Back to the Roots Road Show

Ashland-based activists spent the week leading up to the Sacramento Mobilization touring through the Pacific Northwest on board the Oxygen Collective's 40-foot biodiesel bus. The O2 crew performed street theatre, music, spoken word and inspirational presentations to crowds in Eugene, Portland, Olympia and Redding. Throughout our tour route we worked to build energy among the resistance movement while educating others along the way about the dangerous consequences of the corporate agenda of agri-business and biotechnology being promoted in Sacramento.

The whirlwind roadshow culminated with our arrival in Sacramento in the hours before dawn on Friday of the weekend of the mobilization. Members of the Pitt River Tribe of Northern California invited us to join them for a sunrise ceremony on the steps of the State Capitol to honor an international day of prayer for indigenous people. Before the sun had risen, undercover officers had already taken note of the anti-WTO banners decorating the sides of the O2 bus, and were taking Polaroid photos of us while spreading the news of our arrival to the authorities.

For the next five days we were under almost constant surveillance and harassment by up to nine different law enforcement agencies. Two helicopters circled us at all times, while uniformed and undercover officers maintained a constant presence on foot, bicycles, motorcycles, horses, police cars, riot cop vans, humvees, and yes, even a shiny blue tank was on hand to intimidate us with a show of force that was so excessive to be ludicrous.

Far from driving us away, the intensity of the police state in Sacramento had the distinct effect of drawing us together as a unified movement. Potential divisions that could have existed between "liberals" and "anarchists", "pagans" and "mainstream protestors" were overshadowed by the blanket oppression experienced by everyone. It was obvious we could not successfully challenge the police with physical force, so we were required to collaborate on creative, often spontaneous actions that continually outmaneuvered the unwieldy apparatus of the police forces.

The most intense moment of direct confrontation occurred during the permitted rally on Monday, when riot police attacked a group of black clad activists sitting peacefully in a circle on the Capitol Lawn. It was clear to witnesses that the attack was totally unprovoked, and the incident incited the crowd into an uproar that ended with masses of people physically "un-arresting" the targeted activists in a skirmish that traumatized many involved. The police fired taser guns indiscriminately and called in hundreds of reinforcements before backing down and retreating. Their withdrawal averted what could well have become a true riot at the State Capitol.

Immediately following this tense standoff, the Pagan cluster initiated a provocative action by covering their bodies in clay to counter the ribbon cutting "ceremony" marking the opening of the Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology. Author and activist/organizer Starhawk, brought a circle together to create a ceremony of our own. Buckets of fine clay mud were brought out, and many of us stepped forward to cover our bodies head to toe, while the crowd around us learned a rhythmic chant of unity and resistance. A circle was cast and an energy was raised that seemed to create a palpable spell around those who took part in this action.

In this atmosphere of tribal togetherness, an unlikely procession danced and sang our way through the streets of downtown Sacramento. Some "Mud People" were totally nude, others almost entirely clothed, all moving in a writhing mass towards the ribbon cutting photo-op taking place a few blocks away. The police and media were mystified by the strange scene, as each mud person was accompanied by three or four more supporters who offered water, gave protection, and helped guide those entranced in their dance towards the path of least resistance.

Eventually the determination of the police to keep us from reaching the Convention Center led them to surround us completely, cutting off all avenues of escape. An intense stand-off ensued, with the cops obviously prepared to arrest us all by force. The mud people fell together in a circle on our knees, continuing to chant and move in unison with our backs to the police. Police liaisons, media spokes people and members of the National Lawyers Guild negotiated with the cops as our legal team was behind the scenes demanding that the Sacramento Police Chief order his field commanders to "stand down". In the end, they did, opening a narrow channel for us to exit. After being herded a dozen blocks back to the activist Welcome Center, many expressed the sentiment that the action had inexplicably been the most powerful part of their experience at the mobilization.

Many other poignant and inspiring actions took place throughout the weekend. Three activists protested genetic engineering by locking their necks together while suspended in harnesses around a four story glass sculpture of the DNA molecule at the Life Sciences Building on campus at UC Davis. A mock action, staged to distract the police and media, occurred nearby at the US Department of Agriculture until the activists were secure in their position and the real action was announced. Supporters of the arrestees engaged students and professors about the work being conducted at UC Davis and its connections with big corporate money. Others held banners, offered interviews to the media and performed street theatre in costumes to passersby.

The experience of the Oxygen Collective and our allies in Sacramento was empowering and sobering. We were led along a steep learning curve as we lived an intensive week as a subversive movement in direct confrontation with an oppressive police state. When the conference was over, it seems certain that every Minister present knew not just that we were there, but why. Perhaps best of all, the overwhelming support we received from locals in the streets of Sacramento was surprising for many. The folks who converged to protest were so colorful and likable, and the police forces assembled to keep us in line were so menacing and overzealous, that bystanders could not help but take sides. Ultimately, this unexpected solidarity from working people going about their business, is auspicious and bodes well for the future of resistance in the United States in years to come.