Actions specifically target a person or organization who is not responding effectively, or morally, to the AIDS crisis. The working group for a particular action presents the target, concept, and budget for the action at one meeting. At the following meeting, questions, suggestions, alterations, discussion, and usually, approval of the action takes place. Although all proposed actions are not approved, most have been discussed informally for a period of time before they go into the formal process and through those informal discussions it has become clear that a consensus on the need for the action is likely. An important component of most actions can be non-violent civil disobedience.
CD involves breaking a law to draw attention to a larger injustice in society.
People in ACT UP who choose to participate in CD take responsibility for their decision to risk arrest. Everyone who wants to risk arrest is strongly encouraged to attend a civil disobedience training prior to an action. ACT UP CD training includes discussion of why one might want to be arrested, what your rights are, the procedure that those arrested usually undergo, what the usual legal penalties are, etc. Zaps are a method for ACT UP members to register their disapproval of and anger toward the zap target. Zaps usually have more specific targets than actions.