ORGANIZE! Build the National Network Against Drones

We had a great network-building session at the 2013 CODEPINK Drone Summit "Drones Around the Globe: Proliferation and Resistance" (Nov 16/17).

To join the US national network against drones go to the opt-in page for the Network to Stop Drone Surveillance and Warfare (NSDSW). We plan a comprehensive email blast around December 20, and we want to make sure you're on our list!

MOREOVER . . . in our time together in DC, we strengthened our ability to support each other in our common endeavors, particularly:

(1) protests against existing and planned drone bases and command centers
(2) college and university outreach
(3) high school education
(4) organizing in communities with drone manufacturing
(5) press outreach
(6) online tools

. . . as well as other areas.

SO . . . please give some thought to two questions:

* do you have expertise, experience, resources specific to one (or more) of those 6 areas mentioned?

* would you be willing to commit time to an ongoing effort to share expertise, experience, resources specific to one (or more) of those 6 areas mentioned?

Planning will begin soon for spring protests (April Days of Action Against Drones 2014)!

Thank you and best regards,

Peter Lems, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
Nick Mottern, KnowDrones
Joe Scarry, No Drones Network


Related posts

Five big realizations I'm taking away from the 2013 CODEPINK Drone Summit "Drones Around the Globe: Proliferation and Resistance" in Washington, DC.

(See The 2013 DC Drones Conference: 5 Big Takeaways )

The biggest idea coming out of the 2013 Drone Summit? We will only deal successfully with the crimes being committed using drones when we understand them as part of the much larger war against communities of color . . . .

(See Drone Gaze, Drone Injury: The War on Communities of Color )

Many of us who weren't in Pakistan to participate in the massive rally against U.S. drone strikes participated in this protest by holding rallies where we were (for instance, in London), or by participating virtually via the #PakistanAgainstDrones campaign on Twitter.

(See What Would a Global Movement to Ground the Drones Look Like?)

Organizing Resistance to Drones at High Schools, Colleges, and Universities

This group focusing on organizing to do work at high schools, colleges, and universities as part of the resistance to drone warfare and surveillance met Sunday, November 17, 2013, in Washington, D.C.  It was a breakout session of the network-building workshop at the CODEPINK drones summit.

Below are general notes.  Next steps are being planned.  Please email Leila Zand at Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) lzand@forusa.org to be part of this group.  (Also: if you have not already done so, please also provide your information at the opt-in page for the Network to Stop Drone Surveillance and Warfare (NSDSW).)

November 17, 2013, Meeting - Quick Summary

There were a little more than 30 people in our group.  We all shared:  

1. Frustration 
2. All are ready to be more involved with actions 

Groups believe we need to reach out to students in high schools and colleges with various strategies and plans, including:

1. Drone Replica 
2. Street theater 
3. Music country tour 
4. Alternative job suggestion 
5. $ spends for drone building, research and student education
6. Alternate spending of $ for peaceful projects
7. Competitions for students on writing essays and making short films
8. Connecting with teachers and professors already are working with students
9. Creating 10 minutes document, to be shared with schools

Related posts

Preliminary research into University and Academic UAV programs indicates that a research centers are operating in dozens of locations.

(See List of U.S. Drone Research Sites)

Did you know there is an online resource FULL of materials to use in organizing your local activism against drones?

(See Organizer Manual on the NSDSW wiki)






What are some of the forms that campus activism might take? Since Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has a contract to do drone research, the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR], on May 1, sent a letter to Ronald J. Daniels, JHU president, and Dr. Ralph Semmel, director of the APL, seeking a meeting . . . .

(See Anti-Killer Drone Activists Seek Meeting with Johns Hopkins University President )

Online Tools, Resources, and Platforms Supporting the Movement to Stop Drone Warfare and Surveillance

We had a great network-building session at the 2013 CODEPINK Drone Summit "Drones Around the Globe: Proliferation and Resistance" (Nov 16/17). A group is forming to expand the available online tools, resources, and platforms for supporting the movement to stop drone warfare and surveillance.

Below is a quick guide to some existing tools.

State-by-state Groups and Corresponding Websites

There are active groups in most states working on the drone issue.  Many maintain one or more website specific to their work on drones; a number of sites have also been set up with the assistance of the No Drones Network to give as much visibility as possible to the work of these groups. Find a group near you by consulting the state-by-state list and getting involved!


E-mail Blasts

We are working toward having a good list of people participating in these efforts nationwide. Please add your name to the list by going to the opt-in page for the Network to Stop Drone Surveillance and Warfare (NSDSW).


Social Media, News Groups, List-serves and Forums

There is a Facebook group for people at the grass-roots working to stop drones: STOP! the Drone Killing Grassroots Coalition

There is a large community that tweets about drones using the #drones and #nodrones hashtags. We have begun a list of the most responsive tweeters/retweeters: twitter.com/NoDronesNetwork/lists/nodrones

CODEPINK curates a news list on the Global Drones Watch website.

There are several listserves.  For instance, to subscribe/unsubscribe, go to https://lists.riseup.net/www/sigrequest/nodrones - if you are having trouble, please just email nodronesinfo@gmail.com

In addition, there is discussion of developing an online forum dedicated to the work of the no-drones movement.


NSDSW Wiki

The newest project of the NSDSW is a wiki to allow the broadest possible participation by people in the drone opposition movement in assembling and sharing resources.

View the main NSDSWiki page.

View a full list of NSDSW Participating Organizations.

View the Organizing Manual Project.

View the latest NSDSW Events.

To add or edit content on the wiki, establish an account (see upper right hand corner of the wiki) and start editing. (Some pages of the wiki may have limited editing access.)


To get involved working with others to develop/improve these and/or other aspects of the online tools, resources, and platforms for supporting the movement to stop drone warfare and surveillance, please email Joe Scarry jtscarry@yahoo.com.