Participating affinity groups include: St. Francis Catholic Worker House; Evanston affinity group; Christian Peacemaker Teams; Wellington United Church of Christ; Engage; and International Solidarity Movement-Chicago. Additional affinity groups are in formation. Also, a Multiple Action Affinity group is being formed which will consist of people who can risk arrest on more than one occasion over the course of the campaign.

Illinois Representatives who are on the House Appropriations Committee will be a focal point of the campaign. The three are: Jesse Jackson; Ray La Hood and Mark Kirk. Each has a consistent record of voting for additional funds for the war in and occupation of Iraq.

Illinois’ two Senators will also be focal points during the campaign, at their offices around the state. Richard Durbin is the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate and sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Barak Obama is a just-as-good-as-announced candidate for President, with the formation of his “exploratory committee”. Each has voted for every single supplemental spending bill to fund the Iraq war that has come before them while in office.

To become involved with the Occupation Project in Illinois, contact Voices for Creative Nonviolence via email at info (at) vcnv.org or via phone at 773-878-3815.