All across the country people are fighting back. In the wake of Trump’s election, we have seen a surge of resistance, both within the u.s. borders and across the entire globe.
In the spirit of furthering these various anti-authoritarian movements and to build our collective capacity for community self-defense, Solidarity & Defense is hosting a conference in Lansing, Michigan on January 19-21, 2018.
Solidarity & Defense formed in December 2016. We are a network of people committed to providing solidarity and defense to communities under attack. We organize along directly democratic and participatory lines and are independent of all political parties and their affiliated groups. The conference will consist of a weekend of workshops and political discussions. On Friday evening there will be a dinner and public panel discussion featuring some of the most dynamic community self-defense projects from around the midwest. Saturday during the day there will be workshops and political discussions. Saturday night we are hosting an all ages hip hop/DJ show and hangout.
What does community self-defense mean? We think it means people uniting regardless of race, religion, gender, sexuality, or background to fight against government and fascist attacks on our communities. It means people showing up to stand against fascists and racists who are trying to organize and attack us. It means neighbors coming together to physically try to stop ICE raids that disorient and break up immigrant communities. It means folks resisting evictions by blockading dumpsters and cops.
It is our hopes that this conference will be one small step to further the fight against fascism, the state, and all forms of domination. It is through this collective struggle that we can begin to build the world that we want.
We will be providing food, childcare, and housing on both Friday and Saturday night.