This report-back comes out of Milwaukee where a "consulta" meeting was held last month to discuss plans for protests against the 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC). It was part of ongoing efforts against the RNC and was just one of many consultas that are occuring all over the country to prepare for both the RNC and the DNC.
Let's Get On With It: Milwaukee Anti-RNC Consulta Report Back
"From November 9th through the 11th 60+ people visited and participated in a Consulta to disrupt/crash/shut down the RNC from locales ranging from Grand Rapids, Michigan to the Twin Cities. The form of the event was informal, with most of the time spent hanging out and getting to know one another, perhaps seeing some of the faces that may be covered the next time we meet.
Friday was check in. MKEtoRNC, the organizers of the Consulta didn't know how many people to expect would be coming or how much space on our floors and futons would need to be available. Anything from the few of MKEtoRNC participants who organized the event to up to 200 people were expected. Most of the time on Friday was spent waiting around to greet people when they showed up to the Cream City Collectives (infoshop and collective community space). People were given schedules and guides to the city and a place to sleep when they arrived.
On Saturday there were two discussions scheduled on consensus and diversity of tactics. These discussions turned into one as the topics overlapped. People involved asked questions, discussed their motivations and intentions for the RNC in 2008. This made strategizing easier because for those who participated in discussion there was a better understanding of where people were at and this didn't need to be painfully reached with tangents and misunderstandings while more tactical decisions were being developed. During the discussions a good number of people helped Food Not Bombs prepare and cook a warm meal for everyone. Afterwards people wandered around the neighborhood and met up at a dance party a few blocks away that went rowdy into the wee hours of the night.
On Sunday, we marched to the University nearby black flags unfurled and beating drums even if to inspire only ourselves. Once there we found an empty room rearranged the furniture and began a strategizing session for which the goal was to discuss and develop a strategy building off of the strategy consented upon at the pReNC last September. Plans had been laid out for the first day of the convention and people were made aware of what was decided then and given updated information with a presentation by visiting members of the RNC Welcoming Committee. What were plans for the second day? What fiendish mischief could we dream up? The idea was proposed to create a bear cavalry that would ride against the convention and ransack the city was definitely an exciting idea, but we had to get serious. Everyone agreed to maintain the blockades and attempt to disrupt and hopefully shut down downtown surrounding entry points to the Excel center in downtown St. Paul where the Convention will be held in an effort to prevent delegates from entering and prevent the convention from being a convention at all. If this failed it was agreed to have a plan B, potentially a day of actions against capital.
Afterwards people snaked their way back to the Cream City Collectives said goodbye and got going back to where they came from hopefully taking with them a better idea of how to hunt elephants and growing excitement for a world that does not insult us with a boredom out of our control. Let's get on with it."
