Author: twac

TWAC Bay Area – Aug 18-22 Calistoga, CA

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Need a safe space to work on your direct action skills? Wanna hang with some awesome folks in beautiful Calistoga, California? Been itching to conduct a workshop on issues affecting your community? Well… TRANS &/OR WOMEN ACTION CAMP (TWAC) BAY AREA will be taking place August 18th to 22nd, 2014 in Calistoga, CA!! 

Our camp spot is accessible, close to transit, by a beautiful river (to hold workshops by), has tent & house rooming options (limited) and has glorious trees for us to climb. THIS IS A FREE, ALL AGES & FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT. 

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TWAC is an action camp for folks who identify as female and/or trans, trans women, trans men, gender queer, gender variant, two-spirited and agender to build community, heal and strengthen our cultures of resistance. Our focuses will be on developing skills for climbing, blockading, flash-mobbin’ and making art for protest as well as having safer and mind-expanding workshops and discussions about diversity, anti-oppression, intersectionality, transphobia, transmisogyny, environmental justice, and direct action. We’ll also be holding a variety of workshops on car mechanics, DIY underwear making, consent as queen, playing power chords on guitar, survivor support, plant identification, frontline solidarity, legal support for direct action/civil disobedience and much more… There’ll be something for everyone! Some of our caucuses will be: POC, mixed race, parents, trans women, gender/sexuality-based violence survivors, dog parents, drinkers, non-drinkers and any more you’d like to create!

♥ RSVP HERE or EMAIL twacbayarea@riseup.net

♥ FIND/GIVE A RIDE HERE http://www.groupcarpool.com/t/5iqcau

♥ FACILITATE A WORKSHOP! 

♥ DONATE $$, GEAR OR FOOD! http://www.gofundme.com/TWACBayArea

♥ VOLUNTEER for the Kitchen, Logistics and/or Childcare

♥ BE AN ASL OR SPANISH INTERPRETER OR FACILITATE A WORKSHOP IN SPANISH

♥ JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP TO ATTEND OUR MONTHLY CLIMB NIGHTS: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195314230651606/

MAINE TRANS AND/OR WOMEN’S ACTION CAMP OCCUPYING IRVING CORPORATION’S PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE HEADQUARTERS

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UPDATE 12:52p.m. All cop cars are gone. Unconfirmed belief that pain compliance was used to remove the lockdowners.

UPDATE 11:46 Cops have the whole building blocked off, no visuals on the lockdowners.

UPDATE 11:43,  Oil has mysteriously spilled on Irving’s private parking lot.

UPDATE 11:42,  All protesters, except those locked have been removed from the premisses.

UPDATe: 11:37 Lock downers are under arrest, but are still locked in.

UPDATE 11:29am Irving owns the parking lot to the building, outside protesters are being told they will be arrested if they don’t leave the property.

UPDATE 11:21am Chief of police has just arrived.

UPDATE 11:18am Two banners dropped at near by bridges:

“Irving, exploiting native land and water”

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“Fracking: Drilling, Killing, Spilling”

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UPDATE 11:12am protesters, pushed out of building by police leaving lockdowners with out any support

Call Portsmouth police to demand they release the arrested protesters with out charges (603) 436-2511

UPDATE 11:05: Direct support for the lockdowners have been arrested, other support pushed outside the building.

UPDATE 11:02: First arrest has been made

UPDATE 11:01am: police have arrived, threatening arrest.

UPDATE 11:00am: banner  inside Irving headquarters

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MAINE TRANS AND/OR WOMEN’S ACTION CAMP OCCUPYING IRVING CORPORATION’S PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE HEADQUARTERS

In solidarity with New Brunswick First Nation’s Fracking Protest

BREAKING Portsmouth, New Hampshire Irving Corporation Headquarters: this morning dozens of activists participating in the Trans and/or Women’s Action camp (TWAC) are occupying an Irving Corporation Headquarters. Dozens of activists are currently occupying the office to present their demands to Irving officials. Ten activists are “locked down” using a combination of lock boxes and u-lock kryptonite bike locks. These activists will occupy the office until demands are met or they are forcibly removed. This action comes after a three day long event where women, transgender, gender queer, and gender variant activists from Maine and other parts of the North East come together to learn political organizing skills with a focus on direct action civil disobedience, Protesters have brought a list of demands and refuse to leave the building until they speak with Kevin Flemming, Chief Strategy Officer, David Glassberg, Chief Legal and Governance Officer, or another high ranking Irving official. This office occupation is in solidarity with the Mi’kmaq First Nation’s current road blockade in Elsipogtog, a protest against fracking exploration by SWN Resources Canada that is currently taking place on their traditional lands without their consent.

The Mi’kmaq First Nations have been defending their land with a road blockade since September 30th. On October 17th there was a violent attempt to raid their encampment by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Irving oil supports fracking exploration on First Nations land by allowing SWN Resources to store their equipment in an Irving owned compound, and reports state that natural gas that comes off of Elsipogtog land would go to the Irving refinery in New Brunswick. Please see our attached list of demands for more information on Irving’s practices.

“What is happening to the Mi’kmaq and Elsipogtog First Nations in New Brunswick is horrific. The indigenous people of this continent have experienced violent occupation and genocide for over 500 years, and the situation in New Brunswick is a continuation of that occupation and genocide. The very least we can do as non-native allies is put our legal status on the line to expose Irving’s connection to this horrific situation and learn how to most effectively be non-compliant to the colonial domination of indigenous people. The Canadian government and all corporations involved need to respect indigenous sovereignty and immediately stop any fracking exploration.” -Christine Allium, TWAC Organizer.

TWAC Maine supports indigenous sovereignty, community self reliance, healthy and flourishing ecosystems, an end to corporate domination, and racial and gender justice.

 

2013 TWAC Maine Schedule and Workshops

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Keep checking back for updates, including workshop descriptions!

Saturday
8:00: Breakfast
8:30-9:15: Morning Circle
9:15-11:15: Building resistance to corporate globalization through TPP Free Zones: Ruth
                   Tar Sands as Genocide: Kat
15 minute break
11:30-12:30: Lunch and Break
12:30-2:30: History is not History: the continuing colonization of Maine’s Indigenous Peoples: Maria Girouard
                   Know your rights/Legal: Logan
30 minute break
3:00-5:00: Building alliances with Indigenous Peoples: Maria Girouard
5:00-6:00: Dinner
6:00-7:00: Presentation on our action target
7:00-8:00: Action Prep
8:00-beyond: Open Mic and other FUN!

Sunday
8:00: Breakfast
8:30-9:15: Morning Circle
9:15-11:15: Maine Issues Workshop: Chris, Nikki, Heidi, Hilary, Meaghan
                   Direct Action 101, Part 1: Paki
15 minute break
11:30-12:30: Lunch and Break
12:30-2:30: Direct Action 101, Part 2: Paki
                   Classism from the Inside Outward: Sally Brotherton
30 minute break
3:00-5:00: Research/Media Workshop: Hilary
                 Queer/Trans Health: Chanelle, Cea
5:00-6:00: Dinner
6:00-7:00: Presentation on our action target
7:00-8:00: Action Prep
8:00-beyond: FUN and resting up for action!

Confirmed Workshops
History is not History: the continuing colonization of Maine’s Indigenous Peoples: From 11,00 years ago to present, Penobscot people have maintained a continual presence and existence in their ancestral homelands, now referred to as “Maine.” A historical overview of trial relations with the settlers demonstrates a pattern of repeated history and tenacious efforts by Penobscots to live peacefully while reserving and  protecting their territory. This history bleeds into contemporary life as Penobscots currently find themselves preparing to take on their oppressors in one of the biggest battles of their contemporary existence.: Maria Girouard

Building alliances with Indigenous Peoples: Well-meaning non-natives often find it difficult to establish working relationships or partnerships with indigenous nations. This discussion of do’s, don’ts, and whys is based on a Penobscot community focus group where the discussion “what makes a good ally” took place, and on several years of work experience in a position where every week at least one communication came form people who “wanted to help.”: Maria Girouard

Tar Sands as Genocide: This workshop seeks to hilight how mainstream organizing around tar sands exploitation works within an inadequate analysis of the systems of power and domination that perpetuate exploitation and commodification of the earth. Because the most marginalized and at risk members in capitalist society are often excluded from participation in movements opposed to systems of oppression that disproportionately affect them.
We will discuss how environmental racism has been ignored and/or tokenized by big green NGO’s, and even radical environmental groups, we will also open dialogue about racism and white supremacy as well as classism and sexism within the broader environmental movement to identify, expose, and actively challenge the unjust dynamics that allow these patters to thrive in our organizing spaces.
Facilitator will focus intensely on the environmental racism endemic along the route of the Keystone XL Pipeline from the point of extraction to the point of refining to help participants further understand the complexities of how this form of systemic racism works.
The facilitator will share their person experiences organizing with communities living fence line to refineries processing tar sands in Houston’s toxic East End. A short film co-produced by the facilitator will be shown: Kat

Building resistance to corporate globalization through TPP Free Zones: “Free trade” agreements are about increasing the rights of corporations and taking away our rights as citizens. For instance, starting with NAFTA, the agreements that US has negotiated with other countries give foreign coporations the right to sue countries over domestic laws which they say could lead to projected loss of their future profits. Now the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is being negotiated between the US and 11 other Pacific Rim countries. In fact, it is being negoiated in secret with 300 or more corporations at the table. From what has been revealed so far thorough leaked documents, the TPP would go even further in promotin the interests of corporations over “we, the people.”
This workshop is about creating “TPP Free Zones” where we live. It’s time to stop relying on Congress to do the right thing on trade agreements in response to our pressure-they never have-and build resistance locally. It is time to say “We will not obey!”: Ruth Caplan

Direct Action 101, four hour two part workshop: Paki
Outline of workshop:
A brief introduction to the history of non-violence, and where and how we see ourselves continuing that evolving story.
Then, into the heart of actions!

1. Hassel lines, taking positions of angry status quo proponents vs. non-violent social/environmental justice proponents.

2. Decision grid…putting out a few scenarios…the question for each being, “Is an action non-violent/effective, non-violent/not effective, violent/effective, violent/not effective?” with each person taking a position and explaining the position taken.

3. Doing a “role play” at (a) a corporate office, (b) street theater at a bank, (c) at a site from which machinery goes out to engage in support of fracking, etc.
This includes brainstorming actions, who will take the roles available eg. high risk of arrest, low rick, no risk (?), support persons, media liaison, other?

Also, more in-depth exercises on specific blockade actions, from example, roads, entrances to buildings, etc.

Know Your Rights/Legal: Logan

Maine Issues: Learn about the following issues and how you can get involved! Chris, Nikki, Heidi, Hilary, Meaghan

  • The East West Corridor
  • Nestle’s Water Grab
  • Fracked Bakken Shale Oil coming through Maine on freight
  • The Line 9 Reversal: the reversal of a crude oil pipeline currently spanning from Montreal to Portland that industry wants to reverse to ship tar sands oil
  • Divestment
  • Wind Power
  • Dumps
  • Side projects that the East West Corridor would support
  • Health Care is a Human Right

Media and Research Training: Hilary

Queer/Trans Health: We will be talking about various systems of the body, & herbs to support & nourish those systems. We will also delve a little into operative surgery support & some medicine making! Chanelle, Cea

Classism from the Inside Outward: The personal is political. Through understanding ourselves and being able to see the big picture, we can make opportunities for empowerment. We will teach ourselves and one another through our shared experiences of classism and internalized oppression. How do we perpetuate classism both within and outside ourselves. And how can we use this knowledge to open doors, expose truth in a way that can be heard and create a transformative and encompassing environment: Sally Brotherton