Color me impressed. This morning, an inventive group called "Act Against Torture" gained lots of media attention with a street theater piece in downtown San Francisco. With excellent props and costumes, they achieved a great success:
prominent placement on the webpage of the biggest regional daily newspaper, drawing attention to the Bush Administration's shameful torture policies.
Images speak a thousand words, and these protesters did a great job reminding the public today that our country is torturing people in our name. I felt an immediate, physical reaction to these images: a twist in my stomach & strong feelings of shame that our country has fallen so low. Act Against Torture's protest reminds me of a classic slogan, which I'll paraphrase as "When the people lead, politicians must follow."
Excellent protest photos, brief commentary and Ten Things You Can Do To Stop Torture below the fold...
This is my favorite photo, because it points out that Senator Diane Feinstein is a war profiteer. As many DailyKos readers know, Feinstein's husband is the director of a firm that
received a $600 million Army contract in 2003.
Protesters blocked traffic, a tactic I support in this case, because it is all too easy for people to go about their daily business and ignore that Bush's people are torturing in our name. Taking this non-violent action in the middle of an intersection also helped gain more media attention than if they were limited to safe, polite sidewalks.
Seeing these photos on the SF Chronicle website was the first I heard of Act Against Torture. This group has excellent resources on their website, including the following Ten Things You Can Do To Stop Torture and Indefinite Detention:
- EDUCATE YOURSELF. Read the alternative press. Check out our background page for specific articles. Don't rely on mainstream media.
- TALK ABOUT IT. When you hear or read something about torture or detentions, talk to people about it. Discuss it with friends and co-workers. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
- SPEAK OUT. Participate in rallies and demonstrations in your area. Keep informed about events through your local Indymedia site. Get an Act Against Torture bumper sticker and put it on your bike or car.
- HOLD YOUR REPRESENTATIVES ACCOUNTABLE. Write letters to Bush and to your congressional representatives. Good letter writing information can be found at the websites of Witness Against Torture, Amnesty International, and The Center for Constitutional Rights, or here on our website.
- PUBLISH. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and mention ActAgainstTorture.org.
- POST. Print out our posters or make your own and post them at work, in your window, or on the street.
- SPREAD THE WORD. When you read an article that’s not in the mainstream media, make copies and pass them on to friends, co-workers, or neighbors. Write ActAgainstTorture.org on the front page so people know where to get more information.
- DISSEMINATE. Print out information cards and leave them in cafes, schools, your work place, or in the pockets of clothes in the store.
- DONATE. Donate $10 or more to an organization working to end torture and indefinite detions such as Witness Against Torture, Amnesty International, or The Center for Constitutional Rights, or donate to Act Against Torture (for info, e-mail us at ActAgainstTorture@riseup.net.)
- ORGANIZE. Support friends in taking these actions. Become an organizer.
Many members of congress need to see protests like this in their home districts - that could help them develop a spine & stand up against Bush's torture policies. Interested in organizing your own street theater? Here's an excellent dKos diary offering some inspiring tips.
Global Exchange also offers this helpful advice (from their anti-pollution campaign targeting Ford):
Here are some tips on how to present successful street theatre:
- Go heavy on visuals, and light on dialogue. It's essential that your performance is easy to follow, and this can help to simplify it.
- Don't forget your message! The skit and message should connect so that your audience understands why you're demonstrating.
- Create images that anyone could recognize. You can label your props with signs so that your audience knows what they are. Props can be created with cardboard, paint, papier maché, etc.
- Remember the media and always think about how things will look in a photo. For example, cluster together instead of spreading out, or use one big banner instead of many small ones.
- No matter what you do, make sure you contact the press several days before your action to generate coverage of the campaign and your group's activities in the local newspaper.
Code Pink also has an excellent page offering street theater protest tips & advice.