US Uncut

Hey Uncutters,

Have you been to Madison, Wisconsin recently? Its an amazing town.

Everywhere you turn in Madison, you're surrounded by people who are overcome with righteous passion for a just cause. You'll see "SOLIDARITY" banners in storefront windows. Artists on sidewalks all along State street protest the Walker regime with creative displays. College students are out in the streets wearing red shirts, talking excitedly about the good fight. Colorful chalk drawings cover the area around the state capitol, where passersby are offered a bullhorn by a young dude named Miles, who encourages people to freely speak their mind about the Walker administration and the painful cuts everyone faces.

Cars driving by honk out the this-is-what-democracy-looks-like rhythm as they pass protesters. Musicians plug in amplifiers and beat on drums on the capitol grounds as activists and locals mingle with one another, talking excitedly about recalling the politicians that let them down.

Even the cops are sympathetic to the protesters. Madison is a city that has embraced public demonstrations as a way of life. It is a city united by a cause, where everyone has a stake, and where everyone is engaged, involved and paying attention.

I want everyone to embrace the spirit of Madison, and spread it around in their own city. How do we do that? Easy.

Take a lunch break against tax breaks.

Simply put, find time each day to make a scene at any local branch of any of our national targets. Make action a part of your daily routine. Every time you protest at a BofA branch, no matter how small the protest is, they have to report it. I'm pretty sure the policy is the same for other corporations. Try some of these suggestions:

1. Go to Bank of America with a few friends, or even just you, break a dollar into quarters, and then announce to everyone that these quarters are more than Bank of America paid in federal taxes over the last two years. Tell everyone that while we're firing cops and giving teachers pink slips because there's no tax revenue, billionaire banks are running off with our money and not paying any of it back.

2. Go to a Verizon store, talking on your cellphone as you enter. Announce loudly that everyone has paid more in taxes on their last phone bill than Verizon has in two years. ("Can you hear me now, Verizon? Pay your taxes!) Verizon paid $0 in taxes on $12 billion in earnings since 2009, and still spent $34 million lobbying Congress for more tax loopholes. Ask folks in the store if they think their phone company should pay taxes like their customers do.

3. Walk into a FedEx. If you have an online device, cue up a fun song and play it as you enter (I suggest the Rocky theme song, myself). Remind folks that while FedEx paid almost 0% in taxes last year, we're cutting funds for job training and schools. Ask openly if anyone thinks a teacher in your state who lost their job to cuts could still be working if FedEx paid taxes.

Feel free to do this until private security asks you to leave, or until police officers (who actually have authority to do something) ask you to leave. Whatever is most comfortable for you. When you're done, I guarantee you your adrenaline levels will be higher, you'll have a smile on your face, and you'll get some cheers and applause from bystanders.

Your action will inspire others. Don't question yourself- just do it. Have fun, take pictures, and share them with all of us here.

Make protesting a part of your daily routine. Take a lunch break against tax breaks and spread the spirit of Madison in your own community!

See you in the streets.

Solidarity,
CG

On Tax Day weekend, a two-month old grassroots organization called US Uncut used a little humor, fun and creativity to dominate the media narrative about taxes. Local US Uncut organizers from Fayetteville, Arkansas to Boston, Massachusetts; from Seattle, Washington to Jackson, Mississippi; from New York, New York to Los Angeles, California; from Portland, Oregon to Orlando, Florida- all participated in the largest collective protest against corporate tax cheats in American history.

This wasn't done merely with signs and banners- we had zombies in Arkansas. The Paul Revere ride anniversary in Boston was accompanied by the call, "The cuts are coming! The cuts are coming!" In Chicago, "billionaires" walked an elephant and a donkey on a leash through the streets. At Union Station in Washington, DC, a bestselling British author signed free copies of his book, Treasure Islands, about offshore tax haven abuse at a Verizon store in the midst of pirates, drumming and dancing.

While the network pundits didn't spend a lot of time talking about US Uncut, they did spend a lot of time talking about what corporate tax cheats are costing our country by avoiding their fair share of taxes. And for the first time on Tax Day, there was a nationwide movement of Americans who were staging protests against tax evasion, instead of taxes in general. US Uncut took the streets on Tax Day. And in doing so, we took the narrative with us. From April 15th to April 18th, US Uncut won the day. This was our first key victory.

And I don't know about you, but I didn't once hear the phrase "tea party" mentioned in the news or around me in person.

Now, the public knows who we are and what we stand for. Expect people to ask you about US Uncut as more local actions take place. Expect your local cops to give you fist bumps as you hoist a "STOP THE CUTS- MAKE THEM PAY" poster. Expect a lot of curious questions about US Uncut from your family and friends.

The fight has just begun, and there's plenty of ground to cover. But we should all be proud of what we've done. We've already accomplished more in two months than many action-based organizations have in years. Push on, and keep fighting.

Solidarity,
CG

Blair Fitzgibbon 202-503-6141 blair@fitzgibbonmedia.com

Carl Gibson 601-454-6443 usuncut@gmail.com

Joanne Gifford 707-758-1699 worksalot2@me.com

Ryan Clayton 202-656-2116 uncutclayton@gmail.com

Duncan Meisel 512-657-9124 duncan.meisel@gmail.com

Grassroots Movement Ties Cuts in Public Services to Corporate Tax Cheats

New York, NY – In the wake of a satirical media prank on GE with help from the Yes Men, US Uncut is planning a weekend of nearly 100 Tax Day actions between April 15th and April 18th. The group makes a direct connection between recently announced budget cuts and a corporate culture of tax evasion.

“Why are we cutting $400 million from local law enforcement funding, while corporations like GE, Verizon, Bank of America, and FedEx continue to get away with not paying any taxes year after year?” asked Carl Gibson of US Uncut Mississippi, “If GE alone paid their fair share of taxes, then we could ‘uncut’ nearly $2 billion in job training programs. Do we want good jobs in America or do we want tax cheats?”

While millions of Americans pay their taxes this weekend, many have begun to wonder why those who profit most off a system of public services in America pay so little to maintain it. In fact, the Government Accountability Office reports that 83 of the top 100 US companies use tax havens to dodge taxes.

“This weekend will be the largest protest against corporate tax cheats in American history. This is the next wave of tax protest in America,” said US Uncut NYC spokesperson Duncan Meisel, “Citizens in nearly 100 cities are taking to the streets to demand that corporate tax cheats stop bankrupting America.”

In Washington D.C., local organizers are holding a “guerilla book signing” at a corporate storefront with soon-to-be bestselling author Nick Shaxson, who recently wrote Treasure Islands: Uncovering the Damage of Offshore Banking & Tax Havens. On April 18th, the anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride, local Boston activists are holding a March for Common Sense with the rallying cry: “The Cuts are coming! The Cuts are coming!”

Organized primarily through social media, citizens in nearly 100 cities across America have organized events at corporate storefronts to take creative action on a weekend most Americans dread. Holding signs that say “Tax Cheat”, “Uncut US”, and “Chop from the Top, Not from Mom & Pop”, activists from previous actions appear to be a fun mix of soccer moms, college kids, and social security recipients.

“I’m a veteran that’s been unemployed for over 99 months now, and on the same day I heard about GE’s tax evasion, I got a letter saying my VA benefits were being reduced,” said unemployed veteran and US Uncut supporter Earl James, “Why not invest in jobs for veterans and VA benefits for those who served instead of letting tax cheats like GE’s Jeffrey Immelt get away with cheating our country?"

"There's hay in the barn, but we're not feeding the horses," said Gibson, "This isn't a spending problem – it’s a revenue problem. Two-thirds of US corporations routinely get away with not paying any taxes at all, while the rest of us do our American duty and pay our fair share.”

US Uncut is a decentralized grassroots movement organized through social media that connects corporate tax cheats to public service cuts. Over the upcoming Tax Day weekend, US Uncut will hold a record 100 events.

For more information, please visit: http://USuncut.org

For pictures and video of previous actions, please see: http://USuncut.org/actions