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American Friends Service Committee — Part 4
Page 73
73 / 108
the following kinds of information:
Why are we demonstrating? What are our
specific demands? Is our demonstration
communicating our demands, and putting
pressure primarily on those who are re-
sponsible for our troubles?
At what point will it be right to complete or call
off demonstration? Do we demonstrate for the
gake of blowing off steam, or do we demonstrate
to have an effect? ;
Are we likely to be arrested? If 30, what meas-
-yres have been taken to make sure some leadership
_ remains outside? What measures have been taken
| 1.
2.
;
~
7 3.
4.
,
5.
6
to make sure some Jeadership goes inside to lead
activities inside jail?
” Will we accept bail? What are the pros and cons
of accepting bail? If we accept bail, what
arrangements have been made for the posting of
cash, property, or other security? If we do not
accept bail, what point are we making? Some
demonstrations almost inevitably, by their “civil
disobedience" nature will result in arrest. It is
sone times fruitful to fill the jails in order to make
the point that the cause of the arrest is unjust. Is
this one of those occasions ? :
If arrest and bail are decided on, what shall be the
priority of being released? (Students taking exams,
and workers whose incomes are needed to support
families, first).
How much cooperation are we to extend to the
police ? What are the pros and cons of going
limp? Shall we sacrifice our dignified appear-
ance (which has public relations value, and also
maintains a certain personal worth) in order to
refuse cooperation with an unjust situation?
98
7.
Have you announced your intention of br
law in advance (where that is appropriate, enc. he
in Northern communities where arrest is more
likely to come only upon the breaking of a definite
iaW, and after Warning)? A prior announc t
helps to clarify to the community your honesty of
purpose and seriousness of intent. In some situa-
tions such an announcement will warn the police
and they will try to prevent you access to the place
of the demonstration (e.g. a building). ‘Sneaking
in" has some handicaps, and you might still be able
to enn
to confront the authorities outside (possibly sitting
down there), On the other hand sometim
es the dem-
varticalen ple mae its point, must be at the
ar place; have you discussed th
merits of this issue? © relative
The question of paying fines at the magistrate's court,
justice of the peace court or higher court hearings
should also be discussed in advance of any action
likely to lead to arrest. The alternative to paying
fines is imprisonment for a specified length of
time (Thirty days or $100"). Bail is security for
your appearance later in court, hence ia in a
sense only a loan to the power structure, which
must be paid back. But a fine is lost to you and the
movement forever, and furthermore helps to pay
the power structure's expenses in running a police
force, a prison system, segregated schools, etc.
Should you contribute to this by paying fines? Thie
must be weighed against even greater losses in
wages for some people, if they stay in jail. Again
we do not want to answer this question for you, ,
but only advocate that it be intelligently discussed
in advance. Obviously, in a "jail-in," that is, a
concentrated attempt to communicate the evil of
of a law by having masses of people break it and
undergo unmerited suffering, it would be foolish
to accept bail, or, later, pay fines. The suffering
ia what communicates, not the paying.
99
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