LGBT Tax Day Demonstration Shut Down By Police

I recieved the following not from Christopher Hall, founder of C.A.R.E - Central Arizona Rainbow Equality. Christopher organized Casa Grande, Arizona's first LGBT event just a few weeks ago. He also organized the protest today which was designed to bring attention to the fact that LGBT people pay an average of $1,000 on their taxes by not being allowed to marry. Protests like this were held all over the country today and organized by Marriage Equality USA, Join the Impact, and the Human Rights Campaign.

I received the following email from Christopher regarding the protest

Today the Casa Grande Police Department broke up our demonstration.

Officer B. Walsh and his accomplice, who would not provide her name, informed us that our flag was not to be flown anywhere within the city of Casa Grande. Dana who was the owner of the flag, was threated to be arrested if it were flown again.

We were told that it was obstructing the view of the road for some individuals. We were more than willing to work with them. We had asked where we could stand and they said we could not stand anywhere.

Funny thing is, I had talked to the city and they said as long as we were on the sidewalk or 7 feet from it, there should not be a problem. Apparently there was. When I first confronted the police about the issue, they told me to get in touch with the city. Even though I did, they still enforced their "policy" and were hesitant to work with us in any way.

Another form of injustice happened when they took down the gay people's information, but none of the straight people had to provide the police with their ssn, date of birth, photo id, etc. The gay population on the other hand had to.

With future events such as the right to save rally, we need your help to make sure this does not happen again. Please help us in figuring out how to deal with this situation. If you have any ideas, please feel free to let me know asap.

I already talked to the on duty supervisor tonight, and I took a witness with me. I also plan to talk to the chief and commander for the police department sometime tomorrow. Please help me. This is not right and something needs to be done.

Since this email the ACLU and Lambda Legal have been told about the incedent and asked to give assistance. Also, the Attorney General's office has been made aware of the actions to shut the protest down.

I will be updating this story when more information comes in. In the meantime if you would like to tell the police department how you feel you can contact Commander Scott Sjervern - Casa Grande P.D. at (520) 421-8700.

Also you can contact Bob Jackson - Mayor of Casa Grande, AZ at (520) 421-8600.

UPDATE
The following are statements from the Casa Grande Police Department obtained from azcentral.com

A statement issued Thursday afternoon by Casa Grande police Chief Robert Huddleston said the department is working to determine whether Walsh acted inappropriately and, if so, will take steps to correct issues.

Chief Huddleston said, "The Casa Grande Police Department will continue to work with this and any other citizen group to respect their right to assemble and demonstrate in a safe manner. We apologize for any inconvenience or misunderstanding, and look forward to the completion of the investigation."

To read the full article on azcentral.com go here.

LGBT People To Hold Tax Day Events Across Country

As tax day approaches it provides another reminder of the discrimination LGBT people face on a day to day basis. When Prop 8 passed rock star Melissa Etheridge made a statement that she would not pay her California taxes this year. She felt since her right to marry was taken away and she was being treated as a second class citizen then why should she be expected to pay.

Well I don't know if Etheridge plans to follow through on that statement but for most of us we can't afford the legal consequences of that type of protest. But we can hang out near post offices while others are dropping off their taxes. The following media alert was released to announce events all across the country.

Tax Season Serves as a Reminder How the “Defense of Marriage Act” Harms Same-Sex Couples and Costs Taxpayers Billions of Dollars

Take action by visiting www.taxday2009.com

WASHINGTON – As millions of Americans file their income taxes, a coalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy groups call attention to the tax inequities facing same-sex couples as a result of the state and federal laws that refuse to  recognize or extend civil marriage protections to same-sex couples.  Marriage Equality USA, Join the Impact and the Human Rights Campaign have collectively organized a series of events at U. S. Post Offices across the nation to highlight the ongoing moral and financial costs of denying marriage equality to same-sex couples—as well as the consequences paid by all Americans as a result of these discriminatory state and federal laws.

“Each tax season, same-sex couples sit at their dining room tables and are forced to live a legal lie by checking ‘single’ despite their decades together and then arbitrarily dividing up their joint household’s income, expenses, and dependents,” said Molly McKay, Marriage Equality USA Media Director.  “Then we write checks to the IRS for social security taxes, knowing that when we die our families will not even have access to any of the family ‘safety net’ benefits provided in the form of social security survivor benefits, estate tax deferral, and other programs that we help fund through our tax dollars and that only heterosexual couples and their children will enjoy.”

“The tax inequities faced by loving, committed same-sex couples make them less able to care for each other and their families,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.  “Even same-sex couples in states that do legally recognize their unions are penalized by the federal government simply for building a family with the person they love.  This is an injustice that can and must end.”

“Whether couples are married, civil unioned or have no state protections under state law, all same-sex couples in the United States are treated as ‘single’ under federal law.  The U.S. Census has declared that they will not recognize married same-sex couples as “married” in the 2010 Census.  We cannot allow our community to be erased,” said Amy Balliett, co-founder of Join the Impact.  “Tax season is yet another time where same-sex couples are reminded that despite abiding by the requirements of American citizenship by paying our taxes, we are still are treated as second class citizens.”  

A study produced by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) debunks the myth that granting same-sex couples the freedom to marry would cost the government money. In fact, it would save taxpayer dollars.  Same-sex couples are not the only ones paying for marriage discrimination, all taxpayers fund this discrimination which amounts to as much as $1 billion nationwide. To read the CBO study, visit www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=5559&sequence=0.

Founded in 1998, Marriage Equality USA is a national grassroots organization whose mission is to secure legally recognized civil marriage equality for all, at the federal and state level, without regard to gender identity or sexual orientation .  For more information go to www.marriageequality.org

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Join the Impact is a national grassroots organization whose mission is to empower grassroots direct action across the nation.  For more information go to www.jointheimpact.com