Brooklyn, NY - Post offices, federal buildings, and IRS offices will be
the site of leafleting and vigils during the last days to file 2006
taxes on April 16 and 17. Demonstrators will declare "YES" to funding
for human needs and "NO" to continued funding for war. Anger among
taxpayers is rising as Congress approves billions more dollars for the
wars and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, even as polls show 70% of
Americans disapprove of the war in Iraq.
In more than a dozen towns and cities across Maine taxpayers
will be handed flyers declaring, "Schools or tanks? Health Care or
Bombs? Which Will You Pay For?" In Fort Collins, Colorado, postal
patrons will be greeted with "Take Back the Pie" signs and handed a
piece of pie and a pie chart flyer showing how half of income taxes pay
for past, present, and future wars. The "YES!" demonstration at the
Federal Building in Philadelphia will demand a shift from war funding to
other programs including universal health care; housing; ending hunger;
programs for youth, immigrants, and seniors; stopping global warming and
restoring the environment.
The National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC)
has collected a list of tax day actions to share with activists and the
media. It is attached below and posted on the internet at
http://www.nwtrcc.org/taxday2007.htm.
In addition to protesting government priorities, some people
refuse to pay their income taxes to the IRS, because they cannot in good
conscience pay for war. These war tax resisters often redirect those
funds to groups that work for peace and human needs.
"I will not contribute to the government while it's waging an
illegal war," said Bryan Nelson of New Brunswick, New Jersey, as he
announced publicly on April 7 that he would not send his $3,000 taxes
due to the IRS, but would instead donate it to nonprofit organizations.
On April 16 in Berkeley, California, more than $10,000 pooled from a
group of resisters will be redirected to groups that are working for
peace, justice, and human needs in the community. Such redirection
events also take place in Eugene, Oregon; Greenfield, Massachusetts; and
Los Angeles, California.
War tax resisters face penalties and collection efforts by the
IRS. In Santa Cruz, California, war tax resister and Vietnam era
conscientious objector Scott Kennedy was informed that his wages were
being garnished by the IRS for taxes due. Kennedy said, "The House of
Representatives has just recommended another $100 billion for our
brutal, immoral, and unwinnable war in Iraq. I won't in good conscience
voluntarily pay for such madness, because of its cost in U.S. lives and
squandered resources and because of the devastation and loss of life it
is causing in Iraq."
The National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC),
founded in 1982, is a coalition of local, regional and national groups
to provide information and support to people who are conscientious
objectors to paying taxes for war.
Protests on (or near) Tax Day, Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Updated at
http://www.nwtrcc.org/taxday2007.htm
Arizona
Tucson - Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Local
Chapter. (520) 312-9988 or
thorpe@dakotacom.net. Leafleting at the Sun
Station Post Office, during the day, and, at the main Post Office,
Cherry Bell Station, evening until midnight.
California
Berkeley - Northern California War Tax Resistance. (510) 843-9877,
nowartax@yahoo.com or
http://www.nowartax.org. People's Life Fund
Granting Ceremony NCWTR will also host a People's Life Fund granting
ceremony redirecting about $10,000 in resisted taxes to groups working
for peace and justice. Watch the website or call/email for details.
Eureka - Redwood Peace and Justice Center, (707)826-2511 or
www.rpjc.net. Penny poll, leaflet, and press conference. Arcata Post
Office.
Fresno - Women's International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF).
skyhorse3593@sbcglobal.net. Leafleting with pie graphs to be used as
frisbees at the Tower Post Office and Griffith Station Post Office. 10
am -4:30 pm.
Santa Cruz - Women's International League for Peace and Freedom,
jahn@cruzio.com. Tabling, leafleting, Raging Grannies songs, and
home-made bake sale. Main Post Office, Front Street, Monday, April 16,
Noon to 6 pm.
Sonoma County (Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Forestville, Petaluma) - Sonoma
County Taxes for Peace, 707-823-9203 or
larrywtr@sonic.net. Leafleting
against militarism. April 17, 9 am - 8 pm.
Colorado
Fort Collins - Center for Justice, Peace & Environment. (970) 419-8944
or
distaso@frii.com,
www.cjpe.org. Distribute literature and hand out
pieces of pie to "take back the pie chart" at the Main Post Office,
Federal Building. Noon-5 pm.
Denver - Pax Christi,
spiralmotion@msn.com. Leafleting and vigil at the
downtown Denver post office, 20th and Champa Streets, 4:30-6:00 pm.
District of Columbia
Washington - DC Area War Tax Resistance.
info@dcwtr.org. Vigil and
redistribution of resisted tax money at IRS Headquarters, 1111
Constitution NW. Monday, April 16, Noon.
Georgia
Brunswick - GlynnPeace: Citizens To End The War In Iraq.
glynnpeace@bellsouth.net or call (912) 262-1274,
www.glynnpeace.org.
Gloucester St. Post office in Brunswick and post office on St. Simons
Island. Leafleting of last-day filers and other patrons. 8:30 am-5 pm.
Illinois
Carbondale - Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois/FOR,
mparker@srellim.org. Handing out flyers with information on Military
Spending vs. Human Needs and How Your Income Tax Dollars Are Used,
Carbondale Post Office, E. Main St., Monday, April 16, 11am - 1 pm and 4
- 6 pm.
Chicago - Chicago Area War Resistors Support Committee,
mparker@srellim.org. Leafleting, speakers and musicians. Federal
Building Plaza in downtown Chicago, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, Monday, April
16.
Joliet - Pax Christi Will County, 815-729-0086. Stuffing church bulletin
with Peace Tax Returns and the sign-on statement, "Don't Pay for War in
Iraq."
Indiana
South Bend - Michiana War Tax Refusers. 574-289-2126 or
www.michianapeacejustice.org. Vigil and leafleting at the Main Post
Office. 6 pm-10 pm.
Iowa
Dubuque - Citizens' Tax Moratorium. (563) 583-2586. Vigil at U.S.
Courthouse, 6th and Locust. April 16 and weekly on Mondays, 4-6 pm.
Kentucky
Louisville - Fellowship of Reconciliation (local chapter). (502)
458-8056. TAXES FOR PEACE, NOT WAR! Leafleting and Penny Poll at corner
of Fifth & Market. Stop by to vote in the Penny Poll to indicate how you
would like for your tax dollars to be spent. Mon, Apr 16, Noon.
Maine
Leafleting Peace Action Maine flyer, including WTR as an option. Maine
War Tax Resistance Resource Center, (207) 525-7776 or
rosc@psouth.net.
Augusta: 11 am-1 pm, Main Post Office
Bangor: 4-6 pm, Main Post Office
Bath: 11 am-1 pm, Post Office
Belfast: Noon-2 pm, Post Office
Brunswick: 10 AM-3 pm, Post Office
Newcastle/Damariscotta: Time TBA, Damariscotta Post Office
Portland: Time TBA, Main Post Office, Forest Ave.
Winthrop, 2-4 pm, Post Office
Others TBA: Portsmouth/Kittery, Blue Hill or Ellsworth, and Farmington
Massachusetts
Greenfield - Pioneer Valley War Tax Resisters (PVWTR). (413) 773-8655.
Tabling, leafleting, and redirection. Greenfield Market. April 14, 9
am-?.
Northampton - At least one person plans to wear an orange jump-suit and
black hood, standing silently with a sign making the connection between
paying for war, Guantanamo and torture. April 17, downtown. Appropriate
literature will be available.
Missouri
St. Louis - Covenant Community for War Tax Resistance and Women's
International League for Peace and Freedom. (314) 725-5303 or
hras@humanrightsaction.net. Leaflet with pie chart. Main Post Office,
Market and 18th. April 16, 11:30 am-1 pm.
New Hampshire
Keene - New Hampshire Underground. "Tilting at windmills," with lances,
tin foil Spanish Knight-style helmets, fluffy scalloped pantaloons, and
such. IRS office on Main Street, 3 pm.
New York
Ithaca - Ithaca War Tax Resisters. Showing of An Act of Conscience at
the Tompkins County Public Library, followed by discussion. April 14,
2-4pm, Possible penny poll on tax day. Email for details.
New York City - NYC War Resisters League (718) 768-7306 or
nycwrl@att.net, and NYC War Tax Resistance (
www.nycwtr.org). Leafleting
and vigil. Manhattan IRS office, 110 W. 44th Street, west of Sixth Ave.
Noon-2 pm.
North Carolina
Durham/Chapel Hill - (336) 340-2683 or
ncwarresisters@yahoo.com. Raleigh
Post Office, 300 Fayetteville St. Leafleting and more! NOON.
Ohio
Athens - People for Peace and Justice. (740) 448-3071 or
rodnip@hotmail.com. Leafleting and penny poll at post office. 4-7 pm.
Oregon
Eugene - Taxes for Peace Not War. (541) 342-2914 or
guyprouty@msn.com.
April 14: March from Federal Building to Post Office with signs like
"paying taxes under protest," "refusing to pay taxes," "taxes for peace
not war." Op-ed piece in local paper. April 16: Tabling, penny poll, and
war tax redirection ceremony. Downtown.
Portland - Oregon Community for War Tax Resistance/WRL. (503) 238-0605
or
nowar@lists.wrlpdx.org. April 14: forum, "Defunding the war by
legislation and WTR," location TBA. April 16 & 17: Holding "Burma Shave"
signs on the local bridges during morning rush hours. April 19:
Presentation of redirected taxes. Multnomah County Building, Details:
(503) 281-3697.
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Area - Conscience, Militarism and War Tax Concerns Working
Group, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. (215) 241-7240 or
joanb@pym.org.
April 14: Annual gathering and war tax resistance workshop. April 17:
Leafleting at many area post offices.
Philadelphia - Brandywine Peace Community, (610) 544-1818 or
brandywine@juno.com. "!YES!" Demonstration: "YES" to Justice and Peace
("No!" to War)! "YES!" to Universal Health Care, Housing, Ending Hunger
here and around the world, Programs for Youth, Immigrants, and Seniors,
Crime Prevention Programs, Job Creation and Economic Conversion,
Stopping Global Warming and Restoring the Environment; "NO!" to
Continued Funding of War in Iraq. We are inviting community, justice,
environmental, religious, and citizen groups, as well as other peace
groups to join with people around the country going to Federal Buildings
and the home offices of such Senators as Arlen Specter on Tax Day and to
be part of the "!YES!" DEMONSTRATION. Philadelphiaa Federal Building,
6th & Market Sts. Noon.
Lehigh Valley - LEPOCO and Lehigh Valley WTR Life Fund. See
www.lepoco.org. Leafleting at area post offices.
Texas
San Antonio - Leafleting with pie chart at weekly peace vigil, Thursdays
4-5 pm, downtown at the main plaza (officially Plaza de Las Islas) on
the Northeast corner, Main Plaza and Commerce Sts.
Vermont
Waitsfield - War-Tax Resistance workshop, Sunday, April 15, 7 pm at
Yestermorrow. Slide show of the history of U.S. taxation, the history
and heroes of war tax resistance, and the methods and consequences of
resistance. Literature will be available. For more information: (802)
496-4452
Washington
Seattle - Nonviolent Action Community of Cascadia (NACC). (206) 547-0952
or
http://seanacc.org/. Leafleting "Where Your Income Taxes Really Go"
flyers at the Capitol Hill post office, Broadway and Denny. Noon-1 pm.
Also at main downtown Seattle post office, 3rd and Union. 5:30 - 6:30
pm.
Spokane - Peace and Justice Action League, (509) 838-7870. Penny poll to
vote for which war you want to fund next. Main post office, 11:30 - 2.
Tacoma - Members of local Pax Christi group and others. (253) 961-5822.
Leafleting and signage at the Main Post Office on South Pine St., April
16, 7-9 pm or so.
Wisconsin
Madison - Madison Branch of Women's International League for Peace and
Freedom (WILPF). Leaflet to inform and remind taxpayers where their
taxes are. West Side Post Office. 5-7 pm.
Milwaukee - Milwaukee War Tax Resistance and Casa Maria Catholic Worker,
(414) 344-5745. Demonstration in front of the IRS office, 211 W
Wisconsin Ave. 11:30 am-1 pm. We will also make our annual trek over to
Sen. Kohl's office a block away to express our concerns.
National
The Occupation Project, Voices for Creative Nonviolence - 773-878-3815.
Phase Two of the Occupation Project launches on April 17-Tax Day-with a
call for activists to mark "tax day" by occupying the offices of elected
representatives until they pledge to vote against the next bill to
provide funds for the Iraq war for next year. For more information see
http://vcnv.org.
Contact the NWTRCC office, (718-768-3420) or
nwtrcc@nwtrcc.org, if you
need further contact
information for local groups or individuals, or would like a copy of the
list faxed to you.
