California Taxpayers File Class Action Lawsuit Against Congressional Reps, Demand Stop to Genocide Funding

As of December 26, over 600 Californians have joined the Taxpayers Against Genocide class action Federa lawsuit – a number that is expected to grow as taxpayers join in support.

All the way from the Oregon border to the San Francisco Bay, taxpayers in ten different counties between California’s 2nd and 4th Districts have filed a class action lawsuit against their Congressional representatives Jarred Huffman and Mike Thompson (both Democrats), aiming to regain control over how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent, and put a stop to the supply of arms to the State of Israel from the United States as it commits genocide against the Palestinian people.

The newly formed organization, Taxpayers Against Genocide (TAG), plan to serve the unprecedented class action lawsuit against Congressmen Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman in coming days, after being filed at the Federal Building in San Franscico, according to organizers with the campaign.

Announcing the unprecedented filing last week, a press conference and rally took place in San Francisco.

Taxpayers Against Genocide, represented by Szeto-Wong Law firm out of the San Francisco Bay Area, is alledging misuse of taxpayer funds by both Congressmen on behalf of taxpayers who say they are harmed by the federal government’s misuse of their tax money. The Federal class action lawsuit charges that the representatives abused their “Tax and Spend” authority when they voted to allocate billions of US taxpayer dollars in military aid to Israel on April 20, 2024.

Lead attorney on the case Attorney Dean Royer said after the press conference that he is proud to represent this class of California taxpayers in this legal action seeking reform and justice.

This lawsuit asserts that despite their awareness of alleged war crimes and ongoing acts of genocide committed by the State of Israel – that even after evidence of Israel’s repeated abuse of the US Constitution and international law and humanitarian laws set forth by the United Nations was widely known of – that those Congressmen spent California taxpayer dollars illegally.

Royer explained the legal argument briefly, saying “Genocide is against the law.. including complicity in genocide,” and explained the argument laid out in the official Taxpayers Against Genocide legal complaint.

Royer explained, “[T]axes that are being used to pay for all of the military assistance to Israel, and then Israel carries out the genocide – that’s the complicity we’re talking about. So that’s a violation of international and federal law… and essentially all of them say that ‘the US cannot fund governments, or military forces that are violating human rights’. So again, this is what we are saying in this case …that is exactly what we’re saying is happening here.”

In the shadow of the SF Federal Building where the suit was filed, Royer said, “I am honored to be the lawyer for this class, they are the ones driving this forward. I am simply translating the information into hopefully a language that the court will understand, and to ultimately prevail.”

Amnesty vs Accountability

Clearly identifying military actions and ongoing acts of war as an illegal campaign of genocide being waged by the State of Israel, Amnesty Internation has now weighed in on the matter, bolstering claims made by California taxpayers harmed by congressional spending supporting those atrocities.

According to Agnès Callamard, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, “Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide.” Callamard is further quoted explaining that here are potentially far-reaching implications for those UN member states which are knowingly supporting an ongoing genocide, stating unequivocally, “States that continue to transfer arms to Israel at this time must know they are violating their obligation to prevent genocide and are at risk of becoming complicit in genocide. …particularly key arms suppliers like the USA and Germany, …must act now to bring Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza to an immediate end.”

These Northern California taxpayers say they are not pleased with the response that they have received thus far from Congressman Huffman, or Thompson, when they have initiated a dialogue on the subject. Several attempts have been made over the past year by various activist groups endeavoring to have a productive conversation with their Congressperson, but according to activists involved in those conversations, common ground was not found.

A Class Rep from the far Northern part of the state, Ellen P. explained that Rep. Jared Huffman did make time to talk with the Pro-Palestinian activist group Humboldt For Palestine back in early winter of 2023, but said that the meeting was a letdown, noting that the Congressman’s demeanor and response were both dissatisfying. “To be completely honest,” she said, “I was aghast at Huffman’s response to this thoughtful and heartfelt plea from his constituents. He repeatedly interrupted speakers, admonished their use of language (even debating with us about the definition of “genocide” and “aparthied”), and tried to lecture us rather than listen to us. He made it very clear he was not at all interested in anything we had to say and that he is a committed Zionist.”

10 Counties, Growing Number of Members

The class action lawsuit is viewed by organizers as a model that can and should be replicated anywhere in the nation.

According to two of the main organizers of the TAG lawsuit, Seth Donnelly and Ann Marie Stenberg, the legal action being taken could be considered a political pressure campaign, and say it may “spread nationwide,” already getting the attention of like minded lawyers from California to New York.

One member of the TAG lawsuit, Robie Tenorio with the Humboldt Committee for Peace and Justice explained that although many people may feel that the larger strife is “too complicated” or “too far away” for people in California to make any impact, Tenorio offered a different perspective which focuses on the element of funding, rather than culture or politics.

Robie Tenorio, at the December 7th vigil in Old Town, on why the Humboldt Committee for Peace & Justice joined the TAG Federal class action lawsuit. Video by Ryan Hutson.

Tenorio added, “This is our money. Everyone knows we need it here at home. It’s our money and it’s been used to fund this genocidal campaign by Israel, so we are asking them and compelling them to stop those funds for that money.”

Ellen P. agreed, telling us “so many people in this country, …are struggling to afford rent and food, access health care, and provide opportunities for their kids… All while our tax money goes to incinerate displaced families living in tents in the desert. This is not a partisan issue, it’s a humanitarian issue.”

Among the group are several experienced rabble rousers bringing their respective skills to bear on the project. 77-year-old political activist Anna Marie Stenberg out of Mendocino County (and from the San Francisco Bay Area originally) is a veteran of numerous civil rights and anti-war movements over the past five decades and offered her experience in organizing the TAG lawsuit group.

Stenberg sees this lawsuit as a critical step in stopping what she and others agree is a genocide being perpetrated by the State of Israel, and supported monetarily and politically by the U.S. government, with the use of taxpayer monies. “Legal pressure gets their attention. And we have to do everything we can to stop this genocide.”

Litigation and Participation

The group has support from nearly 30 regional community organizations, consisting of federal taxpayers from a range of backgrounds who are described by class action representatives and organizers as a diverse reflection of Northern California at large. From California’s Wine Country to the Redwood Curtain, likeminded taxpayers are joining ranks against their representatives.

Stenberg said “this action should spread nationwide, and other communities should take on their Congressional Representatives and or their Senators in the same way.”

Asked why members of the group believe that individual residents paying Federal taxes should have any say in how their tax dollars are spent, a Class Rep for Humboldt County, Ellen P told us, “The promise of our political system is that we elect our leaders and they answer to us. That we have a say in how our tax dollars are spent. And yet, from the President down to local representatives, it has become blindingly clear that our elected representatives answer to some other powers.”

She added, “Millions of Americans have made their demands clear over the last 14 months – end US support for Israel, no genocide in our name, arms embargo now! …We have been not only ignored, but beaten by police, arrested, and charged with crimes – all for exercising our First Amendment rights and expecting our representatives to do their jobs. Perhaps if they get dragged into court, they’ll be forced to listen.”

Suggesting that a politician could become biased if political donations were to outweigh ethics, class member Kate McClain called attention to a political system that allows campaign contributions to be treated as political speech. McClain said, “Unfortunately big money, the Israel Lobby in particular, seems to have had a great influence on elections and representatives’ votes.”

From Marin County, class representative Norman Solomon condemned the two Congressmen, writing in part, that “…we here in the North Bay are ‘represented’ by members of Congress who help to make this continual carnage possible is repugnant. By serving as enablers of that carnage, Huffman and Thompson have undergone a moral collapse that is becoming painfully obvious to more and more of their constituents.”

Another Class Rep in the TAG lawsuit, Laurel Krause, an activist for human rights in the United States and beyond, was eager to sign on with other members of the class. Krause resides at the Allison Center for Peace on the Mendocino coast, “formed for the protection of peaceful protest and to commemorate her sister Allison Krause, who one of four students shot and killed by National Guard gunfire as she protested the Vietnam War in the May 4, 1970, Kent State massacre,” explains a statement submitted by Krause.

Laurel Krause continues to seek justice in her sister’s name, and says this litigation has the power to be transformative. She wrote in part, “I joined this federal class action because I have watched grassroots advocacy work and see it as our most effective means to foster peace and affect dramatic social change.”

Looking forward, Krause added, “I am urging all to join and participate in grassroots advocacy where you live. It’s going to take all of us!” Community members who want to be a part of the lawsuit can join as a “member of the class” even after it is filed, so long as one is a resident of a county being represented by either congressperson, and must be a federal taxpayer.

For more information, email classactionagainstgenocide@proton.me or go to ___________

Congressman Huffman was not able to provide a substantive response prior to the filing of the TAG class action lawsuit, but his office did reply to our email saying, “Unfortunately we won’t be able to get you a comment on this, I’m very sorry.”

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