbacknews.wordpress.com)
BashBack Points of Unity:
i. Fight for liberation. Nothing more, nothing less. State recognition in
the form of oppressive institutions such as marriage and militarism are not
steps toward liberation but rather towards heteronormative assimilation.
ii. A rejection of Capitalism, Imperialism, and all forms of State power.
iii. Actively oppose oppression both in and out of the "movement." All
oppressive behavior is not to be tolerated.
iv. Respect a diversity of tactics in the struggle for liberation. Do not
solely condemn an action on the grounds that the State deems it to be
illegal.

<4> Commitment to following the "St. Paul Principles" of solidarity in
action
i. Our solidarity will be based on respect for a diversity of tactics and
the plans of other groups.
ii. The actions and tactics used will be organized to maintain a separation
of time or space.
iii. Any debates or criticisms will stay internal to the movement, avoiding
any public or media denunciations of fellow activists and events.
iv. We oppose any state repression of dissent, including surveillance,
infiltration, disruption and violence. We agree not to assist law
enforcement actions against activists and others.

-Some Anti-RNC Organizers