Organizing Manuals

Issue #1 of The Not So Great Place

an underground newspaper published by anti-war active duty soldiers, veterans and their supporters at Fort Hood, TX

Find out more about this publication at: www.notsogreatplace.com

(the title comes from Fort Hood's official slogan "The Great Place")

This is a one-sheet zine put out by the Icarus Project on how to respond to mental health crises. It includes info on how to respond to someone who's suicidal, suggestions for those who intervene, and info about advance directives (legal documents that spell out how someone wants to be treated if they're institutionalized and can't speak coherently for themselves).

More at the Icarus Project: http://theicarusproject.net

S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting Up Men) Manifesto, by Valerie Solanas

"IF SCUM EVER MARCHES, IT WILL BE OVER THE PRESIDENT’S STUPID, SICKENING FACE; IF SCUM EVER STRIKES, IT WILL BE IN THE DARK WITH A SIX-INCH BLADE."

In 1968, Andy Warhol was shot and wounded by Valerie Solonas, who had once been a member of his crowd, and had even appeared in his films. Neither jealous lover, nor disgruntled employee, Solonas was a front-line warrior for SCUM, the Society for Cutting Up Men.  read more »

formatted version of wispy cockle's article: http://fruitiondesign.com/dealwithit/02wispy.php

key words: consent sexual assault abuse called out perpetrator rape accountability process feminism survivors

Unfinished Acts is a collective recounting and analysis of events surrounding the shooting of an unarmed 22-year-old Black man in Oakland. Oscar Grant III was executed by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officers during the first hours of 2009 on the platform of the Fruitvale station. The following pages include a few short histories of significant social movements to help contextualize the rebellions. This history acts as intermissions for a documentary dramatization (but factually correct!) of some of the events that unfolded in the streets during the first month of 2009.  read more »

A smaller version of the soon too come (A)BC'S Guide to Protesting. A useful guide put together by veteran activists and direct action enthusiasts and other rad folks for everyone. Provides a useful list of things to bring and things to avoid plus some really awesome links. The full version has way more info and links.  read more »

The official title is: What to Do When Someone Tells you that you violated their boundaries, made them feel uncomfortable, or committed assault.

A trifold pamphlet that lists steps that people who've been called out for sexual assault should take.

This is an excellent zine talking about addiction, from all sorts of perspectives. It goes into the author's own experiences with addiction and kicking a heroin habit and most importantly talks about how communities can respond to someone struggling with addiction in a way that is helpful and non-judgmental. (Along the way, it offers radical/anarchist critiques of AA and 12-step programs, the moralism often attached to other people's substance use, and lots of other things.) Chock fulla insights and one fine zine.

Table of Contents

France, 1968

I. “Exemplary Character of the University Occupations” from
Worker-Student Action Committees by Fredy Perlman and Roger
Grigoire

II. Documents produced by the Situationist International or
groups the Situationists were involved with during May 1968
in France

France, 2006

III. Two weeks spent in Rennes

IV. An Update by the Sorbonne Occupation Committee in Exile,
Communique # 4

V. Final Communique of the Sorbonne Occupation Committee
in Exile

Greece, 2006

VI. Let the occupations become time-barricades  read more »

The New School Occupation: perspectives on the takeover of a building, or, why do student organizers bother to get out of bed in the morning? Anti-democratic reflections on the recent New School occupation, a case study of occupation as non-event, and seven points on occupation.

See also "Preoccupied" on this site, for more writings coming out of this occurrence.

Account of the New School occupation in New York.

Pacifism, the ideology of nonviolent political resistance, has been the norm among mainstream North American progressive groups for decades. But to what end?  read more »

This pdf text — 'Constructive Anarchism in Aotearoa' — puts forward some ideas on constructive anarchist action, in oder to encourage discussion. Please read, forward widely to anyone interested, and most importantly, respond!

The text is probably too long to place here in full, but it deals with ideas around constructive action we as anarchists can take in our current state of low visibility, especially in the workplace and in our communities. I've tried to write a text I've always wanted to read with regard to concrete anarchist action in NZ.  read more »

An excellent booklet from a workshop by the Carrboro Dispute Settlement Center ( http://www.disputesettlement.org/ ). Contains an introduction to styles of conflict, nonviolent communication, basic strategies for conflict resolution, etc.

Students for a Democratic Society organizing manual.