Note from the Editor
Over 60 years ago, protesters were taking to the streets across the United States. People responded to a “call to arms” in the context of Vietnam protests as a passionate plea or rallying cry urging people to actively participate in demonstrations against the Vietnam War, civil rights abuses, infringement of the freedom of the press, etc. often signifying a heightened sense of urgency and a need for immediate action to oppose the actions of the US government.
The chorus of dissention continued to escalate for another decade and helped shape public opinion about the actions needed to end the Viet Nam war, ensure equality for all at the polls, fight discrimination and provide for freedom of choice for women and more. It did require sacrifice.
One of the most notable, recent examples of civil disobedience in Idaho was the 2014 Add the Words protest and at the Idaho State Capitol. After nearly a decade of work to modify the Idaho Human Rights Act to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity”, Add the Words Idaho, led by our own District 19 Representative Nicole LeFavour, started using civil disobedience to get the attention of ideological Republican legislators.
By the end of February 2014, 122 arrests had been made (with some protestors having been arrested more than once, and all of whom are being represented. While the bill was printed and hearings were held, the bill ultimately failed.
This call to arms, call to action or whatever you want to call it, is called for during this escalating era of extreme, largely un-American actions by the MAGA controlled Republican majority. If you’re inclined to believe more than “resistance” is going to be required, then read on.
More Resources: Just Security’s coverage of the Trump administration Executive Actions with links to sources, data and more. Track the tragedy being created by overzealous MAGA extremists who take joy in crushing dreams and lives of our friends and neighbors. https://www.justsecurity.org/106653/collection-trump-administration-executive-actions/
~ Dave Green
Civil Disobedience Toolkit
Amnesty International
The Amnesty International Civil Disobedience Toolkit provides guidance on when and how to engage in acts of civil disobedience in a way that maintains an organization’s duty of care to those acting on its calls for civil disobedience and mitigates reputational, financial, legal and other risks. It was adapted from an internal Amnesty toolkit on civil disobedience (ACT 10/6363/2023), which includes detailed policy guidance and internal resources. Amnesty staff are advised to use the internal version.
(Photo: 1972 Boise anti-war protest where several hundred protestors marched to the Idaho State Capitol. 18 protestors were arrested during the march.)
This toolkit is aimed at organizations who are contemplating the use of civil disobedience. It sets out key principles when engaging in civil disobedience and the steps to use civil disobedience effectively, including planning, risk assessment, decision-making, implementation and evaluation. While this toolkit focuses on civil disobedience, it can also be applied to some cases of higher-risk Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDA).
The principles outlined in this toolkit can be applied to any civil disobedience tactic from the planning stage to post-implementation, particularly when they fall within the higher-risk end of the spectrum. This also includes situations where civil disobedience tactics are carried out reactively or in response to current affairs. You may want to develop additional guidance and practices whilst using this toolkit. This will ensure that safety and integrity is not compromised while responding to the local context.
Civil disobedience has been historically used as a tactic to raise awareness, to increase pressure, and to promote change. Activists around the world have used different methods of civil disobedience through direct and non-violent means, often including intentional violations of law. International human rights standards recognize that, regardless of the infringement of a country’s law, acts of civil disobedience may constitute a form of assembly and, when carried out in a non-violent manner, fall under the scope of the rights to freedom of conscience, expression and peaceful assembly.
Movements and organizations have increasingly relied on civil disobedience, and it is anticipated that this will continue due to current major issues such as the climate crisis, threats to the rights of migrants and refugees, and the increasing attacks on human rights driven by the politics of demonization and hate.
Refuse to Serve Those Who Do Harm
In 2014 Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzaria posted their now famous “We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to Arizona Legislators” in response to an anti-gay bill. The coverage went national, and 10 years later they still reserve that right. The idea grew some legs and has been replicated around the country.
Maybe it’s time to do the same in Boise. It seems pretty clear to me the lives of our LGBTQ, school-age kids, transgender, intersex children, high risk pregnant women and friends across the spectrum don’t matter to many of them as they careen toward eliminating Medicaid for hundreds of thousand in the state including children.
Here’s a link to a printable 8.5″ x 11″ PDF of the sign – click here.
End Notes
When people know that they are acting in their own best interests, often for the first time in their lives, they can do seeming miracles. This is the source of strength from which all the great social and political revolutions have come, and from which the world-shaking changes necessary in our country will come. When at last people understand the source of their agony and alienation, their oppression and repression, they find ways to change things that were undreamed of before.