Anti-War Organizations to Launch National Campaign to Cut the Pentagon to Mark the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

The weekend of September 11th and 12th, CODEPINK will be hosting events to commemorate the 20th anniversary of September 11th and launch a new national campaign to Cut the Pentagon for People, Peace, and Planet. The weekend will culminate with a rally in front of the White House, where participants will renew the call to cut the Pentagon. CODEPINK will be joined by the Institute for Policy Studies, World Beyond War, One Billion Rising, Food Not Bombs, The People's Forum, and other coalition partners.

On the 20th anniversary of September 11, CODEPINK and Massachusets Peace Action will host a webinar titled: Never Forget: 9/11 and the 20 Year War on Terror to reflect on the lessons of 9/11 and the lessons of the 20 year Global War on Terror. The webinar will feature testimonials from noted historian and activist Vijay Prashad, CODEPINK Co-founder Medea Benjamin, Former Marine Matthew Hoh, CODEPINK Co-founder Jodie Evans, Iran Policy Expert Assal Rad, and more.

Following the webinar, CODEPINK, Food Not Bombs, and their coalition partners will convene at the White House on September 12 at 3 PM to launch a new national campaign to Cut the Pentagon for People, Peace, and Planet. The launch event will include a teach-in in front of the White House where participants will physically cut the Pentagon (cake, that is!) and share Ben & Jerry's ice cream to mark the beginning of 100 consecutive days of action to Cut the Pentagon for people, peace, and planet.

Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK Co-founder said, "After spending two decades and $21 trillion on the United States' so-called 'War on Terror', people are waking up to what we've been saying all along: we can't continue down the path of deadly, destructive, and costly U.S. militarism. Peace activists need to use this moment to rally around a simple yet powerful demand that cuts across all movements for social justice: Cut the Pentagon for people, planet, and peace"

Jodie Evans, CODEPINK Co-Founder said, "Just like CODEPINK's first vigil in front of the White House in 2002, we'll use this event to begin to organize the movement we need to take on the war profiteers who oppose us at every turn. When we cut the Pentagon cake and feed our community in front of the White House, we'll be enacting the peace economy we want to create. By nourishing ourselves and everyone around us we'll be modeling the exact opposite of a destructive and extractive war economy."

Carley Towne, CODEPINK National Co-Director said, "While war profiteers might have the money, we have the people power. Starting on September 12, we will be in the streets building an intersectional movement to cut the Pentagon budget and begin holding our Congressional Representatives accountable for pouring trillions of dollars into war while neglecting the needs of the people."