Monthly Sessions

Thursday, February 19, 2026

5-7pm Pacific/ 7-9 pm Central/ 8-10pm Eastern 

w/ Backbone Staff and Rivera Sun (Board Member, nationwide trainer)

These sessions will build upon the training by Nonviolent Peaceforce in Situational Awareness, De-escalation, CLARA, OODA Loop, and other skills. 

We seek to build critical skills to help local action groups de-escalate and safely navigate these situations while upholding nonviolent discipline.

In these participatory virtual workshops, we’ll work through a wide range of situations to come up with plans for how to prevent, de-escalate, or respond. 

Know when - and how - to:

• Hold your ground
• Make a strategic retreat
• Diffuse tensions
• Keep people safe
• Take a calculated risk
• Vary tactics and location
• Train together in de-escalation skills
• Have an emergency response signal

We will address situations like:

• Hecklers walking up to you on the overpass
• Cars driving slowly and drivers shouting at you
• Militia members showing up and making threats
• A scuffle breaking out
• A shouting match erupting
• Someone tearing down your banner
• …. and more.

Bring your wisdom and experience. Bring your questions and concerns. Bring your courage and commitment. Together, we can be ready for anything.

Monthly Sessions

Thursday, March 19, 2026

5-7pm Pacific/ 7-9 pm Central/ 8-10pm Eastern 

w/ Backbone Staff and Rivera Sun (Board Member, nationwide trainer)

These sessions will build upon the training by Nonviolent Peaceforce in Situational Awareness, De-escalation, CLARA, OODA Loop, and other skills. 

We seek to build critical skills to help local action groups de-escalate and safely navigate these situations while upholding nonviolent discipline.

In these participatory virtual workshops, we’ll work through a wide range of situations to come up with plans for how to prevent, de-escalate, or respond. 

Know when - and how - to:

• Hold your ground
• Make a strategic retreat
• Diffuse tensions
• Keep people safe
• Take a calculated risk
• Vary tactics and location
• Train together in de-escalation skills
• Have an emergency response signal

We will address situations like:

• Hecklers walking up to you on the overpass
• Cars driving slowly and drivers shouting at you
• Militia members showing up and making threats
• A scuffle breaking out
• A shouting match erupting
• Someone tearing down your banner
• …. and more.

Bring your wisdom and experience. Bring your questions and concerns. Bring your courage and commitment. Together, we can be ready for anything.

Monthly Sessions

Thursday, December 11, 2025

5-7pm Pacific/ 7-9 pm Central/ 8-10pm Eastern 

w/ Backbone Staff and Rivera Sun (Board Member, nationwide trainer)

These sessions will build upon the training by Nonviolent Peaceforce in Situational Awareness, De-escalation, CLARA, OODA Loop, and other skills. 

We seek to build critical skills to help local action groups de-escalate and safely navigate these situations while upholding nonviolent discipline.

In these participatory virtual workshops, we’ll work through a wide range of situations to come up with plans for how to prevent, de-escalate, or respond. 

Know when - and how - to:

• Hold your ground
• Make a strategic retreat
• Diffuse tensions
• Keep people safe
• Take a calculated risk
• Vary tactics and location
• Train together in de-escalation skills
• Have an emergency response signal

We will address situations like:

• Hecklers walking up to you on the overpass
• Cars driving slowly and drivers shouting at you
• Militia members showing up and making threats
• A scuffle breaking out
• A shouting match erupting
• Someone tearing down your banner
• …. and more.

Bring your wisdom and experience. Bring your questions and concerns. Bring your courage and commitment. Together, we can be ready for anything.

Monthly Sessions

Thursday, January 22, 2026

5-7pm Pacific/ 7-9 pm Central/ 8-10pm Eastern 

w/ Backbone Staff and Rivera Sun (Board Member, nationwide trainer)

These sessions will build upon the training by Nonviolent Peaceforce in Situational Awareness, De-escalation, CLARA, OODA Loop, and other skills. 

We seek to build critical skills to help local action groups de-escalate and safely navigate these situations while upholding nonviolent discipline.

In these participatory virtual workshops, we’ll work through a wide range of situations to come up with plans for how to prevent, de-escalate, or respond. 

Know when - and how - to:

• Hold your ground
• Make a strategic retreat
• Diffuse tensions
• Keep people safe
• Take a calculated risk
• Vary tactics and location
• Train together in de-escalation skills
• Have an emergency response signal

We will address situations like:

• Hecklers walking up to you on the overpass
• Cars driving slowly and drivers shouting at you
• Militia members showing up and making threats
• A scuffle breaking out
• A shouting match erupting
• Someone tearing down your banner
• …. and more.

Bring your wisdom and experience. Bring your questions and concerns. Bring your courage and commitment. Together, we can be ready for anything.

Presented by Nonviolent Peaceforce and Rivera Sun, Backbone Board Member, author, activist and nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent change. 

Join Backbone Campaign for the first in a series of trainings on de-escalation, safety measures, and preparedness. You and your 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 in include practices in Window of Tolerance, OODA Loop, CLARA, and Holistic Check-In as tools to strengthen participants Situational Awareness and De-escalation skills. We will also briefly anchor this conversation in the how and why nonviolent movements are strengthened when we use these skills and practices at our actions. 

 Training Begins at 12pm Pacific | 2pm Central | 3pm Eastern

Building on multiple successful banner actions, Backbone is growing our overpass bannering by adding people and locations. Volunteers are building additional banners so we can increase the number of squads and locations for deployment. 

Impatient for the next big protest? Olympia Visibility Brigade is too! Join them weekly to make good trouble!

 They deploy each weekend on overpasses in the Olympia-Tumwater-Lacey Area. They also deploy on Monday during evening rush hour. They support Capitol protests when possible. 

Bring your high-viz signs, flags, fun costumes, a good mood, and be tolerant of terrible dancing. Introverts welcome!

Send an email to [email protected] if you live elsewhere and would like to organize or be part of a bannering squad in your area. 

We do encourage anyone and everyone who is going to attend to RSVP. If there is inclement weather and the decision is made to put everyone's safety first, we need a method to contact everyone. We will contact via text and/or email with cancellations, but will need your contact info to do so! 

Building on multiple successful banner actions, Backbone is growing our overpass bannering by adding people and locations. Volunteers are building additional banners so we can increase the number of squads and locations for deployment. 

Can you help deploy a banner in the Seattle area Thursday morning at the Yesler & I-5 overpass 8-9 AM?

RSVP below if you can help out. 

Send an email to [email protected] if you live elsewhere and would like to organize or be part of a bannering squad in your area. 

We do encourage anyone and everyone who is going to attend to RSVP. If there is inclement weather and the decision is made to put everyone's safety first, we need a method to contact everyone. We will contact via text and/or email with cancellations, but will need your contact info to do so! 

Building on multiple successful banner actions, Backbone is growing our overpass bannering by adding people and locations. Volunteers are building additional banners so we can increase the number of squads and locations for deployment. 

Can you help deploy a banner in the Seattle area Thursday morning at the Yesler & I-5 overpass 8-9 AM?

RSVP below if you can help out. 

Send an email to [email protected] if you live elsewhere and would like to organize or be part of a bannering squad in your area. 

We do encourage anyone and everyone who is going to attend to RSVP. If there is inclement weather and the decision is made to put everyone's safety first, we need a method to contact everyone. We will contact via text and/or email with cancellations, but will need your contact info to do so! 

Building on multiple successful banner actions, Backbone is growing our overpass bannering by adding people and locations. Volunteers are building additional banners so we can increase the number of squads and locations for deployment. 

Can you help deploy a banner in the Seattle area Thursday morning at the Yesler & I-5 overpass 8-9 AM?

RSVP below if you can help out. 

Send an email to [email protected] if you live elsewhere and would like to organize or be part of a bannering squad in your area. 

We do encourage anyone and everyone who is going to attend to RSVP. If there is inclement weather and the decision is made to put everyone's safety first, we need a method to contact everyone. We will contact via text and/or email with cancellations, but will need your contact info to do so! 

Building on multiple successful banner actions, Backbone is growing our overpass bannering by adding people and locations. Volunteers are building additional banners so we can increase the number of squads and locations for deployment. 

Can you help deploy a banner in the Seattle area Thursday morning at the 50th & I-5 overpass 8-9 AM?

RSVP below if you can help out. 

Send an email to [email protected] if you live elsewhere and would like to organize or be part of a bannering squad in your area. 

We do encourage anyone and everyone who is going to attend to RSVP. If there is inclement weather and the decision is made to put everyone's safety first, we need a method to contact everyone. We will contact via text and/or email with cancellations, but will need your contact info to do so!