A collection of affinity groups and clusters (a collection of affinity groups), who meet together for a common purpose, often civil disobedience. It is named after the "spokes" of a bicycle wheel -- the strength of each spoke is essential for the stability of the wheel. A "spoke" is short for a "spokesperson", selected by each affinity group of cluster to represent them in the spokescouncil. The council usually makes decisions via a consensus decision making process. An affinity group is a small group of activists (usually from 5-20) who work together on direct action. ... Civil disobedience encompasses the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government or of an occupying power without resorting to physical violence. ... A bicycle wheel is a wheel for a bicycle. ... Consensus decision-making is a decision process that not only seeks the agreement of most participants, but also to resolve or mitigate the objections of the minority to achieve the most agreeable decision. ...

The most successful employment of a spokescouncil within the United States was in Seattle, during N30. City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... On November 30, 1999, the World Trade Organization convened in Seattle, Washington, USA, for what was to be the launch of a new millennial round of trade negotiations. ...