Yesterday on a statewide community conference call on Prison Prevention I made a suggestion that the group take a ‘nonviolent direct action’ to stop the privatization of the Crisis center for persons with mental health illnesses. Immediately someone questioned my call for ‘nonviolent direct action’ and said her community organization was not ready for ‘action’.

I checked on the meaning of nonviolent direct action. I found in Wikipedia that “”Direct action occurs when a group takes an action which is intended to reveal an existing problem, highlight an alternative, or demonstrate a possible solution to a social issue….Examples of non-violent direct action (also known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance) can include sit-ins, strikes, workplace occupations, blockades,etc.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday we celebrate this week, in his letter from the Birmingham Jail says: “ Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.” He goes on to say: “It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word ‘tension.’ I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.”

The lack of creative ‘tension’ is at the heart of why I believe the civil rights, labor, community and peace movements are failing today. Many people seem afraid of creating tension like a sit in or strike does. As King states that without “constructive, nonviolent tension” there is no growth.

We can do all the research, attend all the talks, have all the discussions, write all the articles we want on an peace or justice issue but without creating creative nonviolent tension by direct action the chances for significant change are slim.

This is a lesson from the history of the United States. The labor, civil rights movement and peace movement all created change by through nonviolent direct action and now in most cases believe they can achieve change with talk, speeches, writing letters, legal action and voting.

This is the message the “powers that be” want us to believe: educate people, have talks and discussions, create petitions and letter writing campaigns and vote and there will be change. Without nonviolent direct action the mental health crisis system in Milwaukee County will be privatized and more ill people will go to jail and prison and face solidarity confinement rather than treatment.

I can only pray and work to Wake up People to the real power we have is not in looking to others. “We are the ones we are looking for” and we have the power through nonviolent direct action to make change.

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