56 
9 
0 
0 
They stood up for us; now we’re backing them up.
BREAKING:
Department of Interior folds, charges essentially dropped for 21 of the 30 arrested Read more
Fundraising continues for 9 arrested at Citizens’ Filibuster. Deadline for $10K challenge extended. PeaceUp BackUp is a fund for people willing to take a stand.
As of May 10, 1:30 PM MST: $3,866 raised! $6,209 to go for this action challenge]
Donate to the PeaceUp BackUp fund
From the Boston Tea Party, to Martin Luther King’s March on Selma to recent events in Wisconsin, all successful social movements in U.S. history have been direct action movements. Movements that were defiant and powerful. They shake things up and push our comfort zones. These sorts of movements are not started in Washington D.C’s. air-conditioned offices, they began in living rooms, churches, classrooms and backyards.
The climate movement is now embracing this idea.
Last week at the mass youth climate conference, Power Shift, 30 people took a risk and stood up (or sat down, as the case may be) for what’s right. They got courage from their convictions, and were hauled off to jail.
Click to watch the videos they recorded explaining why they participated in the Citizens' Filibuster
On Friday, April 15, nine activists staged a “Citizens’ Filibuster” at Congress. Standing up, interrupting the corporate sham that Congress has become, they sang alternate lyrics to the Star Spangled banner, and were hauled out. When one was arrested, another, refusing to be intimidated by the threats from Speaker John Boehner, would stand up an pick up where the last left off. It was all caught live on C-SPAN in front of the nation. For a half an hour, The People held our corrupt Congress in contempt for failing to defend our future.
This action set the tone for Power Shift, a 10,000-person-strong conference being held the same weekend. It empowered the conference. It furthered the conversation–and the movement. Now, those brave people are facing pretty serious charges. But the action didn’t stop there.
On Monday, April 18th, Rising Tide North America and Peaceful Uprising organized an unpermitted march and occupation of the Department of the Interior (DOI.) Well over 1000 activists from all over the world joined the march and sang their way over to the Department of Interior. Hundreds rushed the lobby. They knew that the DOI and the agencies (Bureau of Land Management, Office of Surface Mining, Mineral and Mining Service) under it had abandoned their duty to protect communities and public lands, and has become a virtual permitting arm of the fossil fuel industry. Police in the lobby threatened activists with federal felonies, and an astonishing 21 brave souls maintained the sit-in until they were arrested. Their sacrifice gives ALL of us more clout and more power.
UPDATE: Read about the charges being dropped for the 21 DOI arrestees
They were from all over the country. Though the charges for the 21 arrested at the DOI were dropped, they have had to travel. More importantly, the Citizens’ Filibuster 9 are still facing charges and expenses. Only an outpouring of grassroots support from people like you can spare them extreme consequences.
There is no safety net here. Just you and me.
Can you help us raise $10K? Even $5 helps. (The same amount as a beer or a decaf soy caramel latte!)
Please donate, and invite at least 5 other people to do the same.
Use the donation box on this page, or click here to visit our donations page and select “PeaceUp BackUp” from the subfund list.
Rather send a check? Please make it payable to IHCenter/Peaceful Uprising, write “PeaceUp BackUp” in the memo, and mail it to Peaceful Uprising, PO Box 521011, Salt Lake City, UT, 84152-1011.
Questions? email backup@peacefuluprising.org or call 801-747-9871
56 9 0 0 
We must stand together to demand justice & build a healthy world. Join our Regional Action List.
My friend, Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry, in solidarity with the Powershift 30 will start fasting today, May 7th, 2010!
Why help pay? They chose to get arrested, let them pay for it. I work to damn hard for my money.
Great question. What do we spend our money on?
These folks aren’t wealthy. They have jobs of their own, and many have mouths to feed. We aren’t raising money for them because they don’t want to spend their own. Most have, and will, support themselves as much as they can. Not a single person here is avoiding real personal sacrifice. 10K divided among 30 people isn’t much when one considers legal fees, fines, travel, and time lost at work. It’s a matter of supporting those that are doing the important work on our behalf–enduring inconvenience, loss of a clean record, etc, in order to further a movement that will benefit all of humankind.
A precedent is being set here: the climate justice movement is either strong enough to support those that are doing what must be done, or it isn’t. I think it is. I think we’ve just begun to see the power of uniting for a livable future.
Pharaoh commanded two midwives to kill the Hebrew newborns. But the midwives revered YHWH (pronounced with no vowels, just a breath) — the Interbreathing of all Life — and refused to obey the order. (Exodus 1: 15-21 ).
This was the first recorded case of nonviolent civil disobedience, and the real beginning of the Exodus, liberation from the arrogant, power-addicted Pharaoh who brought down plagues (ecological disasters) on his own country. See the new book “Freedom Journeys” (by Rabbis Arthur Waskow & Phylis Berman) for the meaning of the story today.
All honor to these 30 midwives of freedom and earth-healing who disobeyed our modern Pharaohs. The Shalom Center is contributing $72 to their defense fund.
We SHALL overcome!
– Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Awaskow@theshalomcenter.org
Why does this person has to bring some weird and unverified “bible” story into this is beyond me but I guess that’s my limitations, being completely allergic to anything having to do with religion and its magic thinking. I believe using common sense is the way to go, not some half-baked nonsense about some women being racially or culturally superior to some others because they were chosen by “God”! What a bunch of crap! This kind of reference is very counter-productive, actually a big part of the problems facing the human race and this planet…Good thing I saw the Coens’s “A serious Man” again recently, it helps keep things in perpective. Well I guess I should not be so “arrogant” as the Pharoah and be grateful for any help and all, even coming from the “Lunatic Fringe”
Arthur, the Name is supposed to be sacred, is it not? To my knowledge rabbis, even in prayer, always use Adonai and in other instances only say haShem. I’m not offended in the least, but it seems odd.
Are you all going to post a thermometer or something so we can see the progress of the fundraiser?
This is amazing – I am so excited about the idea of having a backup fund to support activists. Thank you!
Great idea Alexa! I’ll get started on that, and keep it updated every morning. Thank you!
It’s all well and good to comment about issues that need the attention of citizens.
It’s even more important to ACTUALLY DO something significant that will allow necessary changes to be made to improve our country. And you people are doing just that.
Godspeed
Here is a link that will interest many of you.
http://signon.org/sign/public-funding-of-elected