Students for a Democratic Society

1. Anarchism/Activists 2. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) 1960-1969; Activist Beginnings 3. Ties to Anarchism; Weather Underground 4. The New SDS
Across the Age Barrier

5. Northwest SDS 6. Tacoma/Olympia SDS 7. Local SDS Activity 8. Is there a Criminal Nexus on the part of the SDS?

Students for a Democratic Society

Anarchism/Activists
Anarchy (Anarchists) and Activism (Activists) have been used interchangeably for years. Depending on the definition that you prefer, they could be one in the same, one a subset of the other, or two totally different meanings. Anarchism is generally defined as a political philosophy or group of doctrines and attitudes centered on rejection of any form of compulsory government (ie"state") and supporting its elimination. The term "anarchism" is derived from the Greek ("without archons" or "without rulers"). Thus "anarchism", in its most general meaning, is the belief that all forms of rulership are undesirable and should be abolished. There are a variety of types and traditions of anarchism with various points of difference. However, the varieties are not particularly well characterized and not all of them are mutually exclusive. Other than the description above, there is no single defining position that all anarchists hold, and those considered anarchists at best share a certain resemblance. Activism, on the other hand, is described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. This action is in support of, or opposition to, one side of an often controversial argument. While anarchists and activists tactics may indeed be similar, their overall goals usually differ.

Bottomline: Bottomline: Anarchism = overthrough and abolish existing government. Anarchism = overthrough and abolish existing government. Activism = Policy change Activism = Policy change

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) 1960-1969; Activist Beginnings

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was the main organizational expression of the campusbased radical movement known as the New Left in the 1960s. An almost waning organization of about three hundred students at the start of the decade, it grew to the point where probably well over fifty thousand people took part in the activities of local SDS chapters in 19681969. SDS originated as the student department of the League for Industrial Democracy, a mildly social-democratic educational service. In the 1950s, under the name Student League for Industrial Democracy, the campus affiliate consisted of a dwindling number of campus discussion groups. When sit-ins at segregated lunch counters revived student political activism in the South in 1960, SDS began to orient toward the new movement. Gradually, a core of articulate student

leaders emerged who were interested in such issues as civil rights and nuclear disarmament and in the relations between them. Under the leadership of Tom Hayden and Al
Haber of the University of Michigan, SDS in 1962 issued the "Port Huron Statement," a sixtyfour page document that proclaimed independence from traditional radical and liberal formulas. The statement became a manifesto for student activists of the New Left.

SDS's own membership grew slowly until the escalation of American military intervention in Vietnam in 1965. SDS sponsored a march on Washington in April 1965, the first national demonstration against the war, which drew upward of twenty thousand mostly young people. From then on, SDS grew rapidly, although it ceased playing a leading role in the antiwar movement. The organization became progressively more radical in the late 1960s, cutting its ties to the League for Industrial Democracy in 1965. At the same time, SDS members began turning their attention to large problems within American society. Several women who held the first national SDS "women's meeting" in 1965 later became key figures in the feminist movement of the 1970s. Civil rights leaders began turning toward "black power," which influenced SDS members. By the end of the decade, SDS at the national level was an declared revolutionary organization. Its influence within the student movement came largely through its insistence that the alienation felt by many young people had its roots in the same social system that carried on the Vietnam War and oppressed racial minorities in the United States. At many schools, notably at Columbia University in 1968 and Harvard University in 1969, SDS chapters led disruptive protests against university ties with the military and other issues. The momentum of protests in the late 1960s caused many in SDS to believe that a social revolution was not far away, and this feeling, in turn, exacerbated factional divisions. SDS split into two groups at its annual convention in June 1969. One group, led by members of the Progressive Labor Party, advocated a worker-student alliance, while the other group, led in part by people who later formed the "Weather Underground," placed their main emphasis on support for Third World and black revolutionaries. The former group still existed under the name SDS in 1974, but its following was only a tiny fraction of that commanded by SDS in the late 1960s.

Ties to Anarchism; Weather Underground

Weatherman, known colloquially as the Weathermen and later the Weather Underground Organization, was a U.S. Radical Left organization consisting of splintered-off members and leaders of the Students for a Democratic Society. The group referred to itself as a revolutionary organization of women and men whose purpose was to carry out a series of attacks that would achieve the revolutionary overthrow of the Government of the United States. Their attacks were mostly bombings of government buildings, executed after calling in bomb-threats and making sure their target buildings were evacuated. The Weathermen imploded shortly after the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam in 1973, which saw the general demise of the New Left, of which Weatherman had been a part. Early on, the Weathermen were part of the Revolutionary Youth Movement (RYM) within the Students for a Democratic Society. When they split first from the RYM's Maoists and then from SDS itself they distinguished themselves from other self-proclaimed revolutionary groups by claiming that there was no time to build a vanguard party and that revolutionary war against the United States and the capitalist system should begin immediately. To that end, they carried out a campaign of bombings, jailbreaks, and riots.

The New SDS

Beginning in late 2005, a movement to revive the SDS took shape. A small group of SDS veterans (Robert Alan Haber, Tom Good, Paul Buhle)

had joined with high school students, Jessica Rapchick and Pat Korte, to call for a new formation of SDS in order to build a multi-issue organization that could re-envision a student movement in the United States. Several chapters at various colleges were subsequently formed. On Martin Luther King Day of 2006, these chapters banded together to issue a press release that stated their intentions to reform the national SDS organization.

Across the Age Barrier

One of the first, most unique features that one notices about the new SDS is its intergenerational character. In every SDS gathering, amidst the students and youth you will find a healthy representation of "first-generation SDSers," friendly people who insist they are not trying to guide or lead the new organization, but are present to provide help and experience whenever necessary. In fact, SDS is organized into two distinct components, the student and youth component, Students for a Democratic Society, and MDS, or Movement for a Democratic Society, which is a vehicle for original SDS members and other non-students. The two groups appear to coexist harmoniously, as the older folks, while providing much-needed financial aid and some lengthy motivational speeches, seemed content to spend most of their time manning tables at conventions and occasionally leading panel discussions, while largely allowing the younger members to be the loudest and most decisive voices. Save a few examples, most members, young and old alike, viewed the intergenerational nature of SDS as a strength.

Northwest SDS
The Northwest SDS, located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, is a network of individuals organizing as part of the rapidly growing movement Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Currently, only Reed and Lewis & Clark Colleges have organized SDS chapters in Oregon. In Washington, chapters meet at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, and Western Washington University in Bellingham. The five chapters are small, collectively drawing at least 100 active members. More than 60 showed up for a regional SDS meeting at Reed and Lewis & Clark in November, 2006. The new SDS chapters, unlike the old, have no elected leaders. They include a diverse group of left-wingers, including Marxists and anarchists, says Mary Sackley, 21, an SDS member and a junior at Lewis & Clark. The new SDS members say they are committed to non-violence but also to action, even if it requires civil disobedience. It has a broader agenda beyond Iraq war that includes

protesting "American imperialism" and other root causes of war, human rights violations and environmental degradation.

Tacoma/Olympia SDS
The SDS idea was conceived at the end of the fall of 2005 semester when chemistry professor Steven Neshyba formed an online listserv and sent an invitation to all faculty and staff, asking those who self-identified as progressive to join the list

Tacoma SDS website states: Students for a Democratic Society, the radical student movement has re-formed as of January. Here in Tacoma students are trying to address the same issues that students of the 60s attempted to resolve. These issues include environmental destruction, militarism, consumerism, racism, and economic segregation. Students at UPS and friends have just started a Tacoma SDS. We have a website linked to the national SDS site. Finally we have a Tacoma listserv. You can sign up for it through the national SDS site. Right now we are working on meeting other people in the South Sound area- especially students from Evergreen and U of W. Please sign up for the listserv and visit the website. It will make it a lot easier to keep in contact to work on various actions. Tacoma SDS is not limited to students but open to faculty, staff, and community members.

Local SDS Activity

On October 5th, 2006, a small contingent of Tacoma and Olympia SDSers and anticapitalists converged at the World Cant Wait rally in Seattle, Washington at Cal Anderson Park. Three were charged with obstructing, resisting arrest, and assault when one member attempted to seize the weapon of a police officer during a confrontation.

May, 2006 Members from Tacoma SDS and Olympia SDS in solidarity with many community groups have taken direct action to stop the shipment of Stryker vehicles at the Port of Olympia. Four Tacoma SDSers and over 30 Olympia SDSers have taken part in the actions throughout the week. Several have dropped out of school momentarily to monitor the port, partake in meetings, plan civil disobedience and direct action, educate the community and revitalize the local anti-imperialist movement to confront the military.

SDS offers a model for organizing political action for a new generation in a new century, says Matt Wasserman, 21, a senior SDS member at Reed. "Going to a march once a year is not necessarily going to make any difference," he says. "I want SDS to be part of stopping this war." Even if it means confronting police.

March 2007:

Nonviolent Direct Action/Civil Resistance Training. Sponsored by SDS Olympia. Drew Hendricks Olympia Copwatch organizer, organized training Tacoma SDS sponsored Non-violent Civil Disobedience Training at UPS. From: Facilitator@tacomasds.org:

- An attack on one SDS chapter is an attack on all - Resolved we support all efforts to stop the shipment of war supplies to Iraq, Afghanistan, or around the world. Guy Dobyns Lewis & Clark SDS offering support to Tacoma/Olympia SDS: -The majority of people coming up arent planning on doing any CD, but a couple of us are, and those that are will come prepared.

Andrew Moll Tacoma SDS comments: - As far as our (SDS) focus right now, I think its the same it has been all along: fighting and resisting the militarization of the Port of Tacoma.

Wes Hamilton, Olympia VFP, (arrested at POT) offering support to Larry Hildes (possibly SDS): - I would be very willing to join with anyone from PMR. I bring my own experience from the military, and 35 years of activism, including lots of demonstrations and actions, both so peaceful.

peaceful and not-

Tacoma SDS: POT Follow-up. Mike Segawa VP for Student Affairs and Dean of Students- : -I am inviting you to a meeting to begin the process of creating the programs that would best serve our learning community when it comes to issues such as Civil Engagement and Disobedience

NWSDS released message: - SDS marched as a Black Bloc in DC outside the capital, trying to enter the pentagon towell, fuck shit up I would hope.

Bay Area SDS/MDS communicating with SDS chapters nationwide: - Blockaded, occupied and closed down the main entrance to Chevrons World HQ in San Ramon, CA. We used lock boxes and oil drums and other gear.

some

Tacoma SDS Meeting: Proposal SDS organize Copwatch training - Passed

14 April 2007 Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Training possibly at PLU Portland SDS Meeting Minutes: What about the Black Bloc? - Discussed the basic concept of Black Bloc tactics - Concerns were raised over best way to harness the energy of Black Bloc participants in more constructive and planned ways. - SDS should organize own contingent, plan direct actions if wanted, and allow space for support to come from other radicals. - Concerns were raised that direct action ought to target specific institutions, not simply happen for the sake of gaining publicity.

May 2006:

"We had our first meeting and 15 people showed up. A week later we were blocking military convoys. The week after that we were spending time in jail with each other." -Olympia SDSer Caleb *Ten of the twenty-two resisters arrested that night were SDS members

Is there a Criminal Nexus on the part of the SDS?

The new SDS is an activist organization marked by the prevalence of potential anarchists. First, although anarchisms effectiveness in revolutionary situations is woefully inadequate, it is certainly no barrier to effective participation in struggles for justice. Indeed, anarchists have historically been among the most militant and dedicated fighters for social change. Second, many of the potential anarchists in SDS tarnish the political label, as their often childish antics bear little resemblance to the serious commitment many anarchists have maintained to working class struggle. The brand of anarchism purveyed by some in the new SDS substitutes shock-value and tantrums for political analysis and serious organizing. Instead of principled debate with those on the left with whom they disagree, SDS responds with Fuck ________ (insert object of denigration), as in Fuck the WTO, and Fuck Shit Up.

With that said, its a documented fact that SDS members, and in certain cases the SDS as an organization, has been involved and sponsored activities which encourage civil disobedience to include black bloc tactics. The SDS goes out of its way to announce that these tactics are to be non-violent, however, in practice their tactics and actions have proven to differ. Additionally, some within the movement argue that peaceful and lawful civil disobedience had been totally ineffective in creating change, and therefore, it would be necessary to resort to escalated unlawful actions in order to deliver the message effectively.