The last four years have seen an upswing in confrontations between working class and oppressed people in North America, and the state and far-right organizations. From the uprisings from Ferguson to Baltimore, to the blockade of the DAPL and the movement against pipelines, to the fight against the rise of the alt-right and incoming president Donald Trump, people across the country are mobilizing to defend ourselves and sustain our survival against austerity, mass incarceration, and violent racism. Join us for an evening of discussion with organizers from GDC Local 14 on the Community Self Defense model, a flexible framework of autonomous working-class organizing drawn from experience in labor struggle, the fight against police brutality, and antifascist action. The discussion will include an explanation of Community Self Defense as a concept and its relationship to anti-fascism, community survival projects, and class struggle unionism. Speakers will share the recent history and experiences of General Defense Committee Local 14 in developing the model in the Twin Cities and working with other cities and smaller towns in the Midwest develop their own networks. We will invite participants to share and reflect on their own experiences and goals, so we can trade notes, learn, and continue to develop a nationwide network of strong, interlinked campaigns.

[source: Flying Squirrel website, 2017-Jan-23]