MARCH 14TH STRIKE SHUTDOWN SICKOUT FLYER

 

MARCH 14TH  

NO WORK NO SCHOOL NO SPENDING 

STRIKE – SICKOUT - SHUTDOWN  

WE NEED TO STRIKE BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT BUDGET CRISIS COMES TO A HEAD! WE NEED TO SHUT THEM DOWN BEFORE THEY SHUT US DOWN! 

If you can’t strike, call in sick on March 14th. We need a strong show of force.  Demonstrations, marches, rallies, and civil disobedience only work when there is incentive for people in power to change.  This administration has already shown that they will not abide by the courts or the will of the people.  The Democrats offer only the hope of a balance of power after mid-terms, but that may be too late and may not be enough to stop what is happening. 

Our only real power is in our labor and participation in society.  If enough people shutdown, we have leverage to shut down DOGE and Musk, to have government employees reinstated, and to have all new employees properly vetted and tested for competency.  

SPREAD THE WORD! ORGANIZE IN YOUR COMMUNITY, INCLUDING AT WORK AND SCHOOL IF YOU CAN!  

POOL RESOURCES AND FUNDRAISE SO THAT WE CAN STRIKE FOR AS LONG AS NECESSARY!  

ASK LOCAL DEMOCRATIC OFFICIALS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO DONATE TO THE STRIKE POOL AND TO HELP ORGANIZE! 

This is a grassroots action that has been promoted by several groups and individuals on-line, but the key to action is in our communities.  

Also check out https://generalstrikeus.com/ for a group that has been organizing for a while for a national strike. 

THIS FLYER IS PRODUCED LOCALLY BY: https://lettersfromanoldactivist.blogspot.com 

STRATEGIES FOR STAYING SAFE AT DEMOS

GRASSROOTS VERSUS BIG ORGS

So far, the 50501 and other demonstrations have had good turnout but not been big enough to draw counter-protesters or unruly actions.  As the movement builds and gains influence, this will likely change.  Even if the size of the demonstrations doesn't grow, although they probably will.

Often at big marches held by large organizations, the march becomes more like a parade with a lot of marshals.  The people that come are meant only to march or participate in preplanned events.  At grassroots demos everyone becomes both a participant and an organizer, laying a foundation for more independent political action in the future. 

Grassroots actions creates more leaders and fosters a strong community of independent activists.

KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE

One of the best ways to stay safe is to have more experienced activists distributed throughout the demo.  Have experienced people who are specifically there to look out, keeping an eye out for trouble.  Orange hat legal observers are good too, but you want someone who is doing nothing but watching for suspicious or troublesome activity.  

Have demonstrators spread out, particularly on sidewalks in front of government buildings.  Not so far apart that individuals can be isolated, but also not in one big lump making an easy target. This also prevents sidewalks being blocked. It also makes the demo look bigger.

If you are an experienced activist and don't know anyone else at the demo, just find the best spot to keep an eye out and walk through the crowd a few times and look for any suspicious people.  I usually find a reason to wait until all of the demonstrators have left, or all of the suspicious people have left. And if I can I try to follow them and look at their vehicles for future reference.

(They are usually men, usually alone, usually wearing a hat and non-descript clothing, and rarely holding signs. Sometimes they are law enforcement, but they can be individuals or from groups looking for leaders to target or follow.)

And in these areas with Trump supporting law enforcement, the police are something you need to watch out for too.  Are they dressed normally or in riot gear? Do they have paddy wagons parked all about and numbered zip ties hanging off their belts? They don't get dressed up unless they are planning to attack. 

And if there are counter protesters, are they protecting them or us? Where are the police standing, facing the demo and a distance away, with the counter protestors behind them?  (Mike German's just released book Policing White Supremacy details how law enforcement was trained to fear non-violent leftists more than violent white supremacists, among other things. Well worth reading.)

QUESTIONS FOR ORGANIZERS

If you are a demo that is organized by a local group or chapter, find the organizers, introduce yourself.

Do they have a jail hotline and sharpies for people to write the number on their hand?

Are there legal observers?

Are there lookouts or security and are they identifiable by armbands or something else?

Do they have a first aid kit?

Is there a hand signal or anything that is used to flag problems or summon assistance?

And ask if they need you to be in any particular place or to do anything to assist. 

IF THERE IS NO ORGANIZER

If there isn't a group leader just position yourself as best you can.  If you can get a good view of the whole demo that is ideal.  If not, move around a bit. If you are an activist for an issue or group, go around and introduce yourself and let people know that if they have a problem or see anything suspicious to let you know and that you will do the same.

For the moment, the Trump supporters are still reveling in their victory.  To them 50501 looks like Democrats re-enacting their election result demonstrations in 2020.  (There's some cognitive dissonance on this theory from the folks that insist that capitol insurrection was antifa and the Democrats.) 

But it is best to be prepared. 

Q: WHERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS? A: UNDERSTANDING NEOLIBERALS

Neoliberals took over the Democratic party leadership in the 1980s.  There has been no truly liberal President since Carter. (Although some call him the grandfather of neoliberalism, because of all the deregulation he continued from Nixon's administration.)

They are now the majority, and what we call "progressives" are really old school liberals. That is how far to the right we have drifted.  To call the Party "Left" is incorrect.  Voters, however, are another thing altogether. 

In a nutshell, neoliberalism believes that the "free market" should not be regulated except by the "will of the people."  In other words, if you don't demand a raise and benefits, you must not want it. And who are they to interfere in your wants?

Neoliberalism gives capitalism the credit for all the advances technology has brought the world. ** And it credits that power to the "freemarket."  (I keep putting it in quotes because a truly free market has never existed in capitalism outside of a few hundred years during the Islamic Golden Age.)

Neoliberals have masked many of their policies in New Deal liberalism.  This is one of the things that confuses old school liberals.  

DEI on the surface looks like civil rights and racial justice.  But it's really just more diversity in the executive offices, board room, and positions of power.  

When Barack Obama was elected president neoliberals declared that "racism was over."  Dismantling institutionalized racism is not on the agenda.  

Same with rights for any other group.  That's why no one passed the ERA, or enshrined bodily autonomy. Neoliberalism is why we have the ACA instead of Medicare for all, and more loans for minority college students instead of free college.

You will never hear a neoliberal call Northwestern European countries "heavily regulated capitalism", even thought that is what they are.  Instead, they will say "social-democratic", trying to hang onto that leftist sounding socialism while also distancing themselves the conservative definition of it that is too close to communism. ***

DEI is better than nothing, and they do support some safety nets.  Neoliberals are better on climate change.  But the problem is they will never do anything on their own unless they are pushed into by their moderate base. 

Or if a third party ever gained enough traction to truly threaten them.

We are seeing that very clearly now.  We can push them, but expecting them to act on their own or "save us" is fantasy.  

NOTES

** They are true adherents to Smith in that.  However, Smith's philosophy was deeply flawed, filled with colonialist fallacies that are laughable today, and grafted concepts like the "free market" that were borrowed from the Islamic Empire, whose market was based on completely different principles.  Principles that were both at odds with European capitalism, and that were based in principles that did not exist in Europe.

*** In my experience very, few people have actually read Marx.  There are no socialist countries in the world today, or communist- even Cuba and China are a stretch. And Marx actually saw Communism as the natural progression of capitalism, which I think has been soundly disproven in the last 50 years. At this point it is moot though, in my opinion because of climate change. Any sustainable economy at this point will need to be based on resources. A discussion for another time. 

ACTION LEAFLET

 

THOUGHTS ON STRATEGY FROM AN OLD ACTIVIST

THOUGHTS ON STRATEGY FROM AN OLD ACTIVIST 

 

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If you haven’t already, please read my earlier post on Organizing a National Strike and Shutdown:  

 

Blog: https://lettersfromanoldactivist.blogspot.com/2025/02/50501-post-with-bio.html 

Redditt 50501: https://www.reddit.com/r/50501/comments/1it15j8/thoughts_from_an_old_activist_on_how_to_organize/ 

Facebook 50501: https://www.facebook.com/groups/959208695816460/posts/967312948339368/ 

 

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(QUICK RECAP) OUR STRONGEST POWER IS A STRIKE AND SHUTDOWN  

 

I believe withholding our labor- a national strike of union and non-union employees- is our strongest power. If we shut down as much as possible in conjunction with the strike, we will be even stronger. No school, no shopping that isn’t necessary, and keeping to our local communities as much as possible.  

 

Before Covid this was a hard sell to most people. They didn’t see the power a shutdown had. And a lot of political action is motivated by emotion. Most people will wait to act until things begin to affect them personally. And the common response is to want to form a mob and storm the castle.  

 

Trump’s regime is dismantling the country, and they are preparing for civil unrest for the last 8 years. Governors in Missouri, Texas, Florida, and others have been taking control of the police in blue cities and passing legislation that has the National Guard directly under the governors' command.  

 

Police are heavily militarized, the private prison companies have been awarded extra contracts, and there are now over 80 “Cop City” like Atlanta’s being built across the country. We need to shut this regime down non-violently, and before they shut down everyone who isn’t part of their cult. 

 

A strike and shutdown won’t crash the economy. In fact, it will have the opposite effect, at least for us. It will affect Wall Street and the banks earning interest. Strikes, especially when effective, stimulate the economy for workers. 

  

The economy is an equation -between circulating and not-circulating, between debit and credit, between rich and poor. etc. The problem right now is that we have allowed rich people to hoard all the money, create more for themselves through interest, and impoverish us through low wages supplemented by high interest credit and loans and welfare, privatized health insurance, etc. 

 

Most economic disasters do not affect the banks, or most of the oligarchs.  Public money is used to bail out banks and businesses primarily.  And the banks have all the money anyhow, it just depends on whose account it is getting shifted too. When they take money from us, they have somewhere to spend it- whether it is a yacht or infrastructure projects that will earn them lots of interest, because *we* are working and spending.  

 

But when we stop working and stop spending, they have no income, same as a boycott, but in shutdown the only thing they have is money. And if we choose to continue our shutdown, they know that alternative resource distribution systems are being created. If a strike and shutdown go on long enough or becomes serious enough, we could get to a situation where we function without them. That is the biggest fear of the ruling classes.  Not a revolution, not a war, not a riot.  In those situations, they are still part of the equation.   

 

The richest man in the world was not afraid to hack into our Treasury or have our nuclear weapons staff fired because we have gone too long without striking for what we need and deserve. It is time to take our power back. 

 

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PRIMARY FOCUS IS YOUR COMMUNITY IRL (IN REAL LIFE) 

 

Organizing on-line and talking to people on-line is great for many things, but the primary focus needs to be in your physical community – where you work and live. And secondarily, among your social community- your network of friends and family no matter where they live.  

 

Spend your time on the most receptive people. Don’t bother arguing with someone, especially not a MAGA. If you talk to someone that is receptive and get them on board, they will start talking to other people. But if you argue with a MAGA or someone that doesn’t want to face facts, you haven’t accomplished anything.  

 

We need as many leaders as possible finding other leaders and introducing these ideas to people. If people aren’t ready, at least they have it in their minds for the future. More people will come around as things develop. 

 

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ORGANIZING FOR A SHUTDOWN AND STRIKE IS THE SAME AS ORGANIZING FOR AN EMERGENCY AND WHY YOU SHOULD DO BOTH 

 

I started talking to people about community emergency preparation last Spring. Even if we’d elected Harris, we would still be facing increasing climate change events, supply chain issues, water shortages, and industrial accidents.  

 

https://emergencyprepsaintlouismo.blogspot.com/ 

 

Very few people wanted to talk about this until recently. They would become defensive or dismissive. (“I prefer to think positive”. Or “I am sure the city and FEMA have a plan”. My city doesn’t and in January we had a big fiasco over icy streets for weeks that proved they aren’t even prepared for the mundane.) But with the wildfires in the West, and the deadly storms in the mid-west and northeast, and then the inauguration, suddenly people are very interested.  

 

And for those that want to do something about this coup but live in areas that are heavily red, or are in situations where they cannot be openly against the Trump regime, this is way to be in contact with elected officials and community leaders (calling the government for any reason is activism- and reminds government employees who they serve), to become more well known in your community as a leader, as well making sure there is a plan for everyone.  

 

If you have ever lived through a disaster or a war or large-scale accident, or talked to a lot of people that have, you know that often the person you must rely on is that neighbor you don’t get along with or even hate. Emergency planning must be non-partisan. (Organizing for a shutdown does not.) 

 

And, because we have an administration that is openly targeting certain groups, we need to be sure we include everyone in our emergency preparation plans. One of the things these MAGA people need to see is real leadership. By dealing fairly with everyone, you will give people a model to base their own preparations on. And inclusiveness will neutralize all but the very worst predators.  

 

However, you should start with the people and businesses and areas that are most important to you. And that way you can also prepare for a mass strike and shutdown, or other actions. Again, spend more time with people that are receptive than with people that are not interested.  

 

If you go to my blog link you see it is just the text of the leaflet I hand out. Having any kind of link or piece of paper helps, but the most important thing is the conversation and listening to what they have to say. Once you have made your pitch, if they want to share or talk about another issue, listen to them.   

 

I talk to people first about emergencies:  

“Now is a good time to make a plan with your friends and family on where to meet up if something happens. Or alternate ways to communicate if there is grid shutdown. To stock up food and water and batteries. But it is also a good time to find out what your community has planned and stocked up. If your supplies get destroyed, or you can’t reach them, where will you go? Do you know your city’s evacuation plans? Do local stores have someone that can distribute goods so there is no looting? (They will get reimbursed later anyhow.) What about vulnerable people in your community? Are you ready for an emergency?” 

 

Then I mention that there are a lot of different kinds of emergencies- for example, if social security payments are disrupted, or if there are shortages or supply issues due to things like bird flu. And there are emergencies that can impact only certain populations: like what is happening for undocumented immigrants.  Or that many consider the growing homeless population an emergency.  

 

Generally, this is enough of a prompt to find out where someone stands on the Trump regime. Listen to the concerns they express and then frame your suggestion around those issues.  

 

For example, if they say they are worried about harm to immigrants or are worried about ICE abuses, mention the various “Day or Week Without An Immigrant” events around the country. In St. Louis where I live over 50 Mexican restaurants shut down for a week, and during Valentine’s Day. These were essentially strikes and shutdowns.  

 

“If we had a shutdown, how long would you be able to do it?”  Suggest people call every political and social group, elected official, union, agency, savings and loan, property managers and landlords, credit union, church and community groups and ask if they are organizing strikes and shutdowns and or would they be willing to offer financial help to a strike considering the constitutional emergency we are facing in this country.  

 

 

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BUILDING A NETWORK 

 

The most important thing right now is to the plant the seed, but if you can begin building a network, do so. 

 

One of the best places to organize is at protests and meetings in your community where people are already on your side and politically active. Going business to business and also standing out in areas with a lot of foot traffic is good, too. 

 

If you are organizing for a political action and an emergency, you could have one for your local community for emergencies, and one that is separate or partially overlaps for political organizing. (*1) 

 

No matter what you do, make sure you have plans if there is a grid shutdown and or loss of internet and cell service. 

  

The first economic black out is scheduled for February 28th and the first strike for March 14th and shutdown on the 15th. Even if you can’t get anyone else in your community to take part, you can still take off work and school and not spend money or go out on those two days. Every action matters right now, individual and collective.  

 

Feel free to copy my flyers or these posts to suit you. I am available to help anyone who needs it.  

 

RAE  

Bookemonster@gmail.com 

 

(*1)  

I’ve found the best way to network large groups of people is to begin with 10 people (privates), one of whom is the contact for everyone in the group (corporal), and each person have one alternate. Then 5 groups of ten, and one person (Sergeant) that is contact each of the five corporals, and then 5 groups of 50 where each Sergeant speaks to one Sergeant First Class... Obviously use any titles you want, but each person should have a backup.  

 

You can do this with neighborhoods for evacuation and other disaster plans, and for political organizing. And each of the privates should have their own networks if possible, so there are as many overlaps as possible. And each corporal should know any special requirements for each of their 9 members- like if you have a neighbor on oxygen that would need an emergency generator or portable oxygen.

I have a city-wide plan that can be used everywhere- in any city or town of any size, that organizes not only for emergencies and evacuations, but also for neighborhood-based city services for everything from shoveling snow for streets and sidewalks, recycling and trash clean up, invasive species removal, homeless services, community-based policing and security, etc. Because it employs people directly instead of outsourcing to private businesses, it also prospers the community and keeps city tax money in the city.  Money is strongest that travels the shortest distance.  And businesses are exempt from Sunshine requests and public oversight and often are not city residents. If you want to learn more, email me.