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
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