A veteran activist's guide to direct action and strategic civil disobedience as the most radical and rapid means to social change
For decades, Lisa Fithian's work as an advocate for civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action has put her on the frontlines of change. Described by Mother Jones as "the nation's best-known protest consultant," Fithian has supported countless movements including the Battle of Seattle in 1999, rebuilding and defending communities following Hurricane Katrina, Occupy Wall Street, and the uprisings at Standing Rock and in Ferguson. For anyone who wants to become more active in resistance or is just feeling overwhelmed or hopeless, Shut It Down offers strategies and actions you can take right now to promote justice and incite change in your own community.
In Shut It Down Fithian shares historic, behind-the-scenes stories from some of the most important people-powered movements of the past several decades. She shows how movements that embrace direct action have always been, and continue to be, the most radical and rapid means for transforming the ills of our society. Shut It Down is filled with instructions and inspiration for how movements can evolve as the struggle for social justice continues in the Trump era and beyond.
While recognizing that electoral politics, legislation, and policy are all important pathways to change, Shut It Down argues that civil disobedience is not just one of the only actions that remains when all else fails, but a spiritual pursuit that protects our deepest selves and allows us to reclaim our humanity. Change can come, but only if we're open to creatively, lovingly, and strategically standing up, sometimes at great risk to ourselves, to protect what we love. "Fithian makes clear that just showing up is not enough; you have to be smart and organized to be effective. Consider this Jedi teaching for tomorrow's activists."―Booklist
"As the left gets serious about electoral organizing, it's more important than ever that our movements also stay mobilized, disobedient, and in the streets. Lisa Fithian has helped drive some of the most creative, game-changing organizing of our time―and her wise and warm book will help us build real power."―Naomi Klein, author of No Is Not Enough and This Changes Everything
"Direct action must be strategic, precise, calculated, and intentional―words that also describe Lisa Fithian. She is a movement veteran, and we stand on shoulders of women like her. Lisa has taken a new generation of leaders under her wing at a critical time, and I am honored to be among them."―Linda Sarsour, Palestinian-Muslim-American activist; cochair, Women's March on Washington
"Lisa Fithian is a treasure to social justice movements in the United States and an inspiration to all who have been touched by her energy and commitment. From workers' struggles to Occupy Wall Street, from the Battle of Seattle to the Katrina disaster, Lisa has been there―teaching, leading, following, and building a toolbox for direct action. In Shut It Down, Lisa brings the past four decades of activism alive with dynamic storytelling skills that allow the reader to relive those moments and know that they, too, can pick up the banner and run with it."―Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States and Loaded
"Lisa Fithian's book shows both the craft and the heart essential for these times. Her wide organizing experience enables her to describe both the toolbox police use against activists and how grassroots movements rise again despite everything. Get this book if you like stories and you want to win."―George Lakey, author of How We Win; columnist, Waging Nonviolence
"Ready to rise up and shut down injustice? You can find no better guide than this dynamic collection of stories and lessons from powerhouse organizer Lisa Fithian. This brilliant book, a vital addition to every resister
