Blockade of government agencies

[burnthebeautiful]

Here in Sweden unions are very powerful; Only a small percentage point of businesses aren't unionized. Some of the more "radical" unions use a method that I find quite interesting: If a business breaks their contract with the union, union members physically block the entrance of the business by forming a human chain. Sometimes they'll do other kinds of blockades as well, like physically hinder garbage trucks from arriving and picking up trash. Anything to make the life of the business owner hell, until the business owner eventually breaks down and either shuts down his business or agrees to do whatever the union is demanding. The legality of this is disputed, different court cases say different things. Unions claim it's legal, police often say otherwise and physically break up these human chain blockades with force.

I don't support forming these kinds of blockades against private businesses, but I think it might be something interesting for liberty activists to do against government offices. For instance, a group of liberty activists could form a human chain blockade against an IRS office just before opening time, and physically hinder employees from entering. The blockade/protest wouldn't have to last that long.

The downside is that the blockade could easily mess with regular peoples business. People might need to enter the government place to do whatever thing the government is trying to make them do, and maybe they could get into trouble, or at least get mad, at being hindered from going about their business. I'm sure someone could come up with an appropriate government agency to choose for the blockade, I'm having trouble coming up with one on the fly.

Anyway it's just an idea I had and I thought I'd throw it out there. What do you guys think?

[Kat Kanning]

Sounds good.  Would definitely get you arrested.

[burnthebeautiful]

Here's a video of Swedish union members holding a blockade against a city office for firing two union members. I can't remember why the union members were fired. Police get violent and start breaking up the blockade about 4 minutes in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK9qI2AQZbw

[David]

I am a fan of this approach, though I have not done it.  I very strongly considered blocking the cop car that was transporting Andrew after his pot arrest.  I backed off, but not quickly. 

[burnthebeautiful]

I heard on the FTL interview with Andrew Carrol that some people were considering surrounding Andrew and locking arms to stop him getting arrested, which I think is a brilliant "twist" on the blockade concept. Might get you arrested for obstruction of justice.

[David]

If I'm going to blockade something for an ethical reason, it is NOT going to be by locking my arms with others in unison as a show of solidarity.

If you do something that involves possible risk of jail, then you either commit to it all the way, else you don't do it.

What Would you do?  How do you commit all the way?

Otherwise the goal isn't really what is being purported.   It simply becomes an exercise to assuage ones conscience while not risking too
much of oneself, and its to show off to others to prove a point. 

I would hope no one here gets arrested to 'show off'.  But you are accidentally right about 'assuaging ones conscience'.  Human beings can only take so much frustration and oppression from out police masters.  Nonviolent civ dis gives one the ability to focus their aggression on positive means.  It provides a release without escalating the violence.    Further, by having them done in public, and on cameras, we do it on out terms, not the polices.  It doesn't matter what they say, they do not like being on camera. 

If I wanted to "prove a point," I can write an article about it... which would not get me arrested.  If I'm going to take these kinds of actions (such as preventing a friend from being hauled off by the cops if I know its a bogus charge), I'm not going to be nice about it and be a punching bag for cops, because I am absolutely opposed to the idea that the good guy is obligated to take a beating for doing what is right.  It won't be me who is the punching bag that gets beat down (well, maybe it would be... but not on purpose, I mean).

Oh, an article, how original.  It has only been done a thousand times over.
Your not going to be 'nice' about it.  It won't be you that is the punching bag?  Great fantasy.  It worked well for Waco, Ruby Ridge, MOVE, Carl Drega, (he got some cops and a judge, but he also didn't live to see the fruit of his labor) Ed Brown, or any one else who is not 'nice' and who is not a 'punching bag' for the cops. 

You don not say what not being 'nice' means, but what you are suggesting is a non solution.  It is a solution that almost never gets used because it is so serious.  It is suicide by another name.  Cops feel entitled to do violence in the course of their 'job' and will become violent when they feel threatened. 

Nonviolent civ dis is heads and shoulders above passive compliance that is done by a vast majority of the population, and by the gun cleaners.  It provides a fantastic means to alleviate the frustration felt by those doing it, it is inspirational to those that feel as we do, but are not confident enough to do it, and it reduces the likelyhood of a cycle of violence beyond the occasional police aggression of the arrests.  As an added bonus, it wastes police time as they 'secure the lawbreakers'.

[David]

I don't pretend to change any law, I would like to change enforcement.  If law enforcement doesn't enforce law, it really doesn't matter what the law is.  That is true of every law you cite. 

[Coconut]

I heard on the FTL interview with Andrew Carrol that some people were considering surrounding Andrew and locking arms to stop him getting arrested, which I think is a brilliant "twist" on the blockade concept. Might get you arrested for obstruction of justice.

If Andrew didn't want to be arrested, he could have avoided being arrested. And I don't mean by not protesting; I mean after the cops are spotted. He wanted to be arrested, and wouldn't have wanted people to help him resist arrest.

[Toadstool]

That dogg in vid scares the shit outta me.