March 19: Direct Actions in Downtown SF

Multiple actions at multiple locations

7:30 am – 5 :00 pm – Meet at Market and Sansome to plug into actions throughout the day marches to multiple sites – led by the Brass Liberation Orchestra!7:30 am, 9:00 am and 11:00am – Bikes Not Bombs – Bikers leave Justin Herman Plaza at to support the day’s actions.

10:00am – Guerrilla Street Theater with legendary performer Keith Hennessy

11:00am – Words Against War, Market at Montgomery. City Lights Bookstore co-sponsors an anti-war read-out featuring Jack Hirschman, SF Poet Laureate; Guillermo Gómez-Peña, performance artist; Rebecca Solnit, author and activist; and MC James Kass of Youth Speaks.

5:00 pm – March & Rally to End the War Now! Gather at Civic Center Polk and Grove Sts. Initiated by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition – San Francisco – (read their call to action)

Important Info:

• • The National Lawyers Guild legal hotline for arrestees is 415-285-1011. View the Direct Action to Stop the War Legal website.
  • Join the March 19 DASW Text Mob to stay updated throughout the day:
    Send a text to 40404 with the words “follow dasw” (case sensitive, no quotation marks). Standard rates apply.
  • Catch live, from-the-street updates on your radio at 102.5 FM!
  • Print out the Direct Action Menu

On March 19, 2008 – the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq – Direct Action to Stop the War will be organizing a day of decentralized, multiple-target direct action against government offices and war profiteers in downtown San Francisco. We have created a list (which is below) of San Francisco offices of federal agencies, corporations with military contracts or contracts in Iraq, politicians who have failed to stop the war, and foreign embassies of countries linked to the war in Iraq. We are focusing primarily on corporations with military or Iraqi contracts, because we want to focus attention on the prominent role played by war-profiteering corporations in the U.S. occupation of Iraq. We will take direct action on March 19th against as many of these locations as possible, in order to send a clear message to the economic and political elites that control this country: No business as usual until all U.S. troops are withdrawn from Iraq!

Plug into the March 19th San Francisco Day of Direct Action:

1. Get together with a group of your friends and plan a direct action against a government or corporate office on March 19th.
2. There are many, many other vital roles you can play in this action. Please come to our next organizing meeting and plug in.
3. Take the day off work or school and meet up with us at Market & Sansome starting at 7:30am. Snake marches will be leaving Market & Sansome throughout the day, and going on “tours of shame” of the different war profiteers in downtown SF (and supporting the direct actions, which will be ongoing throughout the day).
4. Come to the next March 19th working group meeting. This is a meeting for folks who are interested in planning the action, coordinating the snake marches, and helping out with other logistical needs.

If you decide to plan an action, contact Adrian (adrianw [at] riseup.net) and tell him where and when your action will take place (so that he can let you know if someone else is planning on doing an action at that same location); anything you tell him will be strictly confidential.

Here’s some suggestions of what kinds of actions you could do at a corporate or government office (and, of course, you could always do more than one):

• *Blockade the entrance to the building.* (If you feel up to it, we’d strongly encourage you to try to do a blockade/occupation of some sort, and we’d be glad to help you out with planning and logistics. Email the March 19th working group at dasw.march19th [at] gmail.com to learn more.)
• Occupy their office by handcuffing yourselves to desks or doorways.
• Do a sit-in or die-in in their office.
• Do creative and attention-grabbing street theater outside, educating people about what that company is doing (we can help you do research on the company).
• Hang a banner from their building (again, we can help you out with that).
• Try to get into the company’s office and do a creative action (present a mock award, deliver a coffin, hold an impromptu ‘dance party for peace’…).

Or, you could do an action that isn’t specific to any single location – like altering billboards, or forming a roving bike brigade that pelts corporate offices with rotten vegetables, or anything else you can come up with! Basically, we would encourage you to be creative, come up with an anti-war action that excites you and your group, and then do it! And if you belong to a smaller group, you could always get together with other groups and do an action together. And, of course, we’re here to support you in any way we can. Email us at dasw.march19th [at] gmail.com if you need any specific support, or have any questions.

Direct Action Menu (Download PDF)

Direct Action to Stop the War
March 19, 2008

Gourmet Government Agencies:

San Francisco Federal Building
450 Golden Gate Ave.
(Nancy Pelosi’s office is on the 14th floor.)
Not on Map

New Federal Building
90 7th St.
Not on Map

U.S. Army Recruiting Office
670 Davis St.
Map Code: A

Export-Import Bank of the United States
250 Montgomery St.
Map Code: B

The Export-Import Bank – an arm of the U.S. government – has been heavily involved in Iraqi reconstruction contracts.

Palatable Politicians:

San Francisco Democratic Party
155 Sansome Street #520
Map Code: C

Dianne Feinstein’s office
1 Post St # 2450
Map Code: D

Crunchable Consulates

British Consulate-General (Suite 850) and Citigroup (Suite 2600)
1 Sansome St.
Map Code: G

Even after a large draw-down under Prime Minister Brown, Britain still has about 4500 troops in Iraq.

Citigroup is KBR’s banker. KBR is the largest recipient of Iraq contracts.

Consulate General of Israel
456 Montgomery St. #2100
Map Code: F

Irresistible Iraqi War Profiteers:

URS Corp. Headquarters and Carlyle Group office
Transamerica Pyramid
600 Montgomery St.
Map Code: 1

The Carlyle Group has been the leading private equity investor in military industries for more than a decade.

Bechtel Corp.
50 Beale St.
Map Code: 2

Bechtel had $5.4 billion in total military revenues 2003-2006 (26th biggest U.S. military contractor), and $2.3 billion in Iraq contracts 2003-2007. (Bechtel withdrew its Iraq operations in 2007.)

Chevron Energy Solutions
345 California St. # 18
Map Code: 3

Through the International Tax & Investment Center, Chevron has lobbied for the passage of the Iraqi Oil Law and the privatization of Iraq’s oil resources. Chevron execs also met with the Iraqi National Congress in 2002 to divide up Iraq’s oil reserves.

Parsons Corp.
50 Fremont Street, Suite 1500
Map Code: 4

Parsons had $5.87 billion in Iraq contracts.

AT&T
611 Folsom St.
Map Code: 5

AT&T had at least $1.12 billion in U.S. military revenues during 2004-7. In 2006, whistleblower Mark Klein alleged that in Room 641A of AT&T’s 611 Folsom facility, the NSAoperated an intercept facility, to monitor all data crossing the Internet.

Booz Allen Hamilton
101 California St # 3300
Map Code: 7

BAH had $7.75 billion in U.S. military contracts 2003-2006, making it the 17th biggest U.S. military contractor.

Farm-Fresh Financiers

Carlyle Group , Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley
555 California St., Floor 34
Map Code: 8

For Carlyle, see above.

Goldman Sachs is a major underwriter for KBR, the former Halliburton subsidiary that is the biggest Iraq contractor. Goldman Sachs contributed $390,600 to Bush’s campaign in 2004 (5th biggest contributor). Morgan Stanley is a major underwriter for URS, the 2nd biggest Iraq contractor (see above). Morgan Stanley contributed $600,480 to Bush’s campaign in 2004 (biggest contributor).

Blum Capital Partners
909 Montgomery St.
Map Code: 9

Blum Capital Partners owns 23.7% of URS Corp. (see above). Its owner, Richard Blum, is married to Dianne Feinstein; Blum sits on the board of URS and Perini, both of which have major contracts in Iraq.

Credit Suisse
650 California, 31st Floor
Map Code: 10

Credit Suisse is a major underwriter for Kellogg Brown & Root, the former Halliburton subsidiary that is the biggest Iraq contractor. Credit Suisse contributed $331,040 to Bush’s campaign in 2004 (7th biggest contributor).

Delectable News Media

NBC KNTV
848 Battery St.
Map Code: 11

NBC’s parent corporation, General Electric, had $14.6 billion in total military revenues during 2003-2006 (10th biggest U.S. military contractor), and $8.5 million in Iraq contracts during 2003-2006.

Fox News
901 Battery St.
Map Code: 12

Fox News blatantly advocated for the Iraq War, and essentially served as a propaganda mouthpiece for the Bush Administration.

(Download PDF)

A.N.S.W.E.R. Call to Action:

5 years of illegal occupation of Iraq
March & Rally to End the War Now!
Wed. March 19, 5pm
gather Civic Center, Polk and Grove Sts., SF

BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW
END COLONIAL OCCUPATION – IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, PALESTINE, HAITI
MONEY FOR JOBS, HOUSING, HEALTHCARE & SCHOOLS, NOT WAR
STOP U.S. INTERVENTION IN IRAN, VENEZUELA, CUBA, PHILIPPINES . . .
NO TO RACISM & ANTI-IMMIGRANT ATTACKS, DEFEND CIVIL LIBERTIES

March 19, 2008 will mark the fifth anniversary of the illegal, unjust and disastrous invasion of Iraq by the U.S. military. On March 19, 2003, as the bombing began, thousands of people joined a night march through the streets of San Francisco. On March 19, 2008, a day of resistance will culminate with an evening march from the Civic Center through a number of communities. We urge you to join the march and to help organize for it in your school, workplace, union, community or religious organization. Call the ANSWER Coalition at 415-821-6545 if you can help.

The Iraq war is the second longest in U.S. history. It has killed more than one million Iraqis and 4,000 U.S. troops. Hundreds of thousands more have been wounded. Nearly five million Iraqis have been made refugees by the war and occupation. Over a quarter of Iraq’s population has been killed, wounded or displaced. While Bush and the other hypocritical politicians talk endlessly about “supporting the troops,” tens of thousands of returning soldiers have life-altering wounds – both physical and psychological – and totally inadequate medical care and benefits. Many are already homeless.

The cost of the war is now running at more than $400 million per day, nearly $5,000 per second. Military-industrial corporations and the big banks are reaping huge profits, while millions of people go without healthcare, decent housing and jobs. Much of the country’s infrastructure – bridges, roads, water systems, schools, etc. — is falling apart. The same banks that are evicting millions of people from their homes are profiting from the war.

The vast majority of people want the war ended and ended now. And while some of the presidential candidates talk about ending the war, none of the leading Democratic or Republican candidates have any intention of getting out Iraq anytime soon.

The US political and military establishment, not just the neo-conservatives, is committed to dominating the Middle East and incorporating the region as part of a new US Empire. That is why both parties and the Pentagon brass compete with each other to see who can be most threatening toward the people of Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. New US wars and conflicts in the region are looming while more than 150,000 soldiers and marines continue to occupy Iraq.

The only thing that will stop the war machine is when the people of this country rise up. This is a war for Empire but it not our empire. The owners of Citibank, Exxon/Mobil, Chevron, Halliburton, Bechtel, Lockheed, Boeing, Ford and General Motors and the other corporate elites will profit from the Empire but it is not their sons and daughters who are sent to kill and be killed.

VOLUNTEER NOW! Call 415-821-6545 or for the East Bay, call 510-435-0844.