Civil Disobedience In Oregon For Healthcare

Progressive Democrats of America, along with Black Agenda Report, Code Pink, and AfterDowningStreet.org, has endorsed a pro-single payer campaign of civil disobedience called the Mobilization for Health Care for All, initiated by Healthcare-NOW!. the Center for the Working Poor, and Prosperity Agenda. The campaign is targeting health insurance companies under the theme "Patients Not Profits!" For more details on the campaign and for useful packets of information see the Mobilization's website at www.mobilizeforhealthcare.org.

So far there has been a sit-in and arrests in New York at Aetna on October 1 and in Chicago at Cigna on October 8.

Actions including one in Portland are planned for 10 or more cities around the country on Thursday October 15. Anyone interested in participating in the Portland action, either as someone risking arrest, or as a support demonstrator in a legal demonstration, or in other ways can send me an e-mail at pdaoregon@igc.org and I will make sure you get information about when the c.d. training will occur and other information. If the dates for the training or action this time are not convenient, the Mobilization is planning further demonstrations after the 15th so there will be other opportunities.

For other parts of Oregon, there may be an action in Medford, though it may occur in a subsequent wave of the campaign. There is identified leadership there and people in southwest Oregon who would like to take part are encouraged to sign up at the Mobilization website. There is also a small nucleus of interest in the Eugene area but no identified leadership known to me there as of this writing. Again, interested persons are encouraged to sign up at the national Mobilization website. If anyone is willing to step up and take point on organizing a Eugene area action, contact Julia Willis at organize@mobilizeforhealthcare.org (you could cc me too and I will make sure it gets followed up).

Chris Lowe
PDO state coordinator
503 788 2543