When?
There will be a potluck dinner and check-in on Thursday, February 27th. Sessions will begin on the morning of Friday, February 28th and run through Sunday, March 2nd.
Where?
Gainesville, Florida. Our accessibility page will be updated very soon with details about the venues where sessions will take place. All of the venue locations are within downtown Gainesville and around a 15 minute walk from each other.
Will this be indoors or outdoors?
The venues for sessions are all indoors and masks are required inside. We will provide masks, but please bring your own if you can. Some programming, meals, and caucus spaces will be outside in nearby locations.
Will there be food?
Seeds of Peace will be cooking and providing lunch and dinner every day. While we aim to feed everyone, the meals will be while supplies last. Donations of money and food are welcomed. If you’d like to help with cooking, serving, or clean up, find the kitchen at the Civic Media Center courtyard and plug in.
Where can we stay?
We are working to coordinate housing offers for presenters. If you need housing assistance, send us an email and we can try to help after we have more of an idea of what’s available!
How can we get around?
Most venues are walkable, the furthest two being a little over half a mile apart! However, there will be a shuttle available to transport folks between venues during the weekend that may need it for accessibility. If you’re coming with your own transportation, please consider offering others a ride who might be going the same way as you during the weekend!
How can I communicate my accessibility needs?
You can email us your needs or questions at flabolitionistgathering@riseup.net. We’d appreciate any requests that might involve some planning to be submitted by February 15, this will allow us time to try and make arrangements.
What does the flow of the day look like?
Sessions will begin at 10:00am everyday from Friday-Sunday. Lunch will be from 1:30-2:30pm on Friday, and 1:00-2:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Sessions are either 60 or 90 minutes in length and will occur at 2-3 different venues downtown. Dinner is at 6:30pm on Friday and 6:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. There will be a couple evening activities to attend each day.
How can we keep each other safe over the weekend?
This is an abolitionist gathering, we don’t practice cancel culture, and we wish to give everyone the chance to expand and grow. Rather than policing one another, let’s use this space to teach and learn the ways we can be accountable to each other. While we take harm seriously, we know that the world we want to build does not alienate harm-doers. We all have the potential to do harm and we are all responsible for transforming harm in our community. No one is disposable.
A de-escalation crew will be present to help mitigate interactions from external threats (including police, fascists, etc.) and also conflicts escalating into violence. They aren’t an accountability collective but moreso a group of autonomous individuals dedicated to collective safety and protecting the gathering from disruption. Some of them can be identified by their pink bandanas, others will not be identifiable. If you have a safety concern, feel free to approach someone with a pink bandana or our welcome table.
Something we can all be mindful of to keep each other safe is cultivating a solid culture of security. For example, being mindful of what information you share about yourself and your extracurricular activities and ask for consent before taking photos or videos of anything or anyone. Being such a public event, assume there will be various levels of surveillance and act accordingly. One venue is a public library, another is a radical community library situated next to a fire station and also a police surveillance tower used to monitor and harass our unhoused neighbors. We also feel it’s important to mention that a new law in Florida allows first responders, including police, to ask folks to move 25 feet back when they’re “performing a legal duty”. Failure to do so can result in charges.
That being said, an effective security culture makes infiltrators obsolete.
What should I consider bringing?
Materials and offerings you’d like to share, paper and pen to take notes during sessions, a contribution to the grief altar… Otherwise, no one knows your needs more than you, bring whatever will make you feel comfortable in an unfamiliar space! In case of inclement weather, a rain jacket or umbrella might come in handy!
Can I bring my dog?
We love a good boy, but some venues only allow working dogs. You know your animal companion best, if they’d cause disruptions or issues during sessions, it might be best to make arrangements for them to stay home.
Can I bring my kid?
Yes! If you plan to bring children, please send us an email at flabolitionistgathering@riseup.net. We have a group of volunteers to operate childcare during the gathering that we can connect you with. Children are also welcome to stay with you, as long as they’re never left unattended and aren’t disrupting sessions.
Do you have any travel funds to assist in travel costs?
We sure do. We are currently collecting donations for a BIPOC travel fund. You can donate to the fund through venmo at @freefloridaf12, please write ‘bipoc travel’ in the notes. If you’re a BIPOC abolitionist seeking financial assistance, send us an email at flabolitionistgathering@riseup.net with ‘bipoc travel’ in the subject line. Include as much or as little info as you see fit. Please allow us time to respond, as we won’t know exactly how much we can provide until after fundraising has spread.
Can I distro my stuff?
We will have a limited outdoor space to table at one of the venues on Sunday, March 2nd, 10am-4pm. We welcome distros, harm reductionists, resources, selling your stuff, providing services, and more. Email us for more information!
Are there ways I can support the gathering during the weekend?
There sure is! The kitchen crew will likely always welcome support. If you have a large vehicle that could serve as a shuttle between venues, that’d be great to offer. Maybe consider lending a hand with childcare for a shift. See the trash overflowing and everyone ignoring it? Ask where the trash goes and take it out! We’re hoping to cultivate this gathering space collectively, and as such it depends on folks lending a hand when they can. It’s going to take practice to live in the world we’re fighting for, and sometimes it involves doing the damn dishes. Send us an email if you have skills you’d like to contribute to the weekend! Or just show up 🙂
How can I financially support the gathering?
Our venmo is @freefloridaf12, please leave a note “for gathering” or something similar. We appreciate any contribution to help make this gathering possible <3
I have an idea for a meet-up or impromptu skill share, how does that work?
Us fags love when people practice autonomy. There will be designated time Sunday afternoon for caucus discussions to happen, as well as the ability to call for different meet-ups during mealtime. We encourage folks to gather based on affinity, movement, identity, location, skills, tactics, whatever you want to meet about! There will be a giant white board for folks to announce the location, time, and intention of these offerings. If you’d like us to add your meet-up or caucus idea to our announcements for the day, reach out ahead of time.
Are there things I can bring to support local mutual aid and harm reduction distros?
Wow, that’s so nice of you to ask! Yes, in fact, if you have abundance where you’re coming from, local folks would love some resources. We’ll post more specific wishlists as it gets closer.
What offerings of care or decompression will be available?
We are excited to offer a separate venue space that can be used for decompression and care during the gathering! There are different bodywork and care practitioners volunteering their time as well as a self-serve tea station. If you have skills to offer this space, we welcome more volunteers! Reach out to us in advance or plug in during the gathering.
Who is organizing FAG?
Everyone and no one! This space is for all of us by all of us.