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Tactical Briefing #25

Showdown in Chicago.
Tactical Briefing #25: Showdown in Chicago

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Hey you redeemers, rebels and radicals out there,

Against the backdrop of a global uprising that is simmering in dozens of countries and thousands of cities and towns, the G8 and NATO will hold a rare simultaneous summit in Chicago this May. The world’s military and political elites, heads of state, 7,500 officials from 80 nations, and more than 2,500 journalists will be there.

And so will we.

On May 1, 50,000 people from all over the world will flock to Chicago, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and #OCCUPYCHICAGO for a month. With a bit of luck, we’ll pull off the biggest multinational occupation of a summit meeting the world has ever seen.

And this time around we’re not going to put up with the kind of police repression that happened during the Democratic National Convention protests in Chicago, 1968 … nor will we abide by any phony restrictions the City of Chicago may want to impose on our first amendment rights. We’ll go there with our heads held high and assemble for a month-long people’s summit … we’ll march and chant and sing and shout and exercise our right to tell our elected representatives what we want … the constitution will be our guide.

And when the G8 and NATO meet behind closed doors on May 19, we’ll be ready with our demands: a Robin Hood Tax … a ban on high frequency ‘flash’ trading … a binding climate change accord … a three strikes and you’re out law for corporate criminals … an all out initiative for a nuclear-free Middle East … whatever we decide in our general assemblies and in our global internet brainstorm – we the people will set the agenda for the next few years and demand our leaders carry it out.

And if they don’t listen … if they ignore us and put our demands on the back burner like they’ve done so many times before … then, with Gandhian ferocity, we’ll flashmob the streets, shut down stock exchanges, campuses, corporate headquarters and cities across the globe … we’ll make the price of doing business as usual too much to bear.

Jammers, pack your tents, muster up your courage and prepare for a big bang in Chicago this Spring. If we don’t stand up now and fight now for a different kind of future we may not have much of a future … so let’s live without dead time for a month in May and see what happens …

for the wild,
Culture Jammers HQ

CANG8.org / ChicagoMassAction.org / Occupy Chicago
Adbusters / Facebook / Twitter / Reddit

388 comments on the article “Tactical Briefing #25”

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Anonymous

won't that make them hypocrites if they consult and consolidate power? adbusters walks a fine line claiming to stand for freedom while wielding influence behind the scenes... oh wait....

Occupy Travels

CHICAGO, IL - Protesters gathered in Chicago's City Hall on January 18th, 2012 to speak out against Rahm Emanuel's new ordinance that will permanently effect city provisions regarding assembly. With the G8 and NATO summits approaching, weary opponents consider Emanuel's actions as an infringement of First Amendment Rights.

Watch coverage of the action here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_LAa8c9n5I

Anonymous

Gandhi helped bring down an empire peacefully, so must we. Don't give the state an excuse to crack down, and seem like heroes to the sheeple. If you are serious about this movement, use non-violence, otherwise we are not serious.

Anonymous

I agree!

I think it's important not to be shouting things. Just walk and overall be peaceful. No pushing, no shoving.
The more you push and shove the more your going to start looking like a mob and a potential riot situation. If you want a message or something you believe to be known to the public, put it on a t-shirt, or have a group of you hold up a sign. Make yourselves look like an alternative to the Macy's day parade. Lots of people come to watch parades because they are neat. Be a parade. Neat, Organized, Interesting, Fun to look at. It makes it easier for people to take photos, to get the messages as your walking by.

You want to lift the spirits of the people, think about what parades do for you every year as you watch them. And guess what, parades get to walk in the street! So figure out the legalities.

Parades bring in money to the businesses, shops, and vendors that surround it.

If corporations and various cultures can have parades why not you? Aren't you kind of a mini-culture?

Anonymous

THE REVOLUTION IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE MACY'S DAY PARADE.

We're talking about systemic oppression through colonization, mass murder, capitalistic indentured servitude through debt, poisoning clean water and air, blowing up mountains and people's houses. Open your eyes!

Our tactics are gonna have to be a little more radical if we want to get anything done.

Anonymous

Which Is why these "protests" accomplish nothing but a 1 minute mention in the local news channel and everythings back to the way it was before the "protest".

Anonymous

What kinds of tactics?

I'm sorry I was not trying to belittle what OWS is doing at all or compare you to the Macy's Day Parade.
I simply mean to say if you are going to follow the rules, that is one way to follow the rules and yet have something different. an Anti-Macy's kind of parade.

Personally, with the amount of creativity I see in OWS it seems as though it would be very cool.
From comments here it seems as though most of OWS wants to do things peacefully and that's a peaceful option.

Don't get me wrong, I understand there are lots of things to be upset over in the world.

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