Commitment to nonviolence
The Gandhi Team is firmly committed to nonviolence and nonviolent action. We reject all forms of violence, including verbal abuse, threats and intimidation, no matter the source or the target. We foster relationship-building with those who oppose our goals and values through authentic dialogue rather than argumentative discourse. We demonstrate courage and nonviolent discipline even in the face of threat or attack. Through that commitment, we build trust, solidarity, and respect for human dignity. We train members of our peace team, as well as other individuals and groups, in nonviolence both as a principle and as a strategy.
We prohibit carrying or bringing any weapon to public demonstrations, whether or not the person is licensed to carry a firearm or weapon. Weapons include all guns, knives, and other items that may be considered dangerous or that could cause harm. We expect event organizers to ensure that volunteers associated with the event are aware of and adhere to this prohibition. If a volunteer shows up at an event with a weapon, the individual will be requested to leave. We notify law enforcement if weapons are detected during an action.
We recognize that the success of a peaceful resistance movement depends on others upholding the same commitment to nonviolence. Therefore, we teach and promote protest safety for participants and offer best practice guidelines for demonstration marshals and event organizers. We collaborate with organizations that request our official peace team support to promote nonviolence through careful event planning, messaging, and execution. The Gandhi Team will offer its official support only for groups that make this nonviolence commitment.
We collaborate with local law enforcement in the interest of public safety, primarily on street/traffic concerns and potential counter-violence.
Statement on Cooperation with Law Enforcement
We acknowledge the historical and current socio-political context of oppression and violence perpetrated by the state and its actors – including law enforcement, branches of the military, and other federal and state agencies – against marginalized individuals and groups, especially people of color, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. We also humbly recognize the limited lived experience of marginalization experienced by the mostly white, and senior founding members of the Gandhi Team. Therefore, we pledge our openness to hearing and learning from our most vulnerable brothers and sisters and our sensitivity to acknowledging and accommodating their concerns.
We have worked hard over the years to forge relationships of trust and goodwill with both the public and law enforcement in a way that helps us to serve in our role most effectively. Having served in dozens of actions, San Jose has come to recognize many of our longtime Peace Ambassadors and appreciate our peaceful, helpful, and cheerful presence. At the same time, our capability, dependability, and accountability have also earned us trust and respect from SJPD. We have found that leveraging our team’s strong commitment to marginalized communities and our transparency and trust-building with law enforcement has worked extremely well in the interest of public safety. It has allowed us to remain visible and accessible in lower-risk situations such as street traffic monitoring, de-escalation, and bystander intervention, while minimizing the need for visible police presence and response, which tends to escalate tensions. Bottom line, you see us and not them.
Given these goals, the Gandhi Team collaborates with the San Jose Police Department only when the Gandhi Team serves as the designated peace team at a nonviolent action within city limits. We communicate as early as feasible in advance of an event, as well as on-site at the action, to discuss mutual concerns and needs. This includes information about:
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The event goals, organizing groups, event schedule, and expected crowd size.
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The number of Peace Ambassadors, their roles and responsibilities, the designated safety leads, and police liaison.
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Escalation and communication protocols, including an exchange of phone numbers and the provisioning of one radio for the designated SJPD incident commander.
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The march route, anticipated planned or unplanned street closures, and safety concerns.
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Known information about planned counter-protests or credible threats of violence from opposing groups or individuals.
We do not share any personal information about members of the peace team, the organizing team, or the public. We share contact information for the safety lead, police liaison, and organizers only with their explicit consent.