Tax March SF: A March with a Laser Focus Demand

It was the day after Donald Trump’s inaugural speech when 25 year old Anne Pruett lay immobilized due to a recent surgery. Feeling downtrodden and helpless, Anne watched a livestream video of the Women’s March from her bed. She watched as one of the Women’s March organizers told the crowd of hundreds of thousands of women, men and children that anyone can get involved and that anyone could make a difference. Inspired by these words, Anne began to search Facebook for Tax Marches in her area. She found a number of Facebook pages regarding tax marches throughout the country, but she decided to start the Tax March SF Facebook page. Within 2-3 hours, there were 500 people interested; within 24 hours, more than 1,000 people; within 48 hours 3,000-4,000 people and today there are more than 9,000 people attending the Tax March SF and 25,000 more people interested in the march.

“I did a lot of thinking about why a march,” said Tax March SF Founder, Anne Pruett. “Marches are a service to the community. They energize the base and bring awareness to an issue.”

What’s Anne’s issue? Donald Trump’s tax returns. The Tax March SF has a laser focused demand with one clear deliverable; the release of Donald Trump’s tax returns. But Anne knows that no matter how many people show up at the April 15th event, Donald Trump will not release his tax returns. The goal of the march is put pressure on Congress to demand the release of Trump’s tax returns.

“With so much to be sad and upset about nowadays, we hope that the Tax March SF brings joy and laughter. It is a way to display righteous outrage with humor. We have to make fun of this guy. He’s an embarrassment. He’s the biggest chicken for not releasing his tax returns,” laughed Pruett. To further exemplify this concept that Trump is a “chicken,” attendees at the Tax March SF can expect to march along a flock of inflatable chickens ranging from 6 feet to 30 feet tall.

This Tax March has spread far and wide, with 110 Tax Marches now organized in major cities throughout the country including New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, D.C. and Houston. Pruett sees this march as a battle in the war of 2018. She believes that this march is energizing the next wave of people stepping up and has developed an international network and infrastructure to mobilize in 2018.

The Tax March SF is as easy as 1-2-3. On April 15, 2017, the Tax March SF will begin with organizational booths at 1pm; a rally at 2pm and a march at 3pm. San Francisco Board Supervisor Jane Kim will be opening up the march and Pulitzer Prize journalist David Cay Johnston will serve as the keynote speaker.

A Go Fund Me account was set up to help pay for the chickens, permits, stage, porta-potties and other incidentals for the march at: https://www.gofundme.com/taxmarchsf. More than $10,000.00 has been raised to support the March since February 28, 2017.