Reportback from 2nd I-69 Consulta



Reportback from 2nd Anti-I69 Consulta

On Leap Day weekend of 2008, members of Roadblock Earth First! hosted the second Anti-I69 Consulta. This was billed as an open call-out for affinity groups and individuals interested in organizing on-the-ground resistance to the extension of Interstate 69 through southwestern Indiana. Through this consulta, RBEF! attempted to make the planning and organizing processes for resisting new terrain I-69 this spring and summer more transparent and accountable.

Approximately 30 folks showed up for the consulta, representing six or seven different affinity groups. . The main agenda for the weekend included: Logistics and Resources, Help from Far Away, Future of I-69, and Movement Structure.

Logistics and Resources

Housing

The number of overnight guests at the convergence space we’re looking to buy/rent will be limited, and those coming for periods longer than few weeks are encouraged to find their own housing. Members of RBEF! are able to help individuals or groups find houses to rent, buy, or establish otherwise. It was noted that houses in Evansville, the closest city to the route (approx. 25 miles), are extremely cheap (upwards of $3000). Property patterns (values and conditions) in Evansville were compared to cities such as Pittsburgh and St. Louis. There may also be land available on which to legally camp. To contact those working on housing, please email newi69housing@.

Supplies

While local folks will regularly gather supplies and try their best to have a surplus of certain things (such as food, medical supplies, etc) affinity groups and individuals need to come prepared to meet their own supply needs. This includes personal stashes of food, medical supplies (including homeopathic and natural medicines), camping equipment, tools, vehicles, gear, cameras (both still and video), and bail money. Methods of gathering supplies were discussed, such as soliciting businesses or doing food/supply drives. A concrete list of suggested supplies for affinity groups to gather for themselves or to send to RBEF! (as well as an address) is included at the bottom of this page. Also, gardens may be started at community houses in Evansville or outside the city to provide a local produce supply for activists working with RBEF! and this is definitely something that anyone visiting can support. For more info, email i69supplies@.

Medics

We are currently working on networking with medics to have trainings in Indiana and surrounding regions. In addition to organizing designated medics, we are encouraging all affinity groups to familiarize themselves with relevant emergency first aid practices. It was also suggested that activists and others coming to resist I-69 this spring and summer start cutting down on sugar, nicotine, and caffeine, to encourage the best physical and mental health possible under high-stress situations. Another aspect of the campaign that was discussed was having whole foods and camp kitchens available to encourage health and autonomous food supply. To offer help with medical supply gathering, street medic networking, and other aspects of medic needs for this spring and summer, please email i69medic@.

Legal Support

RBEF!ers are setting up legal know-your-rights trainings to be held in the next two months, and related legal trainings throughout the summer. RBEF!ers are organizing a legal office, with the possibility of legal support to be decentralized through affinity groups. If individuals have specific legal resources (time, money, knowledge etc.) to offer or questions contact i69legal@.

Help from Far Away

Some folks may not be able to come this summer, but would like to support the rest of us nonetheless. The main things those folks can do include bottomlining the following projects in their own areas: literature distribution (lit. available on stopi69.), setting up public speaking gigs for RBEF!ers, fundraising events, benefit shows, skill-sharing camps, touring/outreach, zine creation, radio interviews, care packages, and supply drives. To reach the working groups, email newi69housing@, i69supplies@, i69legal@, i69medic@, or i69media@.

Future of I-69 and Movement Structure

INDOT has been secretive as to their timeline for construction, especially with the rural community directly affected and other groups interested in monitoring their work. RBEF!ers have discovered that demolition work preparing the two-mile site for summer construction work may occur earlier than anticipated (March or April), due to INDOT’s new “fast track construction” policy. Regardless, RBEF! is working on preparing the support necessary for long-term resistance to I-69, both for this season and years to come. Necessary infrastructure is set to be ready to support large influxes of activists by May. For those coming to help work on establishing the support infrastructure before May, temporary housing is available in Evansville for low rent or work-trade (email newi69housing@).

Lastly, another meeting was requested for affinity group representatives to receive more specifics on what to expect this summer. The tentative date set for this closed meeting, termed a “spokescouncil,” was set for the second week of April. RBEF! will release details about the spokescouncil shortly, and contact committed affinity groups to ensure the attendance of a representative. Please check website (stopi69.) and/or email us for more information. RBEF! requests that those forming affinity groups educate themselves on affinity group practices and only form them with individuals they trust.

Lastly, below is the desired timeline that was set at the consulta and agreed upon by RBEF! for the next two months:

March

3rd Week Spokescouncil details announced.

April

2nd Week Spokescouncil

18-20th Earth Day Weekend in Bloomington, Indiana

- Permitted family-friendly March and Rally

- Momentum-building events all weekend

May

Pledge Camp* near Bloomington (for social networking with local anti-I69 activists outside RBEF!, momentum-building, and skill-sharing)

June

Action Camp*

Long-Distance March* from Indianapolis or Bloomington to I-69 construction site near Evansville.

*Tentative; dates not yet set

This consulta served as a planning guide to I-69 resistance in the upcoming season, both for affinity groups and for Roadblock Earth First!. And while RBEF! is currently working on setting up the support networks crucial to facilitating the resistance needed for stopping this facet of global-capitalist infrastructure, without the support of autonomous affinity groups and people like you, our dreams of preserved wilderness and rural sustainability remain out of reach. RBEF! hopes that folks coming to resist I-69 this spring and summer will be able to plug in with local activists fighting to keep this NAFTA superhighway from destroying their land, livelihoods, communities, and natural resources.

RBEF! Wishlist

(Unless otherwise noted, email i69supplies@ for more comprehensive lists or to let us know what you’re sending us).

• Money for legal funds, collective space rent, etc. (email i69legal@ or newi69housing@)

• Food

o Camp-type foods, organic when possible (dried/canned beans, whole grains, nut butters, seeds, dried fruit, soymilk, corn meal, polenta, quinoa, amaranth, olive oil, etc.)

o Plant some extra rows of fresh organic food in your garden for us. Arrange a commitment with a community garden to get some fresh produce donated.

• Medical supplies and herbs (email i69medic@)

o bandages, antiseptics, liquid antacid, squirt bottles (empty “one-use” water bottles are fine), etc.

o Tinctures and Teas (Rescue Remedy, Holy Basil, Black Walnut, Dong Quai, Passionflower, Raspberry Leaf, Uva Ursi, Wood Betony, Yerba Mate, Homeopathic arnica, Comfrey root, Licorice root, Marshmallow root, Slippery elm bark, Burdock, Yellow dock, Dandelion, and Milk thistle, etc.)

• Hardware

o Strong boards, nails, scraps of metal, huge tarps, rope, gravel or sand, pretty much anything will get used.

o Even better, hardware store credit (Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Ace).

o Electrical splitters, extension cords, surge protectors, etc.

• Tools (cordless drills, wrenches, hammers, etc). *Try pawn shops, Grandpa’s old workshops, yard sales, etc.*

• Gas cards - even Wal-mart has gas stations!

• A community vehicle or two… or three or four… Trucks and vans are preferable. Veggie-convertible is great!

• Filtered vegetable oil; the materials to filter used vegetable oil.

• Rock climbing gear (Available at some sporting goods stores; rock climbing facilities will sometimes donate used climb lines).

• Cameras (video and still), editing equipment or software, still photo developing equipment

o CVS makes disposable digital camcorders that record 20 minutes of footage and can be “developed” at home and also reused.

If you have an idea for something to put on this list, please email us at i69supplies@, and we’ll add it. Or just get some friends together and start gathering the materials or practicing the skills to make sure your idea happens!

Email us at roadblockef@ or i69supplies@ if you are gathering materials and want to get stuff to us by 1) making a drop-off in Evansville or Bloomington, or 2) arranging a pick-up in Louisville, Chicago, Indianapolis.

Packages can be sent to us at either address below: Checks and money orders can be sent to:

I-69 Listening Project 1319 Fountain Ave. . Turtle Turn

323 S. Walnut Ave. Evansville, IN 47710 P.O. Box 2161

Bloomington, IN 47401 Evansville, IN 47728

Working Groups

newi69housing@

i69supplies@

i69legal@

i69medic@

i69media@

All other concerns

roadblockef@

stopi69.

Statement on Online Security: Visiting Our Website and Using Email

Roadblock Earth First! recognizes that there is no truly effective way communicate securely online. That being said, there are smart security protocols one can take to impede the efforts of surveillance.

1. Use Tor. Tor is an IP anonymizer that allows you to visit websites more anonymously by scrambling your IP address with others from around the world, making surveillance of projects more difficult by impeding network analysis (who is visiting what website, where they’re from, and when they visit). Normally when you visit online web forums, do research, or even visit an Indymedia article, that information is surveilled to keep track of our movements and raise red flags for further surveillance.



2. If you want to use email encryption (such as PGP) use it all the time not just for things you think might be sketchy to send online. Better yet, recognize any email you send online can somehow be monitored, so if you have something sketchy to say, it’s better to say it in person while taking other security precautions.

Here are some websites that can help you figure out encryption:



help.security

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