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Non-violent civil disobedience is only one of the methods that health care activists have to draw attention to the injustices in our system. Civil disobedience has a long history of drawing attention to the real issues in a debate, and by dramatizing our struggle to achieve health care equality, we can inspire others to take a stand against a system that places profit before the needs of patients.
Our request for single payer to be seated at the table throughout the health care debate went repeatedly unanswered. In order to draw the focus of the debate back to the real problem, the for-profit industry, activists entered insurance company offices and refused to leave until they redirected all the money they had spent on lobbying to paying for the care their members needed. Single payer advocates also entered the offices of legislators and refused to leave until their concerns were heard and legislators ceded to their responsibility to actively represent the constituents that had elected them. In 2009 more than 150 activists were arrested for demanding that single payer have a seat at the table. Some members also practice methods of electronic civil disobedience. All members volunteering to participate in civil disobedience must receive NVCD training, and be willing to adhere to the following non-violence guidelines:
· We will use no violence, verbal or physical, toward any person
· Our attitude will be one of openness and respect toward all we encounter in our actions
· We will not destroy or damage any property
· We will carry no weapons
· We will not bring any drugs or alcohol
It is very important that we remember these guidelines when practicing civil disobedience. The enemy we are fighting is the corrupt system, not any individual person. While we may not comply with police orders, we will show respect to the officers that are assigned to uphold the law in our communities, they are simply doing their job. It is our job as activists to be uncompromising in our demands, but this must be done in a peaceful way.