Hello friends,

We are excited to announce the upcoming Madison Community RNC Consulta, a
preparation, information, and organizing gathering open to all groups and
individuals committed to resisting the republican agenda, building for peace
and justice, and interested in helping mobilize to protest the Republican
National Convention (RNC), Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul, MN.

We're also seeking volunteers to help with publicity, housing (host a
presenter in your guest room), childcare and food/feeding. Please email
upmadison(at)gmail.com if you'd like to help out.

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MADISON RNC CONSULTA
Friday-Sunday, April 11-13
Madison Infoshop and other venues TBA.
1019b Williamson St. (Marquette Neighborhood)
Madison, WI 53703
upmadison(at)gmail.com
www.myspace.com/madisonconsulta
www.facebook.com/event.php

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childcare available with 24hr notice // wheelchair accessible // sober,
family-friendly space // on bus & bike routes // vegan meals // free housing

Join community and campus organizers from the Madison area and allies from
around the Midwest to prepare for the RNC and build power to support local
struggles around immigration, homelessness, racist policing, militarization
of public schools, food sovereignty, & the environment. Learn and share
skills for creative protest & direct action and build grassroots
infrastructure for health, safety, media, and communication. Space is
limited, so please RSVP as soon as possible.

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EVENTS & ACTIVITES:

* RNC Welcoming Committee <http://nornc.org/> Presentation on the civil
disobedience plans for St. Paul

* Local Struggles Roundtable (immigrant rights, racist
policing/incarceration, high school militarism, housing, food sovereignty)

* "Shutting Things Down to Open Things Up" direct action tactics intensive
with Lisa Fithian <http://rantcollective.net/>

* Training on legal observing, cop-watching, and jail solidarity organizing
with ACLU-WI <http://www.aclu-wi.org/>, NLG-MN<http://www.nlgminnesota.org/>,
& Coldsnap Legal Collective <http://coldsnaplegal.wordpress.com/>

* Street Medic introductory training

* Mobile kitchen and food infrastructure workshop with Food Not Bombs

* Media and Technology skill-share

* Resistance Art-making activities

* Reports from the Unconventional Action
"Bash-back<http://www.myspace.com/bashback>"
Convergence on plans for the radical Queer Bloc at the RNC

* Info-session on the People's Networking
Convention<http://www.infopnc.org/>and
PNC2RNC <http://www.pnc2rnc.org/> bike ride from Madison

* Strategy sessions on community outreach, mobilization, tactics, &c.

* Take Back the
Night<http://campuswomenscenter.rso.wisc.edu/new/events.html>Rally &
March Against Gender Violence (downtown)... Radical Pink Bloc:

On April 12th, 2008, Wimmin, Queers, Transfolk, Students, Minorities, and Allies will take to the streets and demand that the Madison community recognize that we will no longer tolerate being ridiculed, marginalized, battered, and abused by the state and by those who continue to violate our humyn rights and ignore our autonomy.

The UW Campus Wimmin's Center is planning a night of dissent focused on transforming the streets into a safe-space where all marginalized individuals will be encouraged to speak out against violence in the greater Madison area.

Organizers of Madison's 2008 RNC Consulta would like to propose utilizing a pink bloc to disrupt one of the most notorious streets in the city; we will be using tactics of spontaneity, creativity, dance, and COLOR to send a loud and clear message to local government, letting people know that we will no longer be silenced and battered by the heterosexist state. "Violence is a community issue! This is our community! This is our issue!"

we will meet at the consulta to discuss logistics and plan our tactics in depth. bring pink stuff! and jump ropes, hula hoops, and noise makers, mobile music makers etc.

contact quinker (at) gmail.com with questions

Saturday night

* Saturday night concert & dance party @ Just Coffee, with Son Mudanza and
hot DJ's (TBA)

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WHY PROTEST THE RNC?

On Labor Day, 30,000 republican politicians, lobbyists, and corporate
trustees will descend on the Twin Cities to crown their presidential
candidate and renew the racist rich man's agenda of global domination,
worker exploitation, and environmental devastation.

The RNC Welcoming Committee <http://nornc.org/> and the Coalition to March
on the RNC & Stop the War are calling all defenders of human rights and
environmental justice to converge on St. Paul, September 1-4, to crash the
convention, demonstrate our opposition, and build sustainable alternatives
to the republican agenda.

Creating the world we want to see will take more than just votes. This time
8 years ago, the republicans in congress put Clinton on trial over an
affair. Today a Democratic Congress blatantly ignores public cries for
impeachment over war crimes and keeps funding Bush's wars. The republicans
still write the script for both parties; "tough on terror" means aggressive
military operations worldwide, revoking civil liberties at home,
scapegoating immigrants, and militarizing the borders. War is peace; ethanol
is "renewable energy"; coal is clean and so are nuclear reactors.

The goal of the Madison Consulta is to help folks in the community prepare
to support and/or participate in direct action in St. Paul, but not just for
a one-shot action. We want to build and strengthen grassroots infrastructure
to support local struggles before and after the RNC--struggles around
immigration, homelessness, racist policing, militarization of public
schools, food sovereignty, &c.

Join us April 11-13 and let's get the wheels turning.

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MADISON RNC CONSULTA
Friday-Sunday, April 11-13
Madison Infoshop and other venues TBA.
1019b Williamson St. (Marquette Neighborhood)
Madison, WI 53703
upmadison(at)gmail.com
www.myspace.com/madisonconsulta
www.facebook.com/event.php
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