ACROSS THE LINES · vol. 1, issue 1 · November 1988

Peace Army Begins
continued from page 3

Taking this lynch pin military strategy as its first target, the Peace Army is an extension of past nonviolent peace movements. Drawing on the tactics of peace marches, peace encampments, direct action campaigns, and plowshares actions, the affinity groups of the Peace Army will focus on one or more facilities that are weak links in the first strike infrastructure.

The campaign will begin with a preparation and training period starting September 1, 1989. There Peace Army participants will share the skills of building and sustaining a powerful community of resistance: consensus process, food preparation, backcountry tactics, etc., etc. When the preparations are done, the Peace Army will go to the facility chosen as the location for our first actions.

There, they will set up the community necessary to sustain the Army. And affinity groups will plan and execute nonviolent actions to both symbolically and directly challenge weapons development--blockades, neighborhood outreach, backcountry occupations, postering, and direct disarmament (plowshares) are among the scenarios they might choose. The community will no doubt be

The structure and process of the Peace Army will be based on the affinity group. Affinity groups are small (5-20 people) groups of people brought together for the purpose of resistance. Army-wide decisions will be made by affinity groups via a council of spokespeople, while the groups will act autonomously or in small clusters to plan and execute actions.

Surrounding the affinity groups of the Peace Army will be a larger circle of supporters in different places around the country. These supporters will provide much of the money, media contact, and other help that the Peace Army will need, while planning demonstrations and actions in solidarity with the Peace Army.

Raising a Peace Army

Right now, activists are faced with the task of raising the Peace Army. The First Strike Prevention Project (in Santa Cruz, CA) has gathered the names of some 200 people around the country and the world who want to work on the Peace Army. Several groups (including Seeds of Peace and the Mobilization for Survival) have lent their endorsement to the Peace Army. And the initial meetings to determine the approach and timeline for organizing the Peace Army have been held.

The next step in this ambitious program is to identify local organizers in regions all across the country. Together, they will work to spread the word about the Peace Army, form the affinity groups that will make it up, and (of course) find the financial and personal support necessary for such a task.

Local organizers will come together on President's Day weekend in February, 1989, to share skills and report on their progress. At that meeting they will also set the agenda for the first Peace Army spokes council (for the Peace Army affinity groups), which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 5-6, immediately before APT's Reclaim the Test Site II action.

If you are interested in becoming a member, supporter, or organizer of the Peace Army, please write to: First Strike Prevention Project, Box 7061, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, or call (408) 427-0322. For potential organizers, FSPP can send outreach materials and help to coordinate speaking events and Peace Army preparations in your area.