Monthly Die Ins at the Federal Building in San Francisco
See press coverage of Episcopal Bishop arrested in December for taking part in Die-In at San Francisco Federal Building. Also see blog about this action.
by David Hartsough, San Francisco Bay Area Declaration of Peace
What will it take to get Congress to listen to the American people and cut off the funds to continue the war?
In San Francisco since early November, the Bay Area Declaration of Peace together with other groups have organized an ongoing and sustained nonviolent direct action campaign with monthly Die Ins blocking the front and side doors of the Federal Building the first Thursday of each month and plan to continue these nonviolent actions symbolizing the thousands of people dying in Iraq.
People from different religious communities are taking the lead each month in organizing a program or worship service followed by reading of the names of the 650,000 Iraqis who have died and almost 3100 American soldiers who have died. After each name is read, we all say, “We remember” and the pain of all those deaths sinks into our hearts and conscientiousness and we recommit ourselves to the challenging work ahead to end this tragic, immoral and illegal war and all the senseless killing and dying!
In December the Episcopalian Bishop of California, Marc Andrus, invited Episcopalians from over 200 churches to join him in a Eucharist at the Federal Building after which he and eleven others of us blocked the doors and were arrested. This past month 28 of us were arrested.
We have gotten fairly good media coverage and continue to grow in numbers coming to the Die Ins and risking arrest. We have a clear and strong nonviolent discipline and have developed a very human relationship with the arresting officers – who are under Homeland Security. Our first court date will be February 15th.
On March 19, the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war, together with many other organizations, we are planning a much larger Die In – hopefully involving thousands on Market Street in San Francisco.
What if there were Die Ins at the Federal Buildings and Congressional offices and military recruiting offices in cities and towns all across this country continuing until Congress cuts off the funds for the continued war/occupation and we bring our troops home?
We hope and pray that our action(s) may help touch the hearts and consciences of the millions of people who are part of the 65-70% of the American people who now believe the war with Iraq was a mistake and we should bring the troops home – to take action – through calling their members of Congress, wearing a black armband, asking their Minister to do a sermon on the immorality of the war, or calling a meeting of people in their school or workplace to talk about the war and what we (all of us) can and must do to end this tragic war!
Following are some notes from what I shared at the last Die In last week.
DIE IN Welcome
By David Hartsough 2/1/07
We gather to remember the more than 3,070 US soldiers who have died in Iraq and the more than 560,000 Iraqis who have died in the tragic, misguided, immoral and illegal war in Iraq.
We call on Speaker of the House and our Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and all Members of Congress to listen to the American people and to the Iraqi people and BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!
We cannot support our troops by keeping them in Iraq and continuing to kill and be killed.
We call on Nancy Pelosi and all Members of Congress to vote against any further funds for the war There is more than enough funds in the pipeline to Bring our troops home!
We are here to convey this message not only with our words, but many of us will symbolically DIE here in front of the Federal Building – representing the hundreds of thousands who have died and are continuing to die and will DIE unless Congress cuts off the funds for the war. We cannot any longer remain silent in the face of this atrocity and crime against God and all humanity!
We, concerned citizens of No Cal will continue the DIE Ins the first Thursday of each month until we BRING THE TROOPS HOME!
The organizations cosponsoring today’s nonviolent action are: Declaration of Peace, Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose LT Watada Support Committee
We have some exciting speakers for you which will be followed by the DIE IN here at the front doors to the Federal Building. Thank you for being here.