National Anti-Drone Group Calls for April Protests

A coalition of peace and justice groups -- the Network to Stop Drone Surveillance and Warfare (NSDSW) -- has made a call for national protests against drones in April, 2013. The "April Days" include events in dozens of cities nationwide, as well as a range of ways for people to participate wherever they are. (Read more about the continuation of this campaign: Summer Days Against Drones .)

April Days of Action nationwide

ACTIONS NATIONWIDE

Dozens of actions have been planned nationwide, and new events are being added daily. Events are planned for Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Dayton, Ft. Wayne, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Seattle, Tucson, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Honolulu, as well as in dozens of other locations, including many of the communities that host the estimated 100 drone basing sites in the U.S.

See the full list of vigils, protests, lectures, and other actions that are part of the April Days nationwide.

#AprilDays on Twitter

 #APRILDAYS ON TWITTER

As part of the April Days of Action Against Drones, anti-drones activists will be tweeting throughout the month, using the hashtags #AprilDays and #nodrones.

Read about how you can be part of the #ApilDays campaign on Twitter.

The "No Drones" bible

"NO DRONES!" EDUCATION

The April Days of Action Against Drones is just the beginning of an intensive campaign to educate people nationwide about the menace of drone surveillance and drone killing.

Through books, videos, studies, and a host of other resources, people will be learning -- and teaching -- about drones and how to bring an end to their use.

Read more about education tools YOU can start using TODAY!




LOCAL REGULATION

Drone bases across the country

The April Days of Action Against Drones are coinciding with a groundswell in local efforts to control or ban drones.

Major drivers in the move to ban drone use at the local level are (a) acquisition of drones by local sheriff and other law enforcement departments; and (b) the Department of Defense (DoD) plan to base drones in over 100 locations nationwide.

Read more about the movement to regulate drones on a local level.



FAITH GROUPS RESPOND

Chicago die-in

A vital group of allies in the April Days of Action Against Drones in city after city have been faith-based groups. Indeed, faith-based groups are longstanding stalwarts in the antiwar movement, and a growing number of faith groups are entering the struggle for human rights, peace, and justice.

Group letters, blogs, vigils, and denominational resolutions have all been part of the faith response to drones so far.

Nonetheless, there is much, much more work for the faith community to do in addressing the problem of drones.

Read more about how the faith community is getting involved in the problem of drones.



WILL POLITICIANS WAKE UP?

Drones caucus members

A big problem is that U.S. congressmen have been convinced that (a) the American people support the President's campaign of drone killing, and (b) drones are good for the economy. Many of them participate in the drones caucus in Congress, a.k.a the "Unmanned Systems Caucus."

The "April Days" should start to make members of Congress question these assumptions.

Maybe 2013 will be the year that members of Congress will realize they can no longer hide from the drones issue, and from their larger responsibility to control U.S. militarism.

Read more about the work people are doing to get Congress to do their job and stop the drones!

Drones Quilt Project

APRIL DAYS EVERYWHERE!

There are actions happening all over the country during the April Days. But no matter where you are, you can be actively involved in the movement to resist drone surveillance and drone killing.

Through a diverse range of activities -- dramatic productions, the Drone Quilt Project, poetry, postcard projects, and more -- people are contributing to this massive, world-changing effort.

Read more about ways you can resist drones wherever you are.



APRIL DAYS IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA

Breaking news in The Guardian

The April Days were off and running when the Guardian reported on March 27:

Military bases, universities and companies involved in Barack Obama's drones programme are to be targeted in a month-long series of protests by activists keen to build on the renewed public focus over the president's controversial policy.

Dubbed "April Days of Action" by participants, organisers are hoping to capitalise on a series of recent controversies that have thrust the use of drones – especially when it comes to targeted killings of suspected terrorists – into the heart of American political debate.

Read all the press coverage of the April Days of Action Against Drones.


VOLUNTEER

A vitally important part of the April Days is the development of a strong anti-drones, antiwar movement. That means organizing.

Reach out to activists in your area and make a commitment of time, energy, and imagination.

Need help getting connected? Use the No Drones Network volunteer form and we'll put you in touch with organizers in your state.


MORE ABOUT THE APRIL DAYS

The April Days of Action Against Drones arose out of a call by the Network to Stop Drone Surveillance and Warfare (NSDSW) for a month of action during April, 2013, including protests against drone manufacturing, drone research and/or training of drone pilots at colleges and universities, and drone bases.

April Days of Action Against Drones: HIGHLIGHTS!

The April Days of Action Against Drones have been imaginative, colorful, powerful, and inspiring!

We're encouraging people to look through the images below, and click through to learn more about the ones that you want to know more about. We hope you'll look at them all! And we'll be keeping an eye on which pages get the most views, so please share your favorites widely!

And when you're done: get in touch with your local "no drones" group and get involved!

SAN DIEGO: Not your grandmother's antiwar movement!

CHICAGO: April 6 Street theater protests Boeing's newest killer drone.

BOSTON: April 6 "Drone Death Walk"

NEW HAMPSHIRE: April 5 Protest at Elbit Systems

SACRAMENTO: Tapestry depicting children killed by U.S. drone strikes.

SEATTLE: home to Boeing and hotbed of drone development and production.

TUCSON: Dawn protest at Raytheon on Tax Day.

AUSTIN: UT rally against drones.

WHITEMAN AFB, MISSOURI: Strong VFP presence at protest.

FT. WAYNE: Union counter-protesters came out
against anti-drone protest at BAE Systems!

FT. BRAGG, NC: Protest organized by Quaker House.

MCLEAN VA: Protesters at CIA Headquarters.

WASHINGTON DC: Protest at the White House.

TALLAHASSEE: Broad coalition against drones at FSU.

GAINESVILLE: In "Pin the Drones," UF students in the
Plaza of the Americas were challenged to find a country
that the U.S. had not invaded bombed, or occupied within
the last 10 years. This proved a difficult task.

April Days Against Drones Actions in Cities Nationwide

In response to a call for national protests against drones in April, 2013, dozens of actions have been planned nationwide, and new events are being added daily.

Full event list on the Know Drones website

To date, actions and events have been listed in these locations:

EAST COAST

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Washington (ANSWER Coalition March and Rally at the White House), Washington (Cato "New Way of War" forum)
FLORIDA: Gainesville, Tallahassee
GEORGIA: Atlanta
MAINE: Brunswick
MARYLAND: Baltimore, Towson
MASSACHUSETTS: Boston
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Merrimack
NEW JERSEY: Pompton Plains
NEW YORK: Greenlawn, New Paltz, New York City, Port Jefferson, Rochester, Syracuse
NORTH CAROLINA: Fayetteville
PENNSYLVANIA: King of Prussia, Philadelphia
TENNESSEE - Nashville
VIRGINIA - McLean (CIA Headquarters)

MIDWEST

ILLINOIS: Carbondale, Chicago (The Predator performance), Chicago (protest Boeing killer drone program), Palatine
INDIANA: Ft. Wayne, Terre Haute
IOWA: Des Moines
MICHIGAN: Battle Creek
MINNESOTA: Minneapolis
MISSOURI: Whiteman Air Force Base, St. Louis
OHIO: Dayton
WISCONSIN: Eagle River, Janesville, Madison, Milwaukee, Mt. Pleasant, Volk Field

TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST

ARIZONA: Tucson, Douglas
NEW MEXICO: Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos
TEXAS: Austin

WEST COAST

CALIFORNIA: multi-day action in San Diego (including associated events in La Jolla and Poway), plus Linda (Occupy Beale AFB), Sacramento, San Francisco (April 3 and April 13 protests), Studio City
COLORADO: Denver
HAWAII: Honolulu, Pohakuloa, Wahiawa
NEVADA: Creech Air Force Base
WASHINGTON: Seattle

CANADA

BRITISH COLUMBIA: Vancouver

UNITED KINGDOM

Horsham: Drone Free Horsham

GERMANY

VARIOUS CITIES: Berlin, Bremen, Essen, Munich, Stuttgart, Trier


For additional information -- and to list your event -- go to the full, up-to-date list of anti-drone initiatives.

Read about ALL the ways YOU can be involved 

in the April Days of Action Against Drones!

#AprilDays Against #Drones On Twitter

NEW! #APRILDAYS #SYRACUSE HASHTAG

Join us to promote the major convergence happening April 26-28 in Syracuse, NY.

Here are some Twitter addresses for speakers and other participants:

Kevin Zeese (ClearingTheFog Radio) @KBZeese @ClearFOGMedia
Col. Ann Wright @AnnWright46
Nick Mottern (KnowDrones) @KnowDrones
Mark Johnson (FOR) @FORPeace
Debra Sweet (WCW) @dsweetwcw @worldcantwait
Rafia Zakaria (AI) @rafiazakaria

And Twitter addresses for event supporters:

ANSWER Coalition @ANSWERcoalition
Band of Rebels, Rochester @Band_of_Rebels
Bill of Rights Defense Committee @BORDC
Brooklyn for Peace @brooklyn4peace
Christian Peacemaker Team @cptchicago
CODEPINK @CodePink
Commission on Peace and Justice, Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany @PeaceJustice1
Cynthia McKinney @cynthiamckinney
JustForeignPolicy.com @justfp
KnowDrones.com @KnowDrones
Metro Justice of Rochester @MetroJustice
New York City War Resistor’s League @resistwar
Occupy Albany @occupy_albany
Pax Christi USA @PaxChristi
Peace Action New York @PeaceActionNY
Peace Action (National) @PeaceAction
Syracuse Peace Council @syracuse_peace
Voices for Creative NonViolence @info_from_vcnv
WarIsACrime.org @davidcnswanson
Western NY Peace Center @WNYPeaceCenter
World Can't Wait @worldcantwait

Read more about Resisting Drones, Global War and Empire: A Convergence to Action!


#APRILDAYS HASHTAG

As part of the April Days of Action Against Drones, anti-drones activists have been tweeting throughout the month, using the hashtags #aprildays and #nodrones.

#APRILDAYS ACCOUNTS TO FOLLOW

Please follow and retweet the accounts of these April Days coordinators:

@KnowDrones
@CodePink
@NoDronesNetwork
@WorldCantWait
@Antiwar2
@jslives
@thedronalisa
@leilaFORpeace
@info_from_vcnv
@amanimtu
@davidcnswanson

And all the other state accounts:

California: @SDCPJ
Florida: @NoDronesFL
Illinois: @NoDronesIL
Maryland: @NoDronesMD
Michigan: @NoDronesMI
Minnesota: @WAMMWoman
Missouri: @NoDronesMO
Nevada: @NVDesertExp
New Jersey: @NoDronesNJ
North Carolina: @NoDronesNC
Ohio: @NoDronesOH
Oklahoma: @NoDronesOK
Pennsylvania: @NoDronesPA
Texas: @NoDronesTX
Virginia: @NoDronesVA
Wisconsin: @NoDronesWI

#NODRONES TUESDAYS

Every TUESDAY there will be an intensive focus on promoting the April actions in cities across the country.

When there's important news, Twitter is a great way to get the word out:

Read about ALL the ways YOU can be involved 

in the April Days of Action Against Drones!

April Days Kicks Off Education Effort On Drones

The April Days of Action Against Drones is just the beginning of an intensive campaign to educate people nationwide about the menace of drone surveillance and drone killing.


Medea Benjamin: DRONE WARFARE

A vital tool in the campaign to educate people about drones in Medea Benjamin's book, Drone Warfare: Killing By Remote Control.

''In this remarkably cogent and carefully researched book, Medea Benjamin makes it clear that drones are not just another high-tech military trinket. Drone Warfare sketches out the nightmare possibilities posed by this insane proliferation.'' --Barbara Ehrenreich, New York Times bestselling author

''Activist extraordinaire Medea Benjamin has documented how the US government's use of drones to murder hundreds of innocent civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen has increased the danger to our national security. Benjamin's Drone Warfare is the first book that reveals the vocal international citizen opposition that challenges the legality and morality of America's extrajudicial execution drones before they kill here at home.'' --Ann Wright, US Army colonel (Ret.)


VIDEO

A series of very useful videos are being provided on Youtube by KnowDrones, as part of their Drones and Global Conflict Education Series.

Drones, Jobs and Green Industry - Interview with economist Bob Pollin on the jobs benefits of not spending tax money on military projects, and where we must go in green industry.

Resource Realities and War - Interview with Michael T. Klare, about the ways in which the competition for resources is leading to continuing wars, and the necessity to develop alternative, renewable energy and materials.




SPEAKERS

A growing body of speakers with first-hand experience in the problem of drones is playing an important role in local education efforts.

In September, 2012, a Code Pink delegation traveled to Pakistan, and many of the participants are now available as speakers. (Read the excellent multi-part report by JoAnne Lingle on the Code Pink Pakistan delegation for more on this.)

There are also numerous speakers available through Voices for Creative Nonviolence delegations to Afghanistan.


DATA

The availability of carefully-researched statistics on drone strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and other countries has been vital to educating the public about the threat of drones. The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism's drone reporting forms the key resource being used by everyone in the anti-drones movement.

A related resource is this visualization of drone strikes.






ART

People throughout the country have learned about the problem of drones through the traveling art exhibition commissioned by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), "Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan."

"Windows and Mirrors" is part of a growing body of anti-drones art that is playing an important role in the movement.











FILM

One of the most powerful ways to educate people about the problem of drones is through film.

View the trailer for the award-winning short film from Pakistan, The Other Side. A group viewing of The Other Side is an excellent way to build understanding in your community about drone use by the U.S. government abroad.

Read about ALL the ways YOU can be involved 

in the April Days of Action Against Drones!

April Days See Local Drone Controls and Bans Intensify

The April Days of Action Against Drones are coinciding with a groundswell in local efforts to control or ban drones.

Major drivers in the move to ban drone use at the local level are (a) acquisition of drones by local sheriff and other law enforcement departments; and (b) the Department of Defense (DoD) plan to base drones in over 100 locations nationwide.

DRONE BASES NATIONWIDE

You can see state-by-state summaries of the DoD plans on selected state No Drones sites:

CALIFORNIA: Count of California Drone Bases Tops National List
FLORIDA: Bristling with Drone Bases
MARYLAND: Drone Experience A Harbinger for U.S.A.?
NORTH CAROLINA: First in Flight? Or First in Drones?
TEXAS: Will Texas Skies Soon Be Full of Drones?
VIRGINIA: Six Drone Bases?
WASHINGTON STATE: State to Base Drones?

BORDC MODEL LEGISLATION

The Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) has released model drone legislation to assist local communities and states in the growing battle against domestic surveillance drones. BORDC worked with the organizers across the country who have been leading the opposition against rushed drone proliferation. The American Friends Service Committee, Alameda County Against Drones, the No Drones Network, and the Tenth Amendment Center all consulted on the language.

More background on the model legislation here.

Model legislation - fulltext, with annotations.

LOCAL LEGISLATION

A growing number of localities are passing ordinances or laws on drones:

ALABAMA Huntsville - Some residents against drone test sites coming to Huntsville

CALIFORNIA Ranco Mirage - California city to vote on banning drones

FLORIDA - Florida Senate Passes Anti-Drone Bill, 39-0

Hernando County / Tampa - Hernando commissioners turn down drone testing at airport

IDAHO - Idaho Restricts Drone Use by Police Agencies Amid Privacy Concerns

ILLINOIS - The Illinois Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act – Senate Bill 1587 – is designed to place modest guidelines on the use of this powerful technology. The bill, for example, would bar the arming of drones, except in certain emergencies. The bill also would curb how much information could be gathered by drones and require annual reporting to the public about the use of drones in Illinois. Act now: tell your state senators to regulate surveillance drones!

IOWA Burlington - pending ordinance to restirct drones

MINNESOTA St. Bonifacious - No drones over St. Bonifacius, says this small-town City Council

MISSOURI Statewide - Missouri House Endorses Ban On Drones, Critics Say It Goes Too Far

TENNESSEE - SB0796/HB0591, or the “Freedom from Unwanted Surveillance Act,” has passed both the Senate and the House, but continues to go through procedural modifications.

TEXAS

VIRGINIA Charlottesville - Charlottesville first city to pass aerial drone ban

WASHINGTON Seattle - Seattle Mayor Bans Police From Using Drones

Read about ALL the ways YOU can be involved 

in the April Days of Action Against Drones!

Faith-based Groups and the April Days of Action Against Drones

A vital group of allies in the April Days of Action Against Drones in city after city have been faith-based groups.

Indeed, faith-based groups like the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Pax Christi, American Friends Service Committee, 8th Day Center for Justice, and others are longstanding stalwarts in the antiwar movement. In recent years, the broad-based National Religious Coalition Against Torture has brought many additional members of the faith community into the struggle for human rights, peace, and justice.

Drone strike reenactment during Good Friday justice walk in Chicago.

Faith-based groups have sponsored a number of events during the April Days:

CHICAGO - Performance of The Predator, a play challenging the traditional Christian teaching about "just war."

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA - Good Friday Stations of Justice, Peace, and Nonviolent Resistance to Lockheed Martin, King of Prussia, PA

FT. BRAGG, NC - Quaker House vigil against drone base at Ft. Bragg.

In fact, a major letter on drones was released by faith leaders in the U.S. on Easter - March 31 - the eve of the "official" start of the April Days. On April 16, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) led a group of faith-based organizations in sending President Barack Obama a letter questioning the lethal use of drones..

In the past year, other moves have been made by the faith community to provoke a broad conversation on drones. Notably, the Episcopal and Methodist denominations have adopted resolutions about drones. This summer Medea Benjamin of Code Pink and the author Drone Warfare circulated a letter for faith-leaders regarding the lethal use of drones.

A blog, Awake to Drones, was begun to provide a diverse range of faith-based responses to drones.

There is much, much more work for the faith community to do in addressing the problem of drones. As Indiana peace activist Dave Lambert has said, "Dr King, at Riverside, said 'the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today (is) my own government.' It would be wonderful, in my estimation, if caring clergy and lay people could heed Dr. King’s message and speak out against the slaughter in the name of 'fighting terrorism.'"

Read about ALL the ways YOU can be involved 

in the April Days of Action Against Drones!