A Call for Anti-War Actions in Washington, DC, January 20, 2005 (originally published November 30, 2004)

This call to action I wrote for DAWN in November 2004 (published in DC Indymedia on November 30, 2004)

It makes me cringe now, but this ended up being a significant action in a beautiful decentralized protest that brought out between 10-15,000 people. It was the model of the organizing we wanted to do that was different from what the big national organizations did (UFPJ and ANSWER), who were both Communist front organizations, one more liberal and more Stalinist, but both different than our anarchist-inspired approach. I wish the Call to Action were a bit more anarchist, but it definitely reflected the diversity of our network in DAWN. My own radicalism was still in process.

-jsm September 19, 2023

RISE Against Bush

SHINE For A Peaceful Tomorrow

A Call for Anti-War Actions in Washington, DC, January 20, 2005
Every morning, the sun rises up, penetrating and overcoming the darkness of night. What once was dark becomes bright, changed by the force of the sun's rays.

Our world is in darkness tonight, plagued with war, poverty, environmental destruction, and attacks on many of the liberties that so many of us hold dear. The darkness over our world has grown yet darker with the election of George W. Bush to another 4 years in office.
In the dark of the night, we need only wait for the sun. However, in the dark of our world, we cannot wait. If we are to see a new dawn, we must take action now. The DC Anti-War Network (DAWN) calls on the people of the world to RISE Against Bush and SHINE For A Peaceful Tomorrow.

We RISE

• Against the needless slaughter in and occupation of Iraq;
• Against the assault on civil liberties, as represented by such acts as the Patriot Act and the immoral detentions at Guantanamo Bay;
• Against US support of the Israeli government's denial of human rights against the Palestinian people;
• Against U.S. overthrow of Aristide in Haiti;
• Against U.S. attempts to overthrow any other democratically elected leader, including Hugo Chavez in Venezuela;
• Against any U.S. military action in Iran.

We SHINE

• For a world that embraces peaceful dialogue instead of war;
• For a world where we respect the liberty of all beings;
• For a world that looks out for all those who are now oppressed, including the poor, women, racial minorities, workers, the disabled, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered, as well as the earth and its creatures;
• For a world that embraces social justice;
• For democracy and the autonomy of all people to have a full say in how they are governed;
• For each other.

The Call
DAWN calls for people all over the nation and world to converge on Washington, DC, on the day of George W. Bush's Inauguration, January 20, 2005, for peaceful anti-war actions.
While DAWN is coordinating with many groups for a day of actions, DAWN calls additionally for these specific actions:

1. A permitted nonviolent anti-war rally followed by a march to Bush's inaugural parade route;
2. A nonviolent civil disobedience die-in, following the rally, in memorial to the dead at the hands of Bush and his Administration.

DAWN also calls for organizations, affinity groups, and individuals to partner with us in organizing these two actions.

Next Steps
If you or your group or organization wants to endorse DAWN's call to action, please send an e-mail to info@dawndc.net. Write also if you wish to collaborate in the planning or offer financial donations or other material support.

Find out more information about DAWN's and other groups' actions at http://www.counter-inaugural.org, by participating in the DC Cluster Spokescouncil meetings (refer to website), or by participating in DAWN's weekly meetings. Check our website, http://www.dawndc.net for more details. Housing boards, events boards, working group information, and (soon) ride boards can be found at http://www.counter-inaugural.org. We will post updates of our actions, as they become available, to that website.

The new dawn begins with our rising up. It will take a lot of light to break through such darkness, but we can do it. We have no other choice. Join us on J20!