J20 General Strike Santa Cruz, Friday January 20th https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2017/01/09/18795228.php "On January 20, join people in Santa Cruz and at least 30 other cities across the US who will walk out of schools, step off the job, and come out of their homes in a Nationwide General Strike. Come together to say
* NO to racist violence // * NO to bigotry // * NO to misogyny //* NO to religious intolerance // * NO to Trump // * YES to a safe and inclusive community // * YES to climate action // * YES to collective organizing.
Complete Schedule of Events
9:00 - 10:30 am: People's Inauguration at UCSC Campus
Kresge College Crier's Tower: Facebook event11:00 am: UCSC Campus Walkout
Rally at Quarry Plaza and march to Downtown12:00 – 1:30 pm: General Strike Rally at the Clock Tower
1:30 – 3:45 pm: Workshops, Teach-ins, and Art Projects
-3:30 pm: Peace Mob, gathering at Mission Plaza Park
-1:30 – 2:15 pm: Session #1
*Felix Kulpa Gallery: The Singing Scientist
*Santa Cruz Public Library: Reproductive Justice
*SubRosa: Spiritual Activism
*The Fábrica: Banner Making at The Fábrica
-2:15 – 3:00 pm: Session #2
*Felix Kulpa Gallery: Santa Cruz Tenants Organizing Committee
*Santa Cruz Public Library: Political Change and Emerging Technologies
*SubRosa: Post-Snowden Privacy
*Veterans Memorial Building: Sanctuary City Santa Cruz
-3:00 – 3:45 pm: Session #3
*Felix Kulpa Gallery: Why Anti-Capitalism Now
*Santa Cruz Public Library: Unions, Revolutions, and other Social Change
*SubRosa: Yes on Ranked Choice
*Veterans Memorial Building: Sanctuary City Santa Cruz (continued)
4:00 – 4:30 pm: Knock down effigy of Trump's proposed border wall (Pacific Ave. & Mission St.)
5:00 - 7:00 pm: General Assembly to discuss future plans, organizing actions, and resources for resisting a Trump administration (Room 7, Louden Nelson Community Center)
Workshops / Teach-ins: Venues and Descriptions
-Santa Cruz Public Library (SCPL): 224 Church St.
-SubRosa (SR): 703 Pacific Ave.
-The Fábrica (TF): 703 Pacific Ave.
-Veterans Memorial Building (VMB): 846 Front St.
Reproductive Justice (1:30 @ SCPL) – Workshop held by the Faculty Organizing Group at UCSC. Panelists will each discuss an aspect of reproductive justice -- an approach to reproductive rights that includes, but expands far beyond, birth control and abortion access -- and offer some comments and suggestions on how we can support the ongoing efforts of RJ organizations and causes locally.
Banner Making at The Fábrica (1:30 @ TF) – Join volunteers at your favorite textile arts collective for a communal protest banner sewing bee. We'll provide Fábrica materials and work together to sew something that expresses our outrage.
Spiritual Activism (1:30 @ SR) – Inspired by facilitator Ami Chen's work in communities across the US, as well as by the intuitive, spirit-based nature of the protest at Standing Rock, this will be an interactive teach-in focused on helping all of us feel personally empowered to follow our own wisdom into activism in 2017, and beyond. Ami is joined by Miles Taylor, who spent 3 weeks at Standing Rock helping to build structures for the DAPL protest and encampment.
The Singing Scientist (1:30 @ FKG) – Environmental education music for kids and adults. Local singer/songwriter and UCSC chemistry instructor Peter Weiss will sing originals and conduct sing-alongs to help inspire us to protect the environment and each other. Peter's latest album.
Political Change and Emerging Technologies (2:15 @ SCPL) – Mass Surveillance, Neuromarketing, Mind Control. Organized by Chris Hables Gray, Fellow and Continuing Lecturer, Crown College, UCSC, editor of The Cyborg Handbook and author of Postmodern War: The New Politics of Conflict and Cyborg Citizen: Politics in the Posthuman Age.
Post-Snowden Privacy (2:15 @ SR) – Learn how to protect your online identity, and use PGP to encrypt emails. More information.
Sanctuary City Santa Cruz (2:15 @ VMB) – This workshop will introduce ongoing projects related to sanctuary and anti-bullying in the Santa Cruz area and then open it up for discussion of future visions. It will focus on creating a network that will make Santa Cruz a strong sanctuary city. More information.
Tenants' Rights (2:15 @ FKG) – Organized by the Santa Cruz Tenants' Organizing Committee, this abbreviated tenants' rights workshop will give renters present an idea about laws protecting them they may not have known about.
Unions, Revolutions, and Other Social Change (3:00 @ SCPL) – Workshop held by the Faculty Organizing Group at UCSC. A discussion among union activists and supporters, hosted by UCSC-AFT, Local 2199.
Why Anti-Capitalism Now (3:00 @ FKG) – Organized by members of Radical System Change Santa Cruz, this workshop will open a discussion about anti-capitalism as the necessary basis of political opposition today.
Yes on Ranked Choice (3:00 @ SR) – A grassroots effort to reform our electoral system so that people like Trump don't end up in office again. More information.
We must fight systems of oppression together in our society.
On the Day of Trump's Election, spontaneous protests broke out across the United States. People saw the danger represented in Trump's politics and refused to comply with business as usual. Out of those protests, a nationwide call has gone out for a General Strike on the day of the Presidential Inauguration, January 20th.
What is a General Strike? Why a General Strike?
A General Strike is a political action in which the general population refuses to engage in work, they close the doors to their workplaces and their schools. Born out of early 20th century labor movements, we can thank General Strikes for the 8 hour workday, minimum wage, and the weekend, among other accomplishments.
The General Strike is one of the strongest political tools that the people have at our disposal. General Strikes have the power to force governments to their knees. Just in these past few months: a General Strike forced the South Korean President to resign, a General Strike forced the Polish government to roll back restrictive anti-choice legislation.
Our political system only offers limited input for ordinary people in the form of voting and lobbying our "elected representatives." When it fails the people, we have little recourse to act within the system. A General Strike has the power to bring the system to a halt, to force those in power to hear the people.
In addition to the disruptive power of the General Strike, it is also a demonstration of solidarity. Trump won an election based on hate and fear. We seek to overcome that hate and fear with mutual respect and love. With Solidarity. By joining together in the General Strike we show that we are able to overcome a politics based on individualistic difference. We will stand together and defend each other in the face of misogynistic and racist attacks, cuts to social services, environmental catastrophe, and impoverishment.
Instead of being forced to rely on a broken system that only offers false choices between hatred and corruption, by striking we show that we are ready and able to build a new order. One that is not based on hate, fear, and profit, one that is built on solidarity, mutual-aid, and respect. When we do not work, when we do not go to school, when we do not allow business as usual, we show that we will not allow politics as usual to rule us. We will not allow a racist, misogynistic billionaire to rule us.
It is important to not normalize Donald Trump's governance. A first step to building a meaningful opposition to his rule is to make sure the day is not a normal work day. We have no illusions that not going to work on January 20th is going to bring down the Trump administration and systems of oppression in a single day. But striking together is the first step towards building the meaningful solidarities and organization that will allow us to actually oppose and survive his administration.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStrikeSC/ // Website: https://santacruzgeneralstrike.wordpress.com/
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