VIDEO: Nearly 150 Protesters Face Arrest in San Francisco

From the Advocate:

Roughly 150 people blocking the intersection of Grove and Van Ness in San Francisco were asked by police to move or face arrest for civil disobedience. The group has not dispersed and awaits intervention from police who have descended on the scene.

Day of Decision - Are You Prepared to Respond to the Fate of Prop 8?

The tension behind how the CA Supreme Court will rule on Prop 8 is close to being overshadowed by when they will rule, if not more so. Whichever way they do rule, for or against us, we need to be prepared to respond.

The court only has until June 3rd to issue the ruling.

That's not very far away.

Lots of planning has been in the works since a national call for civil disobedience was issued for the day of the ruling. That is, if they rule against us. If the rule for us, the events will still take place, but in celebration and rallying.

But do you know when and where you need to be the day the decision comes down? Let me try and help.

Many actions and events are scheduled for the day of the ruling. Find out where by going to Day of Decision, scroll down and click on your state and city.

You can also go to the national Day of Decision Facebook Group Page.

(For you LA residents, check out DecisionDay.org and the Facebook Los Angeles Day of Decision page. Look into what's happening in East LA too.)

For people of faith, numerous services will be held on the Day of Decision. Be sure to check out the Day of Decision website and look in your area to see where they are being held.

To even further assist people of faith on Decision Day, California Faith For Equality has issued a Day of Decision Resource Kit (PDF) in anticipation of the ruling. The goal of this kit is to provide materials to faith leaders in order to minister to the LGBT community and its supporters, regardless of the Court's ruling. This important resource enables people of faith to alert Californians and the rest of the country that there is plenty of faith-based support for the freedom to marry.

PREPARE IN ADVANCE.

The CA Supreme Court will give only 24 hours notice before the ruling. The following day, you'll be able to watch live on the Supreme Court website as they announce their decision. The moment they hand it down, you better book it, because these Day of Decision events will spring into action at lightning speed.

You'll want to know where you should be well beforehand.

The Saturday AFTER the ruling comes down, win or lose, everyone from all over the state will come together in solidarity in Fresno, CA, in the heart of Yes on 8 territory. Go to Meet in the Middle for more information.

Oh, and watch the video at the top of the blog.

REMINDER: Non-Violent Direct Action Trainings Online

REMINDER: One more non-violent civil disobedience webinar this morning!

Join CA Faith for Equality, Marriage Equality USA and the Religion & Faith Program of the Human Rights Campaign for one of two webinars on non-violent direct action so that you can help train activists in your community in three steps:

1. JOIN a one hour webinar to discuss reasons for, to review a brief history of, and to share methods of non-violent civil disobedience.


Tuesday, March 31st @ 7pm or Thursday, April 2nd @ 10am

Each call is limited to 250 phone lines. You MUST RSVP to Leticia at leticia@cafaithforequality.org to reserve a line. To make sure as many people can participate as possible, join the presentation with a friend or fellow organizer on the same phone line. Upon RSVP, you will receive the participation link and instructions.

2. DOWNLOAD the presentation during the webinar (Powerpoint).

3. SHARE the presentation with fellow activists in your community. CA Faith for Equality can support your planning process, and answer any questions about the presentation or its facilitation.

For more information visit www.cafaithforequality.org or call
(310) 598-5866.

National Call for Civil Disobedience Issued

In response to the growing equality movement in California and across the country, community organizers are issuing a call for the use of nonviolent civil disobedience to further the cause. This call comes at a time when the equality movement is energized surrounding the upcoming California Supreme Court decision on the validity of Proposition 8.

The call to action, led by national groups Soulforce and Join the Impact, states “We are tired of agonizing political setbacks, token change, defending ourselves against charges of moral inferiority, and being told to 'wait' in the land we love while liberation occurs in other countries.”

To assist in educating the public on nonviolent civil disobedience, the website nonviolence4equality.org has been created and is launching today. On the website, community members can learn about the history and philosophy of nonviolent civil disobedience, sign the call to action, and connect with others locally who are interested in organizing nonviolent civil disobedience.

“Today, we affirm that nonviolent strategies such as marches, vigils, demonstrations, public protests, and civil disobedience seek to create what Dr. King called 'healthy tension',” the call to action reads. The call has been signed already by several community leaders, including Cleve Jones, who is the founder of the NAMES/AIDS Memorial Quilt, and was a historical consultant on the Academy Award winning film MILK.

The call specifically promotes nonviolent tactics. "As we resist injustice, we must avoid violence of the fist, tongue, and heart,” it reads. Community leaders are urged to sign the call to action at nonviolence4equality.org and to begin training in their own communities immediately. For questions pertaining to nonviolence4equality.org, please contact N4E@soulforce.org.