``It's true that most people on this list are not emulating your activity in their own communities, but they may be contributing to publications or involved in other political pursuits which they consider to be equally valid, or, probably like most, may be simply be wanting to enhance their political understanding and exchange opinions with like-minded others online.'' Marv Gandall
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I am thinking there are all sorts of social spaces to accomplish what holding meetings and deciding on a picket or public demostration intend.
One completely weird one I discovered was wheelchair repair at student services project. We also offered a free hot lunch and usually had just a few takers a week. The student would just sit around the big lunch table and listen to our staff meeting which was held during lunch hour, or two.
These free services drew the students into the political fold of the project and did a lot of political education.
Slowly over a few years this built up a real cadre of people who could be mobilized to take action. Between this service center at UCB and its larger community org down the street, it was possible to sustain a big sit-in and take over the old SF Federal Building and force Califano to sign the damned Rehabilition Act of 197x which had languished on his desk for months. This act provided the makings of social intitutions to serve the disabled communities so they could live pretty much like the rest of us. All of that has of course fallen into dis-repair like the rest of the public institutions that we are loosing...
I want to get back to that kind of community solidarity now and do it through a near free repair service. The central issue is healthcare. Because of the way the existing system has evolved such a service is extremely difficult to provide and most people are suffering a lot of hits on their independence at jobs, schools, or just tooling around in daily life.
This has a general kind of theory behind it that already existing open social spaces with important social activities provide a built in organizing space. Public schools are one obivious such space. Health clinics are another and so on.
CG