Next Event? (was Re: [free-sklyarov] Chicago Protest Report)

[Neale Pickett]

Klepht  writes:
>>>>>> "PAP" == Peter A Peterson <pedro at tastytronic.net> writes:

PAP> We'll probably take a week or two off -- I think that we can
PAP> organize a better, more coherent protest as well as muster up
PAP> more returners (we had about half totally new people today)
PAP> if we make a little breathing room before the next
PAP> protest.

> Talking today after the event, some of us here in SF think we can make an
> _even_bigger_ event with a little more lead time (e.g., more than 3
> business days). None of us want him to be in prison that long, but
> it's probably the best to start planning around that kind of lead
> time.

Yes, that's what we were thinking in Seattle too.  We're dealing with
what sounds like about 1/10th as many people coming to our protests, and
with a little more lead time we can absolutely get more.  I had people
mailing me saying they couldn't get off work, couldn't get the car
today, etc.

I'm going to use the next week or so to get my act together as a Seattle
organizer.  That means doing some real press releases, some good graphic
design, having a sign-making party, and drumming up local support.

> Of course, the challenge is to keep Dmitry in the public eye during
> that time. Perhaps doing some work to get statements from prominent
> friendly organizations over those N weeks (e.g., American Library
> Association, academic freedom organizations, ACLU, Amnesty) would keep
> Dmitry's name in the news until the next big event.

Yessiree.  I'm thinking a letter-writing campaign, combined with a
petition, combined with leafletting.  I think we could get some really
great coverage and some really great flyers.  A lot of us *are* the
graphic designers and web masters of the world, aren't we?

> As usual, it seems like we make more of a splash when we synch up our
> events across the country. I'm wondering if maybe setting up an
> IRC-based "global summit" of protest groups (maybe on Wednesday
> night?) to pick a good date say 2-3 weeks from now would make sense.

Wednesday night would be *awesome*, that's the same night I want to have
our meeting (in a wired cafe, of course).  Having an IRC presence at a
face-to-face local meeting would be too cool, especially if other cities
were doing the same.

> Also, I think there's opportunities for smaller events -- leafletting,
> hitting legislators' offices, etc. -- in that time, too.

Word up.  We've already started to talk to Washington state Senators
with someone visiting a local office.  We fully intend to follow up on
this.