A general meeting for USC4P&J was held on May 29, 2008. Attending were Anna, Becky, Chérine, Gen, Gene, Maria Chiara, Patrick, Rose and Stephanie.
First on the agenda was the demonstration in Naples. It was announced that the protest against military bases and permanent war has been postponed. The organizers have chosen to cancel the planned demonstration and instead support the local people in their struggle against landfills and incinerators. A separate demonstration had already been scheduled in Chiaiano, site of one of the landfills, for June 1. It was decided that we would not organize our group for this new protest but would send information to the mailing list for those who want to go.
Next on the agenda was Bush's visit to Rome scheduled for June 11/12. Maria Chiara had attended a meeting with Italian groups organizing the demonstration and reported back. The idea is for a protest march starting from Piazza della Repubblica at 5pm on Wednesday June 11. In the lead up to the demonstration and in order to spread the word, there will be some flyering events in Rome.
As far as our participation, we talked about using some of the props we already have, such as our impeach t-shirts, giant impeach letters, the Bush mask and the “Over 1,000,000 Iraqi Victims” banner. Gen suggested making a banner for this event. She also suggested contacting one of the companies that distribute flyers to find out what it costs and agreed to look into this. Rose suggested anti-Bush/anti-war stickers to plaster the city before and during the march. Gene seconded this idea adding that small stickers placed in strategic eye-catching locations can be very effective in getting the word out on the demonstration. Stephanie suggested the person in the Bush mask be either in chains or a straitjacket. Becky suggested some urban blogging to decorate the city for Bush's visit. We also discussed some themes, such as the many ties between Italy and the US (Vicenza military base, F-35, Missile Defense System) which all boiled down, as Gene put it, to support of failed policies of a mad man. Gen also suggested contacting some movement friendly radio stations to try to get interviews.
In the end we decided to call this a first brainstorming session and call another working group meeting to work out the details of our participation. If you would like to be involved, send an email to: info@peaceandjustice.it
Maria Chiara also reported on the hunger strike taking place in the Czech Republic against the new US base for the Missile Defense System. The meeting with Italian groups on Bush's visit was held at Piazzale Flaminio where there is a tent set up with two Italian hunger strikers in solidarity with the initiative in Prague. The two Italian strikers were able to have a letter delivered to Italian President Napolitano. (more info on the Czech struggle where you can also sign a petition)
Third on the agenda was the nomination of an administrator for the upcoming elections for our coordinating committee. Anna explained the requirements of the administrator. Though a couple of people there present were willing to take care of the task, they were also considering running for the coordinating committee. Gen suggested that Marilee, who hasn't been able to be physically present but wants to be involved, be nominated. We called Marilee and she agreed. Messages will be sent to the list with details of the nomination process and the elections.
We then moved on to miscellaneous business. Stephanie reported that an Italian playwright has contacted us regarding a piece he wrote on Obama as the next US president, wanting us to organize a performance in Rome. We decided we needed to get more information from him before proceeding. Anna also suggested putting him in touch with Arcobaleno since they have ties to “activist theatre.”
Stephanie then mentioned an idea for a “shopping tour” of the Pigneto neighborhood of Rome, which was the site of attacks on immigrant owned shops recently, as a way of showing solidarity. It was agreed that this initiative be organized sometime in late June.
