April 2025 – Green Party of Washington

The Green Party Declares a Global Environmental and Peace Emergency!

The threats to life on our beautiful planet are multiple and connected. Every day the world moves closer to the edge of extinction. Wildfires, floods, droughts and heatwaves threaten every corner of the planet as the climate crisis spins out of control.

At the same time, forever wars rage with the US ongoing proxy wars in Ukraine and Gaza that have killed tens of thousands and threaten to engulf the whole world, with the ultimate possibility of a catastrophic nuclear war. The change of administrations in the United States, which signals a move from a 20th-century covert imperialism to its historically traditional overt form, may prove to be an even greater threat.

The focal point for these concerns continues to be Gaza and the West Bank in occupied Palestine. Despite a fragile ceasefire (at the time of this writing) the US and Israel continue to create an ever more dangerous international emergency in pursuit of a Greater Israel. The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be dire, with the only proposed “solution” being the ethnic cleansing of 2 million people and the creation of an Israeli Riviera. This genocide has not been about Israel’s security but, in fact, threatens the safety of Israelis. And it has been a violation of international humanitarian law and a grave injustice to the Palestinian people.

In pursuit of Israel’s goals, thousands of Lebanese have died and hundreds of locations in Syria have been bombed by the U.S. and by Israel with U.S.-supplied munitions. Since September 2024, both the U.S. and Israel have taken deliberate steps to isolate Iran and its allies in the region. A war with Iran would be disastrous for us all.

A recent poll indicated that some 75% of the global population wants an end to the genocide in Gaza and the continued U.S.-supported Israeli violence in the region. The world now sees the violence that has been part of Israel’s settler colonialist project since 1948. The US must show it cares more about the people living in the US and the safety and security of the rest of the world than supporting Israel’s agenda in the Middle East.

Now, several countries face the threat by the Trump administration of being absorbed into the U.S. empire, a goal which can only be realized through military force.

All this violence increases the risk of a wider war and ultimately a nuclear war and should put the whole world on alert. The situation is critical and potentially explosive, literally and figuratively.

The Green Party US Peace Action Committee (GPAX) calls again for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Palestine that continues after the release of hostages and prisoners and prohibits Israel’s incursions into the West Bank and calls for an end to the Israeli occupation.

GPAX calls for the declaration of a GLOBAL EMERGENCY. More needs to be done to protect the population of Gaza and the West Bank by ending incursions, sieges and forced starvation and returning control of their lands to the Palestinian people.

GPAX calls for a real ceasefire in Lebanon, not one that gives the U.S. more power to intervene in the country and region.

We also call for an end to U.S. and Israeli presence in Syria, to return sovereignty to the Syrian people. The U.S., Turkiye, and Israel need to get out of the way, so that the Syrian people, together with a rejuvenated U.N., can work to guarantee that all peoples in Syria are respected.

The Green Party joins hands in solidarity with the thousands of students who have been threatened for standing up for justice! We call for everyone to get involved in their local peace movement in whatever ways they can. Building on past efforts, the Green Party will make a major effort to work with other progressives and radicals in building the ongoing events and actions, including support for the BDS (Boycott, Divest and Sanction) movement. Our main goal is to build a bigger and more massive peace movement, in order to challenge and stop U.S. imperialism.

GPAX also calls for resistance to the Trump government’s bellicose policies and those that attack constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. We do this understanding perfectly well that the Democrats laid the groundwork for this moment.

The Green Party should, thus, join in building multi-issue coalitions from the grassroots uniting the many struggles while linking them to the peace issue. GPAX will work to increase our involvement with other key national peace groups: Jewish Voice for Peace, Veterans For Peace, UNAC, etc. Along with state Green parties and other like-minded organizations, we can work to develop these connections.

GPAX urges the peace movement to unite in support of the Palestinians as well as to end the war in Ukraine and the threats to Iran and China. There are too many places where people are facing forced starvation and on-going violence, including the Congo, Sudan, Haiti, Cuba, South and Central America, where US interference is causing tremendous hardship for the people.

It is well past time for the world to rely on diplomacy and negotiations, instead of continued violence and war. The people demand it and the Earth requires it.

By Cody Mahar-Kjos, Oceana Baker, Giuliana Natale, and Michael Doyle – Green Party of NE Washington

The Crisis Is Here—Will We Fight Back?

With Washington State facing a $13 billion budget shortfall and the U.S. Department of Education officially dissolved, public education is collapsing. Federal education funding is gone. Schools will close, teachers will be laid off, and students—especially from working-class and marginalized communities—will be abandoned.

This is by design. The ruling class has never valued public education because educated, empowered people threaten their control. They want learning to be a privilege, not a right. They want students drowning in debt, not fighting for change.

But we refuse to let them destroy our future.

The Green Party of Washington must take action now to:

✅ Expose the crisis—Tell the truth about what’s happening to our schools.

✅ Organize resistance—Rallies, protests, and mass action to demand real funding.

✅ Build alternatives—A new education system that puts power in the hands of communities.

We don’t have time to wait. The future of our students—and our movement—depends on what we do next.

The Plan: From Awareness to Action

1. Demand Immediate Alternative Funding for Education

If the state claims there is “no money” for education, we must expose their lies and fight for new funding sources:

Progressive Taxation & Closing Corporate Loopholes

Tax the ultra-wealthy—A 1% wealth tax on millionaires and billionaires could generate billions for education.

End corporate tax loopholes—Washington State gave $2.7 billion in corporate tax breaks in 2023 alone. That money could fully fund schools.

Increase capital gains taxes—Make the wealthy pay their fair share.

Redirect State Spending from Police & Military Contracts

Defund bloated police budgets and redirect that money into education, mental health services, and community programs.

End subsidies to war profiteers—Washington is home to major defense contractors like Boeing that receive billions in subsidies while schools are left to rot.

Use Publicly Owned Cannabis & Green Energy Revenue

Take back control of marijuana tax revenue—Much of it currently disappears into the general fund instead of being used for education.

Publicly owned green energy projects could generate sustainable, long-term funding for education.

If politicians refuse to act, they expose themselves as enemies of working-class students and families.

2. Organize a Mass Movement to Defend Public Education

Flood social media with testimonies from teachers, students, and parents.

Hold public town halls and mass rallies to demand action from lawmakers.

Organize school walkouts, teacher strikes, and mass demonstrations—direct action gets results.

Build alliances with labor unions, working-class movements, and student activists.

3. Build a Community-Led Education System

If the state continues to fail, we must take education into our own hands.

Community-Led Education Alternatives

Worker-run and parent-run schools—Cooperative schools where teachers, parents, and students make decisions democratically, completely independent from the state.

Community homeschooling networks—Families and volunteers pool resources to educate children collectively in small, community-driven learning groups.

Education cooperatives—Community-funded schools where tuition is kept low or free through grassroots fundraising, mutual aid, and nonprofit models.

Mutual Aid & Free Community Education Centers

Convert public libraries, community centers, and empty buildings into free educational hubs run by volunteers, retired educators, and community members.

Create a Green Party education fund—A grassroots, people-powered fund to support community schools and homeschooling efforts.

Develop free online education resources—The Green Party and its allies can build open-source curriculums so students have access to high-quality education outside the state system.

Partner with labor unions and worker-owned businesses to fund vocational training and apprenticeships.

We cannot rely on the state to fix this crisis—we must build a decentralized, community-powered education system that puts people before profit.

The Next Steps: Organize. Mobilize. Win.

Assign regional coordinators to oversee actions and outreach — contact us to get involved.

Launch an immediate social media and press campaign to expose the crisis — campaign presentation.

Schedule the first major town hall or protest event within 30 – 90 days — join us to make it happen!

Begin working with educators and activists to build alternative schooling options — we need your support!

This is our moment to prove that education is a human right, not a privilege. If we don’t fight, who will? If we don’t lead, who will?

The Green Party of Washington must be at the forefront of this battle. We are the ones who believe in people over profit, justice over greed, and knowledge over ignorance.

The Crisis Is Here—Will We Fight Back?

The Plan: From Awareness to Action

The Next Steps: Organize. Mobilize. Win.

Call to Action: Stand up. Speak out. Fight back.

For our students. For our communities. For our future.