direct action

Perhaps the most empowering and satisfying project I give time to in my life is direct action. This last month has been heavy.

Direct action is also probably the most awesome (tied with paragliding). This day, I felt like I was a Rebel pilot in a Star Wars squadron. We had pod leaders even.

This was a climate action on kayaks (a kayaktion lol) against the Chevron refinery in Richmond. The group I organize with is Rich City Rays.

Here we locked down and blockaded the Wells Fargo corporate office on Market in SF: 

Here, with dozens of other teams, we blockaded the vehicle checkpoints into APEC in SF:

This climate-oriented work happened alongside the killing that is happening in Palestine. All fights against power-over are connected. 

I love the feeling of being on a team, working toward a valued goal. But so often I feel our objectives become fraught with compromise as we must work within the insidiousness of our dominant systems. Direct action feels uncomplicated.


I'm privileged to have a kind of money-work (respite from capitalism) where I can take time to exercise my 1st Amendment rights like this. And also, I've made choices around the priorities in my life so that I can give time to what I think matters most.

I sometimes forget that I have a need to be seen in how I choose to live my life. And I sometimes fear a judgement of my pride from others. And I feel persistently daunted by the feeling/connection/context distances of digital media. And also I forget that part of this work is widening the circle of capacity thru existing links of personal trust—that is, part of this work is me becoming more visible, talking about it, with those adjacent to me. So sharing like this only happens after reflection.

The gap between the world we have and the one we want can sometimes feel hopeless... we're already voting for all the right things right? what can we do? But i think we can all be louder.. and joining with others in direct action can shake complacency and give meaning to lives.

If you want to connect in, talk to me, or find these groups I organize with in the Bay Area: Oil and Gas Action Network, Rich City Rays, Extinction Rebellion. 

Happy to have humble conversations on any of this.