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Plans for Nationwide Anti-Trump Tax Day Protests Gain Momentum
While President Donald Trump insists people "don't care" about his tax returns, marches nationwide on April 15 will demonstrate otherwise
Feb 16, 2017
From New York to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. to Little Rock, Arkansas, protesters will take to the streets on Saturday, April 15 to show President Donald Trump that the American public does, in fact, care about his tax returns.
Trump and his associates have repeatedly claimed that people "don't care" about the returns--a claim that has been disproved multiple times over. On April 15, the demonstration of interest will be hard to miss, with marches and rallies planned to take place in the nation's capitol and 60 additional cities nationwide.
As Common Dreams reported, the idea grew out of a collection of tweets in the wake of January's global women's marches.
"It's fitting that at least one Trump-related march started out as a series of angry tweets," Frank Lesser, a comedy writer who was among the first to post about the protest idea, said in an emailed statement to the Huffington Post.
Now, Politico reports:
Leaders from January's women's marches are joining with a constellation of liberal groups, including MoveOn.org, the American Federation of Teachers, and Our Revolution--the organization built from the skeleton of Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign--to bring together marchers to walk from the U.S. Capitol to the White House, passing both Trump's hotel and the IRS building.
Other groups reportedly helping organize the April 15 protest include the Indivisible Project, Americans For Tax Fairness, and the Center for Popular Democracy.
"Until we see his taxes, we don't know how much money he owes Russia, China, and other countries," MoveOn.org Washington director Ben Wikler told Politico. "If Trump won't voluntarily release his taxes, Congress must force him to do it, as a matter of moral urgency, constitutional necessity, and national security."
"The Tax March will demonstrate the intensity of the public's demands for answers about just what it is that Donald Trump is so determined to hide," Wikler said, "while highlighting the profound inequality encoded in our rigged tax system--which Trump has exploited for years, and which would only be made worse by his policies."
The Tax March website lists many other local marches happening in more than two dozen states.
"On the campaign trail, Donald Trump lied by saying he would release his tax returns upon the completion of the IRS audit," said Brian Eisold, rally organizer for the Milwaukee Tax Day event. "We the People of Milwaukee intend to hold him accountable in the name of transparency and good governance."
Just this week, Republicans blocked an attempt by Democratic members of Congress to obtain Trump's tax records.
Watch for developments under the hashtag #TaxMarch:
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
From New York to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. to Little Rock, Arkansas, protesters will take to the streets on Saturday, April 15 to show President Donald Trump that the American public does, in fact, care about his tax returns.
Trump and his associates have repeatedly claimed that people "don't care" about the returns--a claim that has been disproved multiple times over. On April 15, the demonstration of interest will be hard to miss, with marches and rallies planned to take place in the nation's capitol and 60 additional cities nationwide.
As Common Dreams reported, the idea grew out of a collection of tweets in the wake of January's global women's marches.
"It's fitting that at least one Trump-related march started out as a series of angry tweets," Frank Lesser, a comedy writer who was among the first to post about the protest idea, said in an emailed statement to the Huffington Post.
Now, Politico reports:
Leaders from January's women's marches are joining with a constellation of liberal groups, including MoveOn.org, the American Federation of Teachers, and Our Revolution--the organization built from the skeleton of Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign--to bring together marchers to walk from the U.S. Capitol to the White House, passing both Trump's hotel and the IRS building.
Other groups reportedly helping organize the April 15 protest include the Indivisible Project, Americans For Tax Fairness, and the Center for Popular Democracy.
"Until we see his taxes, we don't know how much money he owes Russia, China, and other countries," MoveOn.org Washington director Ben Wikler told Politico. "If Trump won't voluntarily release his taxes, Congress must force him to do it, as a matter of moral urgency, constitutional necessity, and national security."
"The Tax March will demonstrate the intensity of the public's demands for answers about just what it is that Donald Trump is so determined to hide," Wikler said, "while highlighting the profound inequality encoded in our rigged tax system--which Trump has exploited for years, and which would only be made worse by his policies."
The Tax March website lists many other local marches happening in more than two dozen states.
"On the campaign trail, Donald Trump lied by saying he would release his tax returns upon the completion of the IRS audit," said Brian Eisold, rally organizer for the Milwaukee Tax Day event. "We the People of Milwaukee intend to hold him accountable in the name of transparency and good governance."
Just this week, Republicans blocked an attempt by Democratic members of Congress to obtain Trump's tax records.
Watch for developments under the hashtag #TaxMarch:
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
From New York to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. to Little Rock, Arkansas, protesters will take to the streets on Saturday, April 15 to show President Donald Trump that the American public does, in fact, care about his tax returns.
Trump and his associates have repeatedly claimed that people "don't care" about the returns--a claim that has been disproved multiple times over. On April 15, the demonstration of interest will be hard to miss, with marches and rallies planned to take place in the nation's capitol and 60 additional cities nationwide.
As Common Dreams reported, the idea grew out of a collection of tweets in the wake of January's global women's marches.
"It's fitting that at least one Trump-related march started out as a series of angry tweets," Frank Lesser, a comedy writer who was among the first to post about the protest idea, said in an emailed statement to the Huffington Post.
Now, Politico reports:
Leaders from January's women's marches are joining with a constellation of liberal groups, including MoveOn.org, the American Federation of Teachers, and Our Revolution--the organization built from the skeleton of Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign--to bring together marchers to walk from the U.S. Capitol to the White House, passing both Trump's hotel and the IRS building.
Other groups reportedly helping organize the April 15 protest include the Indivisible Project, Americans For Tax Fairness, and the Center for Popular Democracy.
"Until we see his taxes, we don't know how much money he owes Russia, China, and other countries," MoveOn.org Washington director Ben Wikler told Politico. "If Trump won't voluntarily release his taxes, Congress must force him to do it, as a matter of moral urgency, constitutional necessity, and national security."
"The Tax March will demonstrate the intensity of the public's demands for answers about just what it is that Donald Trump is so determined to hide," Wikler said, "while highlighting the profound inequality encoded in our rigged tax system--which Trump has exploited for years, and which would only be made worse by his policies."
The Tax March website lists many other local marches happening in more than two dozen states.
"On the campaign trail, Donald Trump lied by saying he would release his tax returns upon the completion of the IRS audit," said Brian Eisold, rally organizer for the Milwaukee Tax Day event. "We the People of Milwaukee intend to hold him accountable in the name of transparency and good governance."
Just this week, Republicans blocked an attempt by Democratic members of Congress to obtain Trump's tax records.
Watch for developments under the hashtag #TaxMarch:
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