How to Organize an #Assembly
Preparing to Respond in an Era of #Disasters and #Despotism
#Crimethinc
2024-11-10
"There are times when people who have kept to themselves, counting on politicians and specialists to solve their problems, suddenly realize that their only hope is to make contact with others like themselves and work together. Perhaps a #hurricane has just torn through the state, or a #demagogue has just won reelection on an explicitly #fascist electoral platform. For many people, this is one of those moments right now. But how do we connect with them—or at least connect them with each other? One answer is to host an open assembly.
"Here, we’ll offer a brief guide, along with some sample discussion questions you could use to discuss how to prepare for the second Donald #Trump administration.
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"If you want to organize with a modicum of confidentiality rather than turning out the largest possible crowd, you could limit your announcement to #handbills and #Signal messages. Generally speaking, you’ll want to maximize the number of earnest participants while keeping your assembly off the radar of people with bad intentions.
"Hopefully, you’re already connected to local projects that have some reach through which to make the announcement. These could include #MutualAid projects, #CommunitySpaces, #bands, #SignalLoops, #ReadingGroups, #DJs, #StudentGroups [I would include neighbors and folks already involved with #activism whom you know and can trust and rely on]. Consider approaching other groups at the outset and inviting them to help organize or at least publicize the assembly. The more different groups are on board from the beginning, the wider the range of people you will bring together, and the less the gathering will feel like the private property of any one group."
