WAR RESISTERS LEAGUE - PORTLAND

The War Resisters League--Portland serves as a community resource on issues related to military service and military enlistment, the military draft and conscientious objection. We promote alternatives to militarism and military recruitment in local schools and, to that end, we engage in public education, community outreach, and the lobbying of public officials. We are an all-volunteer organization, and we charge no fees for our services. Of course, we gladly accept donations.

For more information about our services and current projects, please click on the "about" tab.
For information about war tax resistance, please click on the "resources" tab.

Up-coming and recent public education events:

TAX DAY PROTEST 2025--Tuesday, April 15th, 7:30 am to 9:00 am. We will be holding signs in "burma shave" style for morning commuters at the east end of the Burnside and Hawthorne bridges. (See examples on this page.) Please RSVP and let me know which bridge you prefer. 503-440-8325. This is a rain-or-shine event.
Report back: This year we were able to hold signs on just the Burnside Bridge due to issues beyond our control. We had good weather and a good response from morning commuters.

Sat. June 8, 2024 - 1:30 to 3:30 pm.
Join us in protesting militarism at the Rose Festival. We will meet at the Japanese Memorial in Waterfront Park, north of the Burnside Bridge.
We will be standing with signs and banners in opposition to the presence of Navy & Coast Guard warships and military recruiting booths. Join us in speaking out against this sad and senseless tradition.
We will have plenty of signs, but you can also bring your own if you wish.
This is a rain-or-shine event. Call 503-440-8325 for more information.

TAX DAY PROTEST--Monday, April 15th, 2024. Sign-holding on Portland Bridges. 7:30 to 9:00 am. Again this year.
Report Back: We had enough volunteer sign-holders to cover both the Hawthorne and Burnside bridges. Commuters who responded to our signs seemed mostly positive. This year, we focused on tax dollars going to support the genocide in Gaza.

Tuesday, May 7th - 5 pm at the Portland School District headquarters, 501 N Dixon St., Portland
Press conference & rally in opposition to a proposal to bring Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) to Portland High Schools. Speakers include representatives from: Veterans for Peace, About Face, War Resisters League, and PPS students.
The school board meeting begins at 6 pm, and a vote is expected on the JROTC proposal. It is necessary that we demonstrate strong community opposition to the JROTC proposal, so please show up if at all possible.
For more info: 503-440-8325.

Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 1:30 to 3:30 pm
Join us in protesting militarism at the Rose Festival. We will be holding signs protesting the presence of Navy and Coast Guard warships and military recruiting booths. Meet at Tom McCall Waterfront Parkway and Couch St. at the north end of the Fun Center. This is a rain or shine event. Signs will be provided, or bring your own sign related to this protest.

Our annual Tax Day Protest (see photo above) was held this year on April 18th (2023) on the Burnside and Hawthorne Bridges. We had 4 sign-holders on each bridge and two separate messages to the morning commuters. Both messages were about runaway military spending and the resulting lack of funding for human needs. It was cold, but we managed to dodge the rain.

The annual (except for the past 2 years) protest of Navy & Coast Guard ships and military recruiters at the Rose Festival is planned for Saturday, June 11th - 1pm to 3pm. Please send us an email at [email protected] if you are interested or need more information.
Report Back: We met at Tom McCall Waterfront Parkway and Couch St., near where military recruiters set up their booths and where the US Navy ships are parked along the seawall. There were approximately a dozen participants this year, and we held up signs large and small related to war and military spending, militarism at the Rose Festival, and counter-recruiting issues. The response ranged from supportive to indifferent, with only a few overtly negative comments or gestures.

TAX DAY PROTEST--Friday, April 15th, 2022. Sign-holding on Portland Bridges. 7:30 to 9:00 am. Again this year.
Report Back:  We covered two of the bridges this year, the Burnside & Hawthorne Bridges, with a total of 9 sign-holders. We got a mostly positive response from morning commuters, especially bicyclers on the Hawthorne Bridge.

TAX DAY PROTEST--Monday, May 17, 2021. Sign holding on Portland Bridges. 7:30 to 9:00 am.
Meet on the Hawthorne or Burnside bridge. Signage provided.
Our message will be about federal spending priorities and the military budget.
For more info, call 503-440-8325.

Sat. May 30th, 1:00 to 3:00 pm.
CAR CARAVAN with the message of encouraging high school seniors to choose other options besides military enlistment. Meet at the parking lot north of Westminster Presbyterian Church, NE 17th and Hancock, Portland (2 blocks north of NE Broadway). I will bring some signs, or bring your own, to fasten to our cars. Please R.S.V.P. by May 27th. (We will observe social distancing practices.) wrl.pdx@gmail

Report back: We had 5 cars in our caravan. Fortunately, the rain held off long enough for us to get the signage taped to our cars. We drove through parts of NE and SE Portland--from NE Grand to 82nd Ave. and NE Alberta to SE Hawthorne Blvd. We drew some positive responses and a bunch of curious onlookers. Then 3 of us drove to Pioneer Courthouse Square to finish off the day. It seemed like a worthwhile effort considering the limits of social distancing.



TAX DAY -- Wed. July 15th, 2020 (extended tax filing date)
We will be holding signs on Portland bridges during rush hour traffic to convey a message critical of the military budget and government spending priorities. The messages are presented "burma shave" style with each sign being part of a longer message. We will meet at 7:30 am on the bridges this year so that we can effectively practice social distancing. (Please let me know ahead of time which bridge you prefer. The event will end at about 9:00 am. Dress for the weather. Signs provided. Please R.S.V.P. if you plan to join us. ([email protected])

Report back: We had 6 sign-holders on the Hawthorne Bridge and 6 more sign-holders on the Burnside Bridge (see below). The traffic was lighter than normal due to the pandemic, but we got plenty of positive reactions. Both the War Resisters League and the Portland Raging Grannies were well represented.