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Our Mission

UVCR’s mission unites veterans and civilians to protect our communities by challenging the militarization of our cities and the establishment of a police state. Partnering with local movements, UVCR provides training in tactical communication, street-level resistance, conflict de-escalation, and the refusal of unlawful orders. UVCR engages military service members, disrupts automatic compliance training, empowers them to make informed, ethical, and moral decisions, and examine the lawfulness of the orders they receive.

Table of Contents

Campaign Summary

Veterans For Peace (VFP) & Seattle Indivisible

  • Many veterans and civilians are deeply concerned about military deployments to America’s cities over the objection of local governments. As of February 2026, the current President has unlawfully occupied Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland (both OR and ME), Memphis and New Orleans. Seattle and other cities are threatened. 
  • The government’s rationales are false. The people see their military being used for foreign aggression and political theater, to tighten authoritarian control, and possibly using the Insurrection Act to control elections.
  • These deployments violate the Constitution, multiple laws, and the rights of states to prevent unwanted federal intervention. The government has disobeyed or ignored many court injunctions.
  • There are clear dangers when the military polices civilians: needless death, violation of civil rights, legal jeopardy for service members, and injury to the trust between law enforcement and communities.
  • Troops and DHS agencies (i.e., ICE and CPB) are poorly trained in civilian law enforcement. DHS agents have killed people and violated civil rights.
  • The military is an important institutional pillar supporting  authoritarianism. UVCR weakens that power.
  • Seattle Indivisible and Veterans For Peace created UVCR to resist military deployment and governmental abuse. 
  • UVCR is a peaceful, lawful and sustained resistance conveying disciplined messages to troops, educating and encouraging them to question unlawful orders.

Campaign Goals

Short-Term:  

  • Support movements that resist a police state.
  • Build relationship between deployed troops and civilians.
  • Educate & encourage troops to question unlawful orders and not act against civilians.
  • End the detention and deportation of veterans.
  • Decrease the chances of civilian deaths and casualties. 
  • Weaken public support for these uses of the military.

Long-Term: 

  • End unlawful deployment of troops and militarized agents to US cities.
  • Expose weaknesses and erode legitimacy of authoritarianism.
  • End public support for the government’s unconstitutional actions.

Campaign Basics

  • Train and mobilize teams to deliver prepared messaging to military personnel in public spaces. Use larger scale signage, light projection and social media to reinforce street level messaging.
  • Communicate the law prohibiting military use against civilians, emphasizing the oath to support the U.S. Constitution, and responsibility to not comply with illegal orders.
  • Messages will show respect for troops, understanding of their difficult position, and recognition of good acts on their part.
  • Veterans are the most effective messengers due to their shared service, and knowing the realities of refusing to follow unlawful orders.

Similar Campaigns

Veterans For Peace acknowledges and respects the work of the following organizations. UVCR was among the first four campaigns designated as Courage Collectives by Indivisible’s national office.

Veteran Organizations

Civilian Organizations