I was so ashamed of Worcester after seeing the torrent of criticism Coach Williams received on Tuesday for his suggestion that his team was the victim of referee bias, but I was so proud of this city after attending the rally in front of City Hall.
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Author: Scott Schaeffer-Duffy
March 29 demonstration against Darfur genocide
Note: This entry is outdated. Please see the update.
updated March 16
The plan: We urge you to please consider joining us for another protest at the Sudanese embassy in Washington, DC, on Weds., March 29, 2006. 11:30 AM-1:30 PM.
We will carry enlarged photographs of the victims in Darfur and appeal for an end to genocide. Some of us will risk arrest in nonviolent civil disobedience. Speakers to include two peace activists who visited Darfur and another activist whose grandparents were interned in Nazi concentration camps. Leaflets will also be distributed. All are welcome, but anyone interested in nonviolent civil disobedience (i.e. entering peacefully onto the embassy property) must contact Scott Schaeffer-Duffy at 508 7533-3588 or theresecw@gmail.com.
Together we can draw attention back to Darfur and help save lives.
The Embassy of Sudan is at 2210 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008. (Google map.) This is three blocks north of the Dupont Circle Metro station.
Contact Scott Schaeffer-Duffy for more information: theresecw@gmail.com; 508.753.3588; Saints Francis & Therese Catholic Worker, 52 Mason Street, Worcester, MA 01610.
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How to Do Outreach and Build Community
One-man or one-woman revolutions are sometimes necessary, but should never result from a failure to invite others to your demonstration.
Use e-mail, mailing lists, and phone trees from groups sympathetic to your cause. Put announcements in your local newspapers’ calendars, and put up flyers in public places.
Introduce everyone at each protest. Honor all who join you. Ask for feedback afterwards and try to keep an open mind about incorporating new ideas.
Never use us/they language. Instead, describe problems as things which everyone in the human community must solve together.
Respect for your opponents will increase the likelihood of genuine dialog and eventual alliance.
Author’s note: Before my first demonstration in 1978, I enjoyed a nonviolence training session led by seasoned activists, using a booklet filled with wisdom gained over time. Later on, when organizing protests of my own, I enjoyed the advice of civil rights and Vietnam War protestor Tom Lewis. I have also learned a few things the hard way. I hope How to Hold a Demonstration will make it easier for others to organize powerful and persuasive protests.
How to Pick a Time and Place
Select a place for your demonstration that has important symbolic value and is also visible to pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
For example, you may have an arms factory located on an out-of-the-way road. In this case, an anti-war protest may have more impact at a war memorial downtown.
Symbolic dates are fine, but should not be stuck to if more people are likely to attend on a weekend.
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How to Send a Clear Message
Before your demonstration, articulate what you oppose and support in a single-sided flyer. Give it a short title. Sum your purpose up in one sentence, then highlight it.
Don’t get sidetracked. Every group has members with pet issues. A protest headlined “Vegans, Catholics, Feminists, Anarchists, Pacifists Unite!” is less likely to draw a crowd than one labeled “Unite Against War!” If it’s a vigil against factory farming by Kentucky Fried Chicken, then vegetarianism might belong in the title, but not otherwise.
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How to Make a Sign
When it’s time to hold a demonstration, use signs and banners that are readable, neat, and attractive.
Art stores sell a product called foamcore that is much more durable than posterboard, which disintegrates in the rain and flaps in the wind.
Banners, made of white sheets folded lengthwise, are great in rainy or windless situations, but require more effort to hold.
Lettering and artwork should be in acrylic paint, because it is brilliant and waterproof. Magic markers stink. They are too thin, streaky, and pale.
Letters on a poster or banner should be at least 3 in x 6 in. The best test for legibility is to stand 30 feet away from your signs and try to read them. Consider how little time drivers have to take in your message.
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Pre-trial Summary
In December 2004, after reading media reports of mass killing, rape, and displacement of African civilians in the West Sudanese region of Darfur, a Catholic Worker Peace Team was formed. It included Brenna Cussen of South Bend, Indiana, Chris Douçot of Hartford, Connecticut, Grace Ritter of Ithaca, New York, and Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Worcester, Massachusetts.
They visited four huge camps for “internally displaced people” in Darfur. Their observations confirmed the charge that the Sudanese government is guilty of genocide.
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