No Kings DC Report

On Friday, 10/17, Backbone debuted our not-so-Fab-Four Criminals - the Impeachment Chain Gang. These four bobbleheads were handmade by one of our founding artists and many volunteers on Vashon Island, who make so much possible at Backbone. 

Bill took them out at the Lincoln Memorial for some “community service and beautification”, at a pre-rally to the No Kings event. May they inspire true accountability for the violence and destruction they are inflicting. 

That evening, Louisa, Tayo, and Bill projected near the Capitol, with messages targeted to the military like, Honor Your Oath and We the People are Not Your Enemy.

The next day, the DC team deployed the giant We The People at the rally and march, where they collected hundreds of new signatures on the Preamble.

Chicago Report

A team of 3 traveled from Vashon Island to the beautiful city of Chicago with one of our 3 giant constitutions.

Lucy, dune, and Adria set up the We the People Preamble before the rally and invited folks to sign their name, demonstrating their commitment to “a more perfect union.”  Once the march started, they made their way through 2.5 miles of city blocks, in a crowd of at least 250,000 people - "a phenomenal experience," reported Lucy, Backbone Campaign’s Artful Activism Coordinator.

Seattle Report

The Seattle No Kings rally and march began at the Seattle Center in the shadow of our famed Space Needle. Deputy Director Stacy Carkonen led the deployment.

There were an estimated 70,000 people who took part in the event.

During the rally, hundreds of people signed our iconic We The People prop and we were joined by a group of Artful Activists representing L-ICE Agents, Lady Liberty, Uncle Sam and Donald Trump in chains. Our march began at the Center and ended at the Pike Place Market where our Constitution set back up to greet marchers and get more signatures. It was an incredible day for our democracy. 

Need More Inspiration of folks fighting back?

Check out additional photos on our Flickr site, https://www.flickr.com/photos/backbone_campaign/albums/

Upcoming: De-Escalation Training, hosted by Backbone Campaign

December 4th Lunch & Learn - 12-2 pacific / 3-5 eastern 

• Featuring trainers from Nonviolent Peaceforce and Rivera Sun, Backbone Boardmember, this training - the first in a series - will go over de-escalation, safety measures, and preparedness.

• You and your creative action brigade members will learn practical skills and best practices on how to keep people safe, de-escalate threats of violence, and keep your brigade going strong. This participatory workshop will include practices in Window of Tolerance, OODA Loop, CLARA, and Holistic Check-In as tools to strengthen participants' situational awareness and de-escalation skills. All are welcome!

• Trainers will anchor this conversation in the how and why nonviolent movements are strengthened when we use these skills and practices at our actions

• RSVP: De-escalation Training - Backbone Campaign

We intend to stay in this fight and bring our brand of artful activism to communities near and far. Help strengthen our organizational backbone by becoming a Lumbar Club member today. Club members donate monthly and provide the stable income that we can rely on each month. They truly are the backbone of our organization.