Published: Oct. 9, 2020
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Dear Friends: Please read George Lakey’s latest message below and join in preparation for nonviolent action to “Choose Democracy.”
George Lakey, 10/8/2020:
The number of people in our trainings to prepare for a possible power grab after the election by Donald Trump has been growing, from 700 to 1000 to 1500 – from all over the country. I’m the lead trainer with rotating co-trainers.
The Choose Democracy team is urging that we increase the number of trainings. Here are the dates (a couple of which aren’t even on the website yet!):
If you have experience as a trainer and would like to learn how to lead workshops with this content, please participate in: Train-the-Trainers workshops Oct 14 and 20. 6-8.30pm Eastern Time. Please do not attend the Train-the-Trainers sessions unless you’ve been through the national training itself. Application is made through our website: https://ChooseDemocracy.us
Whether or not you want to sign up for a training, be sure to look through the website, which has evidence-based information PLUS a pledge that you can sign.
Also, look this week for a new interview I’ve done that addresses how to handle the possibility of violence in the post-election turbulence: WagingNonviolence.org.
In addition to my work with the Choose Democracy team, I’ve continued to do Zoom events for groups around the country, focusing on how to defeat a power grab after the election should that occur. In many countries people’s nonviolent resistance has defeated a coup attempt, and they’ve done that even though the plotters didn’t give advance warning that they were going to attempt a power grab. We have the enormous advantage of knowing the possibility ahead of time. My article in WagingNonviolence.org sounded the alarm in July! Now hundreds of major organizations are mobilizing to get ready for the possibility.
We have other advantages, too. It’s realistic to believe we can stop a power grab, and winning that may give us the empowerment boost we need to press ahead on the other justice and climate issues that need attention.
I’m on it. Are you?
George
from David Hartsough, San Francisco Meeting (10/9/2020)