Launch The Alberta Activist Collective!

My name's Albert. I'm a born-and-raised Edmontonian.

In the early Spring of 2021 I got very punched in the face. It's a stupid story, and involves a whole gaggle of anti-maskers. I don't need to tell it anymore. Or elaborate on the swastika painted there days later.

But hitting close to home is really supposed to be a metaphor, right?

Afterwards, things never felt the same. My quiet compliance with the status quo of Alberta's toxic political discourse had vanished. I wanted to speak honestly, and candidly. So I chose to do so, both online and in direct line of sight to the public.

When Adriana LaGrange insisted police would be summoned if more families chose to chalk her sidewalks I chose to disagree.

I still haven't gotten the ticket!

 

I chose to disagree when the UCP caucus prioritized re-opening to re-paying the debt we owed our healthcare workers.

At the time this was 2086 stars, all representing a family that lost someone remotely, and a staff forced to feel for them.

Our political leadership debated the balance, but refused to govern our province with its' own best interests in mind. Countless billions have been wasted on pride projects that gave away precious resources and goodwill while our system suffered. Our priorities and morality got away from us.

Then, when Jason Kenney made the choice to delay our legislative session purely out of fear for his own position, I chose to act even further. I made the decision to equip myself and occupy a space on the Alberta Legislature grounds on behalf of my following.

It was a proxy protest, as most of us had not yet been vaccinated.

 

It got attention. It made a few interviews. It developed a Twitter following. It became so surprisingly successful in fact, that the equipment and costs involved were virtually nullified through donation! Money, food, water, the occasional Uber Eats; these things came from Albertans who cared.

So I kept being useful.

I disrupted anti-mask rallies, filled the chamber with noise during particularly moronic question periods, and even lambasted the caucus after the infamous "Sky Palace Dinner."

 

 

My presence on the grounds was unwelcome by the caucus, but all the same I remained. I am innovative, committed, and resourceful. Not only that, but I am well-connected through many sectors of Alberta, not only limited to the activist sphere. I have good friends; people who helped equip me for our protest and whose contributions made it all possible.

But I'm not the only one. We have leaders emerging in all sectors. Combatting hate crime, holding government institutions accountable, holding politicians accountable, fighting for a clean energy future, fighting for the rights of the Indigenous, and so on.

 

We have many causes. All of them are crucial to our future. We must act, and we cannot leave anyone behind.

 

So I found myself looking to the other activist groups, and upon realizing there was something they needed I decided to form the Alberta Activist Collective.

 

The Alberta Activist Collective is a non-profit entity intended to coordinate and augment meaningful and practical forms of protest. At the same time, it exists to encourage healthy civic discourse and discourage toxicity.

This is what it will offer as it grows:
-A dedicated sms (text) service notifying members of important events in their area. This will be our launch service. The ability to broadcast will not be for individuals, but for organizations that have the consensus of group leadership.
-A physical location (starting in Edmonton) to provide various services to activist groups. This could include everything from storage, equipment requisition, printing, to food processing.

As the AAC grows its membership and acquires contact information from activist groups or even unions that join it's ability to force-multiply events will greatly expand.

Acquiring a location and becoming self-sufficient takes a lot of effort and money. We have the effort. We need the money. Alternatively...

We also have a merch store courtesy of some of our supporters! Check out the link below.

https://ballergear.ca/collections/aac

 

These donations will be used for the following:

-Accessing office space

-Equipping protests under our purview

-Hosting fundraisers

-Advertising

-Paying contracts

-Other costs yet to be determined

 

Our politics are on autopilot. Alberta has a strong history of civic engagement when the times demanded it, and now is one of those times.

 

I'm Albert Nobbs, and I'm a here to help. Please support the Alberta Activist Collective.

 

We can do it, together.