Tea Party Group Protests Outside IRS Office in Downers Grove

Dozens of tea party activists rallied outside the Internal Revenue Service office in Downers Grove on Tuesday to protest the tax agency's improper targeting of conservative groups.

The crowd stood along Butterfield Road, just outside the Esplanade office building, for more than an hour, waving "Don't Tread on Me" flags and chanting anti-IRS slogans. Some activists held signs calling for the IRS to be abolished and likened the agency's actions to Nazi Germany.

The Tea Party Patriots organized more than 100 protests at IRS offices across the country Tuesday afternoon. In Illinois, protests were held in Downers Grove, Chicago, Rockford and Springfield.

"Our purpose is to bring awareness across the country about the disturbing and illegal actions of the IRS," said Lisle resident Denise Cattoni, founder of the Illinois Tea Party.

The protests came on the heels of recent revelations that the IRS placed additional scrutiny on conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, particularly those with tea party ties. Senior IRS officials have acknowledged the targeting, and are appearing under oath this week during several congressional hearings.

Cattoni said her group hopes Congress will conduct an independent investigation to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.

"An apology is not enough," Cattoni said. "They wrongfully targeted conservative groups for political reasons, which I believe is an unbelievable abuse of power."

The protest in Downers Grove was relatively peaceful, though the crowd elicited loud honking from many cars driving down Butterfield Road. A single squad car from the Downers Grove Police Department was present, along with an officer from the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Protective Service.

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