On March 19, 2008, we will set up a nonviolent blockade of the national Internal
Revenue Service headquarters in Washington, DC, as part of the day of actions
against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Just as military recruiters supply the bodies for the war, the IRS supplies
the funding. Just as some soldiers have the courage to resist the war, we —
as tax payers — should have the courage to resist paying the taxes that
send soldiers to war. We call on all war opponents to help dramatize our opposition
and to disrupt business as usual by joining this nonviolent blockade.
For at least this one day — March 19, 2008 — we need to create
a disturbance in the smug complacency of the IRS/Pentagon money-axis.
The Scenario
We will gather in our affinity groups at 7 am on Wednesday morning, March 19,
at McPherson Sq., 15th & K Sts. NW. From these areas we will march —
with the Rude Mechanical Orchestra — to the IRS main entrance at 1111
Constitution Ave. (at 12th Street), NW, and across from the Smithsonian’s
Museum of Natural History. Once at the entrance, some of us will sit down to
prevent the IRS from opening as usual, while others will hold signs and banners,
pass out flyers, talk with passersby, and generally call attention to the cost
of the war and our collective responsibility to stop funding it.
Legal Information
Click on this 5yearstoomany link to find a summary of legal information for
Washington, DC, particular for those risking arrest.
Also, be sure to look at these other legal resources:
"Dealing
with the Police” by the Midnight Special Law Collective
“Demonstration
Manual — Know Your Rights!” by the DC Justice & Solidarity
Collective
Nonviolence Guidelines
For the purpose of building trust and a common foundation for safety, and ensure
that we act in the spirit of nonviolence, participants in the action agree to
the following:
• Our attitude will be one of openness and respect toward people we encounter.
• We will not use physical violence or verbal abuse toward any person.
• We will not damage any property.
• We will not bring or use any alcohol or drugs other than for medical
purposes.
• We will not carry weapons.
Resources
Several different flyers are available here.
See also:
Affinity Groups & Nonviolence Training
… FINAL AFFINITY GROUP MEETING: March 18 (Tuesday), Washington, DC, Warehouse
Theatre, 1017 7th St. NW (near New York Ave.), 6 – 8 pm
Transportation and Housing
The United for Peace & Justice has set up a ride board and a housing board
at its 5yearstoomany Web site.
“Where
Your Income Tax Money Really Goes” — the War Resisters
League tax pie chart analysis of the proposed 2009 federal budget.
