"Assessing the RNC Protests"

Open Community Discussion with Francesca Fiorentini, Gabriel Sayegh, Hany Khalil, Nana Soul, a Still We
Rise representative & Others

Wednesday, October 20, 7:30 pm

Brecht Forum (122 West 27th Street -10th floor)

You are invited to share your thoughts in an open and open-ended
discussion post- Republican National Convention to assess the mobilization
itself as well as the bigger picture relating to movement building and
left strategies here in the U.S. During the RNC protests we saw an amazing
breadth of participation on a full spectrum of issues and in a wide
variety of forms — labor/healthcare, global justice activists, peace
coalitions, alternative media, women, conferences and teach-ins, theater
and the arts, and the list goes on. We saw new structures and processes
arise — the RNC clearinghouse, the NY Uniting left strategy retreat, for
example — new kinds of solidarity, networks of coalitions, and new
relationships built across issues and tendencies and between local and
national mobilizations.We?ll open up with a few of the many organizers
making some very brief remarks and then everyone will be asked to join in.
So far, the following activists have agreed to lead off the discussion:
Francesca Fiorentini, Life After Capitalism Conference; Gabriel Sayegh,
New York Uniting Retreat; Hany Khalil, United for Peace & Justice; a Still
We Rise representative; and Nana Soul, Artists and Activists United for
Peace Coalition. Some of the questions that we hope to address are:

*The City: What do we make of the City's response?
the Central Park
fight?
the detentions? What was the police strategy and was it effective?
What are lessons for future NYC struggles?

*The Elections: How did the Republicans react? Was the protest blitz
useful in shifting some of the questions and discourse that dominate this
election?

*Post-Elections: If Kerry wins or if Bush wins, how can we keep the momentum?

*Movement Building: Is there Movement in the movement? What have we
learned? What has changed? What role did communities of color play in the
protests? How can this momentum contribute to building a long-term,
radical movement? What problems persist?

Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15

122 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001 mail@brechtforum.org