Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun
Nurses are badass heroes in scrubs. Period. But when they step into traffic to halt a car protest of gun-toting “astroturf” protesters demanding that social distancing end, they reach heroism of epic proportions. In Michigan, “Reopen Protest” car demonstrations blocked an emergency room entryway. A few days, Denver medical workers had zero tolerance. They stepped into the road and literally stopped the protest with a nonviolent, people-powered blockade. Read more about this action here >>
Recent polling shows that most US citizens do not support the “Reopen Protests”. Meanwhile, activists (of all perspectives) continue to organize. Researchers have documented over 100 different types of nonviolent action happening during the pandemic. Researchers write, “Far from condemning social movements to obsolescence, the pandemic – and governments’ responses to it – are spawning new tools, new strategies and new motivation to push for change.”
You’ll find many of those stories in Nonviolence News this week (and in past weeks). This is what we exist for: to collect and share the stories of courageous and creative nonviolence in action . . . so we all know how heroic humanity can truly be.
Rivera Sun, Editor
Photo Credit: Denver nurse peacefully blockades a car-based “Reopen Protest”.
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#BuildBackBetter Milan Plans To Limit Cars Post-COVID-19: Climate activists from across the globe on Tuesday welcomed an ambitious new plan for Milan that will transform 22 miles of street space currently reserved for cars “with a rapid, experimental citywide expansion of cycling and walking space to protect residents as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.” Read more >>
Warring Rival Gangs In South Africa Team Up To Deliver Food: Working together in an unprecedented truce, gangs deliver much-needed food to people under lockdown. The country has seen a 75% decrease in violent crime and sworn enemies are meeting up to collect essential goods to distribute throughout hungry communities. Read more >>
Evangelical Missionaries Barred From Uncontacted Tribes: In a landmark ruling, evangelical missionaries were barred from trying to proselytize to uncontacted Indigenous tribes in Brazil during COVID-19. Read more >>
Phone & Video Calls In Prison Made Free: Advocates have long decried the price gouging rates of prison telecalls and videoconferencing. Finally, the pandemic forced them to be free. Read more >>
These Students Took Care of Each Other When Their Universities Didn’t: When their universities failed to provide support during the early chaos of the coronavirus outbreak, students launched mutual aid efforts across the country to share resources and support. Read more >>
Public Outcry Forces Giant Corp To Return Funds Taken From Small Biz Relief: After a thorough roasting, Shake Shack announced it would return its $10 million in funds. Read more >>
Joining Shake Shack, A Corporate Steakhouse Returned $20 Million: Facing fury and mass public outcry, the steakhouse returned its stolen funds. Read more >>
Kerala Flattens the Curve With Contact Tracing and Social Solidarity: India’s most egalitarian state builds coronavirus-fighting success on social solidarity. Read more >>
Ambitious Local Solidarity Economy Launches in Brazil: Maricá, a city of 160,000 outside of Rio de Janeiro, has implemented an ambitious city-level response to COVID-19. The plan is anchored in a basic income and existing solidarity economy infrastructure — including free public transit and a local digital currency, backed by a community bank. Read more >>
#ShareMyCheck Solidarity Fund Raises $15K For Frontline Groups In One Week: Last week, New Economy Coalition launched a #ShareMyCheck campaign to support frontline solidarity economy organizers during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. “We’re thrilled that we’ve already raised $15,000 to redistribute!” Read more >>
Thousands of People In Tel Aviv Stage Protest Six Feet Apart: Protesters wore masks and tried to keep two meters apart while voicing their anger at the prime minister, who is under criminal indictment in three corruption cases, in which he denies any wrongdoing. Read more >>
Solidarity During A Double Disaster in Croatia: Hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and a strong earthquake at the same time, Zagreb residents are self-organizing to provide food, repair houses, run errands for people in isolation, and offer free psychotherapy support. Read more >>
Delivery Workers In Seven Countries Strike for 24 Hrs: Delivery workers from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, and Spain Wednesday go on strike to demand that companies increase their wages, set stable work contracts, and provide security supplies amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more >>
Lakota Grandmothers Resist Mancamps Amidst Pandemic: Most of the country has shut down. Unfortunately, fossil fuels and their man camps haven’t. Read more >>
Chilean Teachers Refuse To Comply With President’s Demand To Resume School: The call to restart schools on April 27 jeopardizes 3,600,000 students, 200,000 teachers, 200,000 assistants, and the administrative workers in schools, academies, and colleges. Read more >>
Immigrant Meatpackers “Call-In-Sick” To Protest Unsafe Work Environments: Nationwide, meatpacking plant owners are reporting that workers are calling out in sick-en-masse and refusing to work in unsafe conditions. Read more >>
Baltimore Car Caravan Demands Prisoner Release: A coalition of Baltimore area activists organized a caravan to Baltimore area prisons to show solidarity and demand that Governor Hogan immediately begin to release prisoners amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more >>
In Largest Strike Yet, Amazon Workers Call In Sick Over Unsafe Working Conditions: “No worker should be subjected to unsafe conditions at work. And no worker should be retaliated against for standing up for their rights.” Read more >>
Whole Foods Tracks Labor Organizing And Demotes The Stores: Progressives on Monday criticized Whole Foods, the grocery chain owned by Amazon, for using a heat map to track potential union activity at its stores across the U.S.—relying on data around racial diversity, “loyalty,” and labor complaints as indicators that affect how the corporation scores the sites. Read more >>
States and Hospitals Smuggle PPEs In Under Feds Noses: It’s like the plot of a spy novel: a group of officials on a covert mission for needed supplies racing against time and the attention of the federal government use disguised trucks to ship equipment across state lines and narrowly escape law enforcement asking for papers. Read more >>
Taking On Anti-Asian Racism: This feminist Asian-American collective offers a zine about the history of anti-Asian racism, and how to counter it. Read more >>
Singapore Climate Activist Takes Action, Faces Questioning: A relatively benign climate action involving a student posing for protest photos against fossil fuels triggered a police crackdown; other activists report similar experiences. Read more >>
What Would It Take To Restore The Oceans In The Next 30 Years? An ambitious – but doable – plan for 100% ocean repair by 2050 has been unveiled by scientists. It’s surprisingly achievable, but requires major changes. Read more >>
California Redwood Tree-Sits Continue Even While Pandemic Closes Mills: The coronavirus has shut down most of Humboldt County, as it has the rest of the state, but some traditions of northwest California endure: Loggers keep felling redwoods, and eco-activists keep putting their bodies on the limbs to stop them. Read more >>
Climate Strikes Move Online For Earth Day: Activists hold mass video calls and share hashtags, and three-day livestream planned for Earth Day. Read more >>
How Environment and Labor Groups Are Teaming Up for A Green COVID-19 Relief: Supporting each other on the front lines, and pushing for smart relief and recovery packages, the two movement sectors are building solidarity. Read more >>
The Radical Origins of Earth Day: What began with a 1970s teach-in is reclaiming its roots amidst the climate crisis and student strikes. Read more >>
Google Strives for 24/7 Carbon-Free At All Data Centers: In honor of Earth Day, Google announced that it will be shifting its processing work to daytime hours to maximize the use of renewable energy. Read more >>
No Joke – Black Comedian Pays Rents of Tenants In the Public Housing His Grandmother Once Lived In: “It’s crazy to me that residents of public housing are still expected to pay their rent when so many New Yorkers can’t even work.” Read more >>
In Absence of Government Aid, Organizers Help Homeless During COVID-19: Here’s how citizens are stepping up to fill the gap where institutional and government aid sends the unhoused slipping through the crack (again). Read more >>
New York Tenants Prepare For Massive Wave of Rent Strikes: In April, 30% of US tenants did not pay rent. In May, organized rent strikes in New York prepare for even greater action. Read more >>
70+ Groups Demand Trump End Deadly Sanctions: Over 70 civil society groups representing more than 40 million people called on President Donald Trump Thursday to issue immediate sanctions relief for numerous countries during COVID-19, including Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea. Read more >>
Coronavirus Crisis Makes Clear Pentagon Should Get No More Money This Year for Its ‘Wasteful War Machine’ Say 60+ Groups: “We cannot continue spending billions of dollars on weapons of war while people across the country struggle to buy food, pay rent, and survive a pandemic.” Read more >>
US Citizens Hold Car Rally Protest Against Sanctions on Venezuela: U.S. human rights defenders and citizens Monday organized a car rally in Northampton, Massachusetts to demand that President Donald Trump stop his attacks and sanctions against Venezuela, Cuba, and other peoples of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more >>
No Blackrock Bailout! The world’s largest investor in weapons and oil companies, BlackRock, has been tapped by the U.S. Federal Reserve to help bailout the U.S. economy during the global pandemic. BlackRock promotes a roughly 3 billion dollar defense fund locked and loaded full of weapons made by Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing defense. BlackRock and weapon companies stand to benefit from the current economic crisis. Read more >>
Compiling Reports on COVID-19 Peace, Violence, and Peacebuilding Stories: A group of peacebuilders is collecting reports on how COVID-19 is impacting key areas of practice and research. This work is in preparation for more in-depth study, and captures the knowledge as it surfaces in headlines of newsjournals. Read more >>
Here’s How To Teach About Nuclear Weapons During Schooling From Home: Designed like a scavenger hunt, this study guide introduces the concept of learning about nuclear weapons to families. Read more >>
Created During Spanish Flu, the Jingle Dance Is Still Giving Healing To First Nations People: During COVID-19, women are donning jingle dresses and using videostreaming technology to share the dance usually done at powwows. Read more >>
People Are Getting Creative With Face Masks: A photojournalism essay with the most creative – though not all effective – face masks from around the world, including album references, plastic water jugs, and lace-bedecked masks for brides at weddings. Read more >>
Anne With An E Fans Lay Siege To Netflix and CBC After Cancellation: Three million tweets, 300,000 petition signers, and 5 billboards later, the company managers say they’ve never seen anything like it. Read more >>
Russia’s Rallies-In-Absentia Are An Alternative to Right-Wing US Armed Demonstrations: Using a digital app for reporting traffic accidents, Russians are demonstrating online against the same thing US citizens are protesting with in-person (and often armed) rallies. Editor’s Note: It is my opinion that neither of these groups’ calls to re-open business-as-usual is safe. However, I think the tactical innovation is worth learning about for all of us. Read more >>
Canada’s Libraries Step Up To Help Vulnerable People During Pandemic: Libraries in Canada have shifted operations to offer food for vulnerable people and a daytime respite space during the COVID-19 crisis. “We know how to move stuff, and we serve the public every day,” says Gail MacFayden, Toronto library manager. “We are a public service and we were so sad to see the library close, but this gives us purpose and a way to help.” Read more >>
Neighborhood Doctors in Cuba: As the U.S. medical system proves ill-equipped to care for the health of our communities during this crisis, Cuba presents an alternative model for public health: teams of neighborhood doctors that go to their patients, door by door, to provide preventative care and education. Watch this short video about this system of organized community health care in Cuba. Read more >>
How People Are Organizing With New Tactics – And They’re Flourishing: Progressive activism continues, even under restrictions of movement and assembly. There are over 100 forms of activities for peace, justice, and social solidarity available that are being documented. Read more >>
#GetUsPPE: 1,000 Signs Placed On Capitol Lawn: Signs reading “Get Us PPE” were displayed on the West Lawn on the U.S. Capitol building as healthcare workers fight the pandemic without sufficient personal protective equipment, including masks, gowns, and gloves. Read more >>
Want To See the COVID-19 Worker Strike Wave On A Map? Here’s a visual of the 100+ worker strikes, sick-outs, walk-outs, and more that have swept the country for fair wages, hazard pay, and PPE’s. Read more >>
Pandemic Should Prepare Us To Come Out Charging: No one would wish for this kind of painful shake-up, but activists have been in this position before and now is the time to learn from them. Read more >>
It’s Time For Gandhi’s Practical Idealism: As was seen recently on a wall in Chile: “We Won’t Go Back to Normal, Because Normal Was the Problem.” Read more >>
Reimagining Protest In A Quarantined World: Direct Action trainer Lisa Fithian is interviewed about how to organize in a lockdown world. Read more >>
How Gambia’s Hashtag Inspired Hope: A movement that started as a simple hashtag, declaring that #GambiaHasDecided, brought a fresh wave of optimism and hope to political turmoil in the Gambia. Read more >>
COVID-19 Illuminates How Activists Can Harness the Obstructive and Constructive Power of Nonviolence: Here’s how movements can build power by serving their local communities—immunizing their movements from losing momentum with a “vaccine” of constructive programs and obstructive strategies. Read more >>
Nonviolence News Editor Rivera Sun Speaks On Nonviolent Change: In this podcast, author/activist Rivera Sun explores what makes nonviolent action work and why nonviolence narratives are so important for today’s real life and fictional stories. Listen here >>
How Worker Cooperatives Are Responding To Pandemics: While the world is facing an unprecedented health and economic crisis, cooperatives in industry and services are reorganizing themselves, finding strength in the people and communities they serve. Read more >>
Defeating Trump’s Strategic Racism by Building Cross-Racial Solidarity: Join this interactive webinar on April 27th to learn more about Trump and the right-wing’s strategic racism –and how together we can disrupt their lies, show white voters that their own future depends on racial justice, defeat Trump, and build a multi-racial progressive super-majority. Register here >>
Global Week of Actions May 25 to 31 Against Sanctions and Imperialism: Join with others to organize against sanctions and imperialism. Be creative – if we can’t gather then do something virtual or a car caravan. Read more >>
#FreeThemAll: Detention Release Now Phone Zap: Join us for an hour-long virtual action to make calls to get migrant people released from detention. We will be calling governors, ICE directors, etc as part of campaigns across the country to #FreeThemAll. Wednesdays 12 PST/ 1 MST/ 3 EST. Read more >>
#ShareMyCheck Supports Economic Justice Based Stimulus Check Redistribution: Here’s how people are sharing the wealth. Read more >>
8 Ways To Support Immigrant Communities: From supporting decarceration efforts to pushing for the return of DACA, here’s how to help immigrant communities. Read more >>
#ShutDownKKR, All Day, Every Day, During Earth Week: Join the online pressure campaign to stop KKR from backing the CoastalLink Pipeline opposed by Wet’suwet’en Nation. Here’s how to join the phone, email, and twitter campaigns. Read more >>
Nonviolence Online Community Course – 6 Week Course with Rivera Sun, Wednesdays starting April 29th: Co-facilitated with Pace e Bene’s Veronica Pelicaric, this online course is intended to provide an opportunity to build community while studying nonviolence. Read more >>
Global Degrowth Day 2020: Celebrate the second annual Global Degrowth Day on June 6. Be part of a diverse movement for global justice, sustainability and well-being. As the coronavirus pandemic may still prohibit gatherings in June, they offer support for creating virtual events. Read more >>
Donate to the NYC Black Mutual Aid Fund: This is a fund that supports an important mutual aid network in severely impacted Black communities in the NYC area. Read more >>
Building A Direct Action Campaign – 4 Week Online Course: Learn how to organize with nonviolent action to make meaningful change. Learn more >>