This report comes from some Grand Rapids area anarchists that attended the annual Crimethinc convergence:

Several weeks ago, over 150 anarchists gathered in Waldo, Wisconsin for the 2008 Crimethinc Convergence. The Convergence took place on the edge of town, in a privately owned field bordered on three sides by woods and just off of a rarely trafficked road. Some came from as far away as South Africa and Germany, while others came from the United States and Canada to attend the sixth annual gathering of the Ex-Workers Collective. After carpooling from the meet-up point in Milwaukee, most folks set up their tents and began introducing themselves to new arrivals. By late afternoon, a storm had descended upon the campers, complete with sheets of heavy rain and tumultuous wind at 70 mph.

Day two began with an opening circle in which everyone met around the fire pit to lay down the ground rules for respect of the site and respect for each other, as well as a run-through of the workshops scheduled for the day. Once discussion broke, many campers hurried back to their tents to build make-shift clotheslines to dry everything that had gotten wet the night before. By the time the sun came out, folks had eaten breakfast served by the volunteer crew at the designated kitchen tent and were on their way to the workshops.

Workshops were held every day and ranged from a variety of issues and topics, including participatory workshops on spokescouncils, police tactics and blockades; resource sharing workshops such as small town organizing, creating your own media, shoplifting techniques, and DIY sexual health; report-back style workshops that served to inform folks about the organizing around the most recent G8 summit, South African anarchist resistance to racism, and workshops concerning plugging into actions and updates on organizing against the construction of the NAFTA superhighway I-69 in Indiana, the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in Denver and the Twin Cities respectively, the 2010 Olympics that are scheduled to be held on stolen native land in Vancouver, and the 2010 G8 summit north of Toronto.

Throughout the Convergence, tents were set up for specific things like arts and crafts, a zine library, childcare, medical needs, and a prisoner writing station. These tents were operated by volunteers and allowed for individuals with specific needs and interests to take part in the week's events.

Every evening there were events and games near the campfire. One night there was a Cabaret in which everyone was encouraged to participate. Some played instruments and sang, some formed dance troupes, a couple performed poetry and a few told jokes. There were puppet shows, burlesque acts, and juggling. The only glitch to the Cabaret was a poorly thought-out dance that was culturally insensitive--but the issue was quickly and appropriately addressed and brought about healthy discussion on white privilege and cultural appropriation. Following the Cabaret there was a performance by a hip-hop artist that spun poetic lyrics condemning sexism, racism, police brutality and capitalism. After the scheduled events of the evening came to a close, about 30 or so people participated in an interactive lesson on consent--they played consensual spin-the-bottle.

The last full day of the Convergence was intended primarily for caucuses. The white privilege caucus and the anarchist people of color (APOC) caucus met as planned through most of the afternoon. The APOC caucus discussed the problem of radical spaces- including the Convergence--of being predominantly white-dominated spaces, while the white privilege caucus talked about what white radicals could do to be more inclusive and conscious of race dynamics. There were also a significant number of folks who chose not to attend either caucus--many citing that while they felt that they often benefited from white privilege, they did not identify as white and their cultural experiences were such that they felt that they could not contribute to the white privilege caucus. Several of these people also stated that they would feel uncomfortable attending the APOC caucus.

There were other caucuses that were suggested, but unfortunately never took place. Such caucuses included the women's caucus, queer caucus, and working class caucus, and respectively, the auxiliaries for male privilege, hetero privilege, and class privilege. The fact that such discussions failed to take place reflects the constant struggle for space that continues to be an issue even amongst the radical community.

The final night in Waldo, more than 60 people left the site to take part in a home demonstration some 20 miles out, at the residence of an engineer working for the company Earth Tech. Earth Tech is a company that has been involved in developing and financing transportation projects such as I-69, and because of the engineer's role in the company, as well as his proximity to the Convergence space, the action was carried out at his home in Grafton, Wisconsin. Protesters held banners and chanted things like "Stop I-69," and "You can put our friends in Jail, but we will drive the final nail!" Flyers were handed out to his neighbors and other passer-bys and were generally well perceived. After the action, folks returned to the camp site where there was a brief re-cap followed by a midnight naked swim in the nearby lake.

The next couple of hours consisted of cleaning the campsite, goodbyes, and the last minute rush to find a ride home. Unfortunately, there was not adequate time or space to discuss in a large group or breakout small groups what worked, what didn't work, and how the next convergence can be bigger and better (or at least better).

One of the questions organizers should ask themselves is how can to open these convergences to become more empowering to marginalized groups of people, and raise the consciousness of those in positions of privilege. One way to do this is create the space and time for these caucuses, but also encourage and emphasize that it's important as radicals to understand and discuss the internalized racism, sexism, homophobia, class struggle, and other forms of systematic oppression so it doesn't continue to manifest itself in our communities.

These convergences serve as a living model of how people can work collectively to create the kind of world they want on a smaller scale. They show us how we can come together as a community, share with each other, care for each other and bring new ideas to our communities. Some ideas for the next convergence is more interaction with the community in which the convergence takes place in. Whether it be a parade, gardening, music, free childcare, sharing food, etc it seems that as a group of anarchists in one area we could create something WITH the community at large.

Folks from Grand Rapids have high hopes for the convergence next year and hope to see more people from the area ready and motivated to create radical social change in West Michigan.

In Solidarity,
- Some Grand Rapids Anarchists