Schedule of Boston Events

June 20	R2K First General Meeting 7:00 pm Northeastern University Law School, Room 205 (2nd Floor)
June 28	R2K Working Meeting 6:00 pm w/ BGAN Coordinating Committee Meeting MIT 3-442
July 3	R2K Web Site Launched bostonaffinity.freeservers.com members.xoom.com/r2kbus
July 4	R2K Declare your Independence Action 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Boston-Cambridge Esplanade (Arthur Fiedler monument)
July 5	R2K Nonviolence Training Workshop 7:00pm Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth Street, Jamaica Plain Similar to the one organized in April for the IMF/World Bank A16 protests, the training will include hands on techniques of civil disobedience, non-violent protest, and all the ramifications and logistics surrounding taking Direct Action. At the event, attendees will also have the opportunity to sign up for buses leaving for Philadelphia, the site of the Republican National Convention and the next non-violent battleground for democracy and justice. Please bring your friends for a night of philosophy, role plays, and excellent training for any activists interested in learning the ropes of direct action.
July 6	R2K Working Meeting 7:00pm Toscanini's, MIT Student Center (across Mass. Ave from MIT Building 1)
July 7	R2K Radio Interview 6:30pm WMBR-FM 88.1 (broadcast from MIT): No Censorship Radio Contact: WMBR-FM Radio Requests: 617.253.8810 Email: [email protected] Web: http://wmbr.mit.edu
July 9	R2K Working Meeting 12:30pm Above Park Street Station (If rain, Finagel a Bagel across the street) Agenda Logistics - Transportation, Housing Awareness Raising / Caravan Outreach Efforts
July 13	First Coalition Meeting on October Debates 7:00pm Lucy Parsons Center 549 Columbus Ave. (Symphony T Stop in Green Line, Mass Ave. T Stop on Orange Line, #1 Bus) The first presidential debate of this election year will be held at the Clarke Athletic Center at UMass Boston on the evening of Oct 3. A number of organizations have expressed interest in conducting actions related to the debate, including the UMB based Part-Time Faculty Committee and Radical Student Alliance, the Mass Green Party, the Boston Global Action Network, the Boston Direct Action Network, the Socialist Party, and the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor. There seem to be at least two issues that people want to focus on: the exclusion of so-called "minor party" candidates from the debate, and the failure of the two corporate candidates to address the deterioration in working conditions experienced by tens of millions of "ordinary" Americans, as illustrated by the dominance, at UMB, of contingent work - i.e. outsourced janitors and food service workers, underpaid student-workers, part-time faculty, and so on. These issues are, of course, connected in that they are two expressions of the domination of society by corporate power. Students and part-time faculty members at UMB have called a meeting for those interested planning actions related to the presidential debate. Contact: Gary Zabel, Coalition on Contingent Academic Labor
July 15	R2K Potluck and Celebration! 4:00-6:00pm Lucy Parsons Center 549 Columbus Ave. (Symphony T Stop in Green Line, Mass Ave. T Stop on Orange Line, #1 Bus) As part of the mounting momentum heading into Philadelphia, the R2K Task Force has organized a potluck for Saturday late afternoon, the ides of July. This potluck will offer the opportunity to form affinity groups and learn more about the specifics of the scenario shaping up at the Convention. Bring your favourite dish and drinks to share!
July 19	R2K Working Meeting 6:00pm Toscanini's, MIT Student Center (across Mass. Ave from MIT Building 1) Continuing logistical work, i.e., taking stock of the bus situation, housing options Update on Caravan News Media Work
July 23-29	The Lawrence Free School Pre-R2K Workshops Opening Ceremony Sunday 5:00pm Bernstein Bookstore 468 Essex Street Lawrence, MA 6 days of workshops and fun in Lawrence before R2K Nonviolence, art & activism, social ecology, contingent work Workshops on the New Economy, ...and more Dance, music & spoken word Contact: Mark Huddle [email protected] 978-469-0536
July 26	Democracy in Motion Caravan Arrives 4:00pm - 10:00pm The Freedom House 14 Crawford St. Dorchester, MA (617) 445-3700 The Democracy in Motion Caravan will  be traveling across the country, mobilizing people for the protests at the  Democratic and Republican National Conventions and supporting local organizing. Building on the success of the roadshows that mobilized people for the convergences in Seattle and DC,  the caravan will be a high-energy mixture of information sharing, skill building, and celebration/performance.  There will be a small core crew, diverse in age, colors, and experiences, that will do a training in organizing and economic justice issues, perform an  interactive street theater piece, and play music. This will be expanded by  local trainers and performers at each stop. The combination of a core message throughout and the support of local issues will help make the  connections between global, national, and local justice. Each stop will include the following: 1) Skills and information sharing on local, national, and global justice issues 2) Conversation and resource-sharing about networking and building coalitions 3) Creative envisioning of the world we want and how we can bring that into being 4) Celebration! Music, Spoken word, DJs, Performance As we travel we will be gathering people to caravan out to the conventions.  We will also be creating a video with people along the way declaring their  own independence from corporate-rule and their own ideas/definitions of  democracy. This video will be broadcast from the Independent Media Center Website and shown at the conventions. Contact: Kate Pham [email protected] http://www.democracyinmotion.org (617) 423-2148
July 29	BGAN and Providence Bus Depart for Philadelphia
July 30	Unity 2000 Mr. Greasy/Greedy Bastard goes for a stroll in Philadelphia
July 31	Buses Return to Boston
July 31 -Aug. 3	Direct Actions in Philly & Jail Solidarity
Aug. 5	Vigil for Political Prisoners 1:00pm Park Street T Station (Coincides with the Peace Vigil and Festival) Come with signs, musical instruments, noisemakers, news, and copies of the legal/jail numbers to call in Philly. Make as many copies as possible. Let's get the word out about what's really going on in Philly and show our solidarity with the prisoners...
Aug. 8	Press Conference on Philadelphia Political Prisoner Situation 1:00pm Massachusetts State House Steps See Press Release for more details.
Aug. 9	First Post-Philadelphia R2K Report Back 7:30pm MIT 4-163 SUMMARY This past week, the fight for global justice went domestic with large-scale demonstrations around the Republican National Convention. For three consecutive days, demonstrations highlighted such issues as the health care crisis, gun violence, and the ever increasing gap between the rich and poor. The Unity 2000 March on July 30th brought together hundreds of different groups and interests, while the following day, the nation's leading poor people's organization, the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, led a march for Economic Human Rights. On August 1st, activists took to the streets in direct actions around Philadelphia, blocking roads, tying up traffic, and engaging in civil disobedience against the criminal injustice system, prison-industrial complex, the death penalty, and all the other issues ignored or conveniently forgotten in this election season. By the end of the day, over 450 activists were under arrest, many brutalized by the police that had showed restraint earlier in the week. The actions around the RNC will be followed by similar protests in LA around the Democratic National Convention, and taken together, may mark a turning point in the new movement that emerged from Seattle and Washington DC. Come hear what activists have to say about their motives for going to Philadelphia, experiences with both the peaceful marches and direct actions, and what it all means for the future of activism.
Aug. 15	R2K Support to Political Prisoners Meeting 7:00pm MIT 4-163 Meeting to get political prisoners out of Philly jails. Police repression has been severe and bails run from $10,000 to $450,000. Jail solidarity continues and remains strong. Come help the R2K Task Force with fundraising, outreach, media, and legal support.