The concept of "solidarity" is ubiquitous today, but it's used in many different contexts and with even more subjective meanings.

Solidarity can be used to describe actions tied to charity and superficial political goals. But, solidarity can also describe a powerful form of collective action used to advance political movements and bring about systemic change.

Activist, author and legal worker Kris Hermes is joined by fellow legal worker Jude Ortiz at the California Institute of Integral Studies on Thursday, October 29th at 6pm in Room 304 to engage in a critical pedagogy of solidarity as applied against the legal system in the United States.

In the face of mounting political repression by the state, it's important to demystify the legal system and understand the utility and effect of collective action--exercising solidarity tactics in the streets, in the jails, and inside the courtrooms.

Learn how law enforcement and the legal system is used to undermine political movements and how that system can be confronted and resisted using collective action.

This hard-hitting educational and interactive class will:

a) touch on the ways in which law enforcement and the legal system are used to undermine political movements
b) train participants how to exercise free expression while limiting police interference
c) review the history of jail and court solidarity tactics
d) discuss the practical applications and utility of collective action for use in today's social change movements

Kris Hermes wrote Crashing the Party: Legacies and Lessons from the RNC 2000 (PM Press) to spotlight the policing methods used to suppress dissent as well as examine the ways in which collective action can be used to push back against the state's repressive practices.