On Saturday, October 18th, around 150 people met all day and into the night in Oakland, California for the West Coast FTAA Consulta.
Participants came from San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Marin, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, Davis, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, Arcata, Humboldt County, Oregon, Pittsburgh and Miami, representing groups such as Code Orange, Anti-FTAA Action, Root Cause, the Gapatistas, Killer Tomatos, Video Activist Network, Marin Interfaith Task Force on Central America, LACLA, Food First, Direct Action to Stop the War, Mexico Solidarity Network, Affinity for Now, Indymedia and the Oxygen Collective.
REPORTBACKS AND ORGANIZING UPDATES
The day began around noon with organizing updates. Reports were given about Bay Area FTAA teach-in/fundraising groups, NGO organizing and FTAA negotiation status, the Miami protest legal team, Indymedia in Miami, and immigrant worker organizing.
REGIONAL ORGANIZING UPDATES
Reportbacks were given by Bay Area residents who attended the Florida consulta and Chicago consulta. In addition, a representative from Miami organizing efforts gave an on-the-ground update. A representative from Pittsburgh gave an update on their organizing and a reportback from the Pittsburgh consulta.
DIRECT ACTION DECISION-MAKING
A large-group meeting to consider issues facing the national organizing effort for FTAA in Miami was split up into two sections. It was decided that we would address a number of questions facing protest organizers:
1) Is a mass action framework desireable for the Miami protests? Do we want to decide on a time for direct actions and support demonstrations to take place together?
2) If so, when do we want the coordinated mass actions to take place? (especially in relation to the permitted march that AFL-CIO is participating in)
3) Do we support a virtual spokescouncil and listserv for direct action coordination?
4) What type of direct actions and goals do we support?
On items #1 and 3, the group came to an easy consensus that we do support a mass action framework and we do support virtual organizing (with the condition that security protocols are well-defined, with also a strong commitment to international outreach).
On item #2, we spent a long time discussing various time/date scenarios for one day that would be a mass action call ... one day and time that would be spread far and wide for people to protest the FTAA. After much consideration, we reached consensus that November 20th should be the day for mass direct action, with the time of day left open to forthcoming decision-making meetings, and the understanding that we want to respect the permitted march and other events. We also reached consensus to call for multiple direct action spokescouncils leading up to the 18th onwards to allow for and support other actions on the 19th and 21st.
BREAKOUT GROUPS
On item #4, we split up into various breakout groups for meetings and brainstorming. The breakout groups included a secure, vouch-only padded bloc consulta, eco/green bloc, mass direct action scenarios, and free carnival area of the americas.
PADDED BLOC CONSULTA
A secure, vouch-only padded bloc consulta was held in the afternoon at a nearby location. The agreed-upon reportbacks from this meeting were:
1) The group debated the issue of when/where to hold the padded bloc in relation to the permitted march, but were unable to reach a decision one way or another.
2) The group supports the scheduled direct action coordination conference calls.
3) The group supports a mass action framework happening at the same time, although not necessarily in the same place, as other direct action efforts.
4) The group supports a direct action spokescouncil with padded bloc representation in Miami to occur the week of the FTAA ministerial.
ECO-BLOC
Various ideas for eco-bloc direct actions were brainstormed, including creating an eco village, holding an eco-solutions forum (tentatively scheduled for the 19th), street actions like guerrilla gardening actions, taking over abandoned warehouses and turning them into greenhouses. Also discussed was a major action against the Gap.
MASS DIRECT ACTION SCENARIOS
Goals for mass direct action were discussed, including supporting local struggles, disrupting the ministerial, building relationships between sectors of the movement, projecting a positive and inviting image of direct action, choosing actions which can reframe debate, and promoting global solidarity.
Intended messages of direct action were discussed, including highlighting the spirit of Bolivia insurrection, supporting immigrant rights, resistance to all incarnations of corporate globalization, making it clear that FTAA will be resisted non-stop if its housed in Miami, showing a democratic movement against an undemocratic structure, and building alternatives.
Practical direct action was also discussed, including direct support for the CIW march, week-long actions by Root Cause, "surround, occupy, construct and enter" the security fence, target corporations involved in the business forum, shut down local Taco Bells in solidarity with CIW, create memorials to those killed by globalization, sing union songs, flyering, shut down city entrances (like the airport), banner hangs, security fence redecorations, Miami port shutdown, lockdowns, a mobile blockade of people on bikes, rent boats with messages on them to the delegates.
FREE CARNIVAL AREA OF THE AMERICAS
The results from the Free Carnival Area of the Americas breakout group were to form a Bay Area Contingent of FCAA and join the march from Broward County. Also, help participate in workshops and trainings for things like fire breathing, stiltwalking, costume-making, juggling and whatever else can make revolution irresistable.
CONTACT INFORMATION
The West Coast FTAA Consulta was convened by Direct Action to Stop the War (DASW), Anti-FTAA Action, Action for Local/Global Justice, Mexico Solidarity Network, and California Coalition for Fair Trade and Human Rights. Logistics and planning were handled by Code Orange and Anti-FTAA Action.
For more information regarding DASW, go to:
For more information regarding Anti-FTAA Action, go to: