Direct action

Direct action is a form of protesting / civil resistance characterized by actions that place pressure on those in positions of power to respond to fulfill a set of demands; die-ins, strikes, sit-ins, blockades, vigils, boycotts, teach-ins, lobbying, etc. - George Lakey & the Global Nonviolent Action Database, adapted by Michelle Xie

"Direct action is a category of activism in which participants act directly, ignoring established (or institutionalized) political and social procedure." -The Direct Action Movement

Examples of direct actions

Direct actions may sometimes fall into a form of civil disobedience, which may involve a degree of intentional law-breaking where persons place themselves in arrestable situations  to make a political statement. Direct action can be nonviolent and/or violent. Examples of direct action are strikes, boycotts, blockades, tree-sits, obtaining secret footage, property damage, etc. Individuals participating may have different forms of what is considered 'violent' vs 'nonviolent'. Direct action has historically been an effective tactic employed by social movements (i.e. the Civil rights movement, LGBTQIAS+ right movement etc).

Specific examples of direct action held in so-called Canada:

Adrienne Maree Brown	"I tend to think of abolition as one result of transformative justice: abolition is the end of prisons; transformative justice is the methods people use to uproot injustice patterns in communities. I tend to think of abolition as a totality, and I think that can be tricky. People set out to abolish slavery and we ended up with the prison industrial complex because while there were surface and policy level shifts, the culture did not shift. That deep underlying racism and classism remains and is now roaring to the surface as we write this. So, while I identify as an abolitionist, I find speaking about the iterative tangible work of transformative justice makes more sense to me now–I don’t simply want the prisons gone, I want a radically different way of interacting with each other to grow."
Mia Mingus	"I understand abolition to be a necessary part of transformative justice because prisons, and the PIC, are major sites of individual and collective violence, abuse, and trauma. However, transformative justice is and must also be a critical part of abolition work because we will need to build alternatives to how we respond to harm, violence, and abuse. Just because we shut down prisons, does not mean that these will stop. Transformative justice has roots in abolition work and is an abolitionist framework, but goes beyond abolishing prisons (and slavery) and asks us to end–and transform the conditions that perpetuate–generational cycles of violence such as rape, sexual assault, child abuse, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, intimate partner abuse, war, genocide, poverty, human trafficking, police brutality, murder, stalking, sexual harassment, all systems of oppression, dangerous societal norms, and trauma."
Amanda Aguilar Shank	Interpersonal harm is inevitable. Abolition imagines that "each moment where harm happens is an opportunity to transform relationships and communities, build trust and safety, and grow slowly toward the beautiful people we are meant to be, in the world we deserve."

The Fairy Creek blockades to protect the old growth trees in so-called British Columbia, on Pacheedaht Nation territory.

Student sit-ins, whether in university centres, board member's offices, meeting spaces etc., to pressure their universities to divest from fossil fuels.

Human or structural blockades between police and houseless people in encampments, to protest the encampment eviction, lack of shelter space and housing for all.

For those unable to engage in direct action, support is critical for the success of those that participate in direct action. Support can look like fundraising, technical support, media engagement, social media presence, upskilling and so much more. 

If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.

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