Willits Indivisible hosts nonviolence training ahead of March protest

WILLITS, CA., 2/10/26 — Members of Willits Indivisible hosted a nonviolence training on Saturday in preparation for the “No Kings” protest on March 28. The training involved teaching nonviolence techniques, sharing stories about situations that happened in the past, role-playing possible confrontations and learning how to deal with challenges in a calm and confident manner. More than 20 Willits Indivisible members attended the training, held in a church in Willits. 

Kate Black, one of the organizers of Willits Indivisible, said the purpose of the training was to teach demonstrators how to be flexible, calm and remind them to enjoy being part of a community. The goal is to create a space where people can exercise their First Amendment rights. 

At the start of the training, participants introduced themselves. Several said they took the training to hopefully channel anger and frustration about governmental decisions into something positive. 

The liveliest parts of the day were role-playing sessions, in which participants practiced staying calm when faced with aggression. 

In one scenario, some in the group played protesters while another person approached the group and started shouting at them. When the person playing the counterprotester started shouting, the people role-playing the protesters maintained distance from that individual, while those designated as peacekeepers made space by placing themselves between the counterprotester and the Indivisible group. De-escalators in the role-play group also calmed down protesters who showed reactions or shouted back at the counterprotester. 

“Our role plays were all about de-escalation skills and how to provide a sense of confidence and calm. Part of that is being present, helping to deflate the tension,” Black said. 

One of the handouts at the training was a workbook called “Streetwise & Steady,” a collection of materials for those designated as peacekeepers. The workbook explains what a peacekeeper is and how they can keep people in their group safe through de-escalation. 

Peacekeepers monitor the protest from start to finish 

The peacekeepers are a subcommittee of Willits Indivisible, for which Black is a safety lead, responsible for central communication during demonstrations. Black said the peacekeepers learn how to deal with situations that may happen during a protest. 

“If someone arrives to cause confusion, our job is to help people navigate around a yelling or angry person, de-escalate the situation,” Black said. “We’re also there to answer basic logistical questions, including calling on outside sources if needed, such as police or medical. But mostly we’re there to help with pedestrian and traffic flow, allowing the community to voice their serious concerns as well as having a good time together.” 

Black said workshop facilitators are always looking for peacekeepers to join the team. She told the group that a lot of people have peacekeeping skills in their daily lives without realizing it. Calming down a kid who is having a meltdown, stepping between friends who are arguing or giving basic directions to somebody who is lost on the street are all peacekeeping actions. 

“What we do as the peacekeeping team is honing these skills and coming together to provide a safety net for protests and demonstrations so that the participants can feel safe and be able to enjoy and be inspired by hundreds of people coming together,” Black explained. 

Ellen Faulkner, a peacekeeper with Willits Indivisible who taught the training along with Naomi Wagner, spoke about why people should learn those skills. 

“Everybody should know how to be a peacekeeper and how to develop ways of dealing with disruptors, because they will always exist, no matter how much community support we have or how nonviolent we are, somebody’s always there,” Faulkner said. “There will always be somebody that we have to pacify, and doing so is quite a skill.” 

Faulkner also said that the peacekeeping and nonviolence skills she has learned have been helpful in staying calm in daily interactions. 

“Keeping people safe and not lashing out and being nonviolent with your everyday arguments with people certainly has helped,” Faulkner said. 

There are several other roles that Willits Indivisible members and volunteers fill during demonstrations. These include first aid volunteers, crossing guards, a setup and cleanup team, and folks with handheld radios for communication. 

Consensus process promotes respect 

One of the trainers, Wagner, led the portion of the training that focused on consensus process, a system by which a meeting can be run. The consensus process starts with a question; someone then puts forth a proposal and if someone seconds it, there is a discussion and amendments can be made. The process allows people to voice their concerns and have them addressed by others. Willits Indivisible group decisions are made through this process, leaving behind hierarchical decision-making. 

“It promotes respect, and so we can practice nonviolence in our own interactions,” Wagner said. 

If someone does not agree with a proposal, they may stand aside or block the proposal, and the proposal does not go through if anyone blocks it or if too many people stand aside. Blocks are used to express moral concern for the group, meant to prevent actions that would be bad for the whole group. If not enough support is shown, the proposal can be withdrawn, tabled, or acted on by a small group. 

“If we don’t want to support it at all, we just stand aside or block. So that way we’re able to deal with our differences and still retain membership. People don’t leave since they’re alienated or get kicked out because they don’t agree — we avoid that,” Wagner said. 

At the end, when consensus is reached, everyone twinkles by raising their hands and wiggling their fingers. 

“It’s a powerful process, and when it works, when people get the hang of it, when it starts clicking, you don’t even notice that we’re using it,” Wagner said. “You could come to a meeting where we’re practiced, and you barely notice, but it will go smoothly, and people will be happy at the end.” 

Wagner said the consensus process is effective in making decisions on what action to take and how. 

“We want to take action, and by the end of the meeting, we know what that action is, and we use the same process to implement it, to put it into effect,” Wagner said. “Then we also have solidarity around that part, how we’re going to do it, and that gives us a lot of power.” 

Black got feedback from attendees who all expressed gratitude that they came to the training. Several noted that the workshop instilled a feeling of support and closeness among participants, and a couple noted that the skills learned there had merit beyond demonstrations or protests. 

Willits Indivisible is part of a nationwide movement with more than 2,000 volunteer-led groups in different kinds of communities in every state in the country. Willits Indivisible was formed just over a year ago; Black said during that time, the group exploded in size from 25 to 400 members, with more than 450 on Facebook.