On March 11, Retake hosted an ACLU Resistance Workshop focusing on the ACLU’s Freedom Cities campaign. Freedom Cities is an advocacy campaign aimed at pressuring cities to become freedom cities, however, it appears that Santa Fe has already done this as the ordinance that they are asking cities to approve is likely covered in the Welcoming City ordinance. I share the Freedom Cities resolution with Marcela Diaz, of Somos Un Pueblo Unido and she verified that there aren’t elements of Freedom Cities that are absent the Welcoming Cities ordinance.

Given that we do not need to advance Freedom Cities, at least here in Santa Fe, we could use the momentum generated by the training to organize some other form of civil disobedience or non-violent direct action. This is something that has been discussed in many meetings recently.  If there is interest in organizing either a civil disobedience or non-violent direct action, Retake will post contact info for the coordinators on this page. If you want to read about Freedom Cities and ACLU’s recommended steps in planning a non-violent direct action or civil disobedience, click here.  Since this link is associated with this event, I think it is possible it will not work after the event. If so, Freedom Cities Action Guide – Google Docs for a pdf of the summary.