 March 20 March on Washington Photo: Bill Hackwell |
On March 20, thousands converged on Washington, D.C., to demand “U.S. out of Iraq and Afghanistan now,” “Free Palestine,” “Reparations for Haiti” and “No sanctions against Iran,” as well as “Money for jobs, education and health care!” Joint actions took place in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Demonstrators took to the streets on March 18 in Chicago, and on March 21 in Seattle.
The March 20 and March 21 demonstrations were initiated by the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), and endorsed and co-sponsored by thousands of organizations and individuals.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation endorsed these actions and actively worked to build them by engaging in mass outreach and helping to organize transportation from around the country. At the events, PSL members engaged demonstrators, which included large, new layers of youth and students of color, and discussed the connection between the war abroad and the war against poor and working people at home.
The experiences of the past year have made it clearer than ever that, in order to end war and occupation, we do not need a new president. We need a new system.
Below are short reports on the March 20 and March 21 actions.
 Washington, D.C. Photo: Bill Hackwell |
Washington, D.C.
A militant crowd of about 10,000 marched through the streets of downtown Washington, D.C. The rally and march drew participants from the Midwest, South and East Coast, including organized transportation from over 50 cities in 20 states, from cities as far as Chicago, Bangor, Maine and St. Petersburg, Florida.
The march stopped at several significant locations, including the Halliburton office, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the Washington Post, and the Mortgage Bankers Association building. Marchers carried coffins draped in flags representing the victims of U.S. aggression, including those of Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon, Somalia, Pakistan, Yemen and the United States. At each stop along the route, they held short rallies, chanted, and left coffins. A contingent of Korean drummers electrified the militant crowd.
The PSL participated in the march with a large contingent carrying a banner that read, “Socialism is the answer to capitalist plunder and exploitation.”
Comments from demonstrators reflected their anger and commitment to the effort to stop the war. “The reason I came is because I have to,” said Shelley Napier of Gloucester, Va. “I can’t look at myself in the mirror if I don’t work to stop the war.” Napier had organized one of the many buses that brought demonstrators to the Washington protest.
Katherine Raymond, who had come with a busload of people from Syracuse, N.Y., said, “I think this rally is really important because it shows activists all over the country that there are activists like them.”
The demonstration drew several veterans and military families. Elliott Adams came from Sharon Springs, a town in upstate New York, and recounted his political awakening: “My story starts in Vietnam. From that experience I came to recognize that there was no way the war could lead to peace. I saw that on the ground.” He continued, indicting those who make obscene profits on wars: “Every war is about us giving our children to die, and a few people making a whole lot of money.”
The rally before the march included several speakers, including Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of Muslim American Society Freedom; Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition; former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; Eddie Pages, a veteran with March Forward!; Cindy Sheehan; Mike Ferner, President of Veterans for Peace; Matthis Chiroux and Robyn Murray, Iraq Veterans Against the War; Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the Partnership for Civil Justice; and Mounzer Sleiman, Vice Chair of National Council of Arab Americans.
 San Francisco Photo: Steve Patt |
San Francisco
More than 5,000 people representing diverse struggles came together March 20 in San Francisco in a strong show of unity against the ongoing wars and occupations.
Particularly impressive was the participation of the Local 2 UNITE HERE hotel workers, who are in a major battle with the hotels to preserve their health care benefits; students, teachers and parents who had protested on March 4 against the budget cuts and fee hikes being imposed by the state of California; and community activists allied with bus and street car operators represented by Local 250A Transport Workers Union, who have been protesting service cuts, fare hikes and scapegoating efforts by the SF MTA.
International Vice President Tho Do of UNITE HERE addressed the opening rally. She told of growing up in Vietnam during that war, with family members killed and separated and, partly based on that experience, expressed strong opposition to the current wars. Appealing for support for the hotel workers’ struggle, Do pointed out that hotel CEOs are being paid $5 million a year in “compensation,” while housekeeping workers would have to work 91 years to make the same amount.
The march passed by the Hilton Hotel, which is being boycotted while contract negotiations are stalled. Marchers chanted in support of the hotel workers as a large and vocal group of workers and supporters picketed at the hotel entrance.
A high point of the closing rally was when Eric Williams, Executive Board member of Local 250A of the TWU, and Frank Lara of ANSWER and MUNI Riders and Operators United spoke about the developing struggle of riders and operators to defeat the SF MTA’s effort to divide them so it can impose service cuts and fare hikes.
A large Chinese Progressive Association contingent kneeled down on the street and then slowly rose up, chanting “Rise up, rise up, all people rise up.” Another large contingent organized by the Bay Area Latin American Solidarity Coalition carried a huge banner made up of the flags of all the countries of “our America.”
Omar Ali and Fatima Makkaoui spoke on behalf of Youth and Student ANSWER, standing in front of a large group of young people from that organization. Luis Carrillo, a student at San Francisco State and member of Youth Against Violence for Education in San José, said his main motivation for marching was his recognition that “the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are unjust” and “they are wars the United States can’t win.”
Faris Barhoum, a Palestinian American and junior at Redwood City High, related how his “integrated math” class for students with dyslexic problems had been canceled and the teacher terminated. “The computer will be your teacher now,” he was told, being referred to a web site that was supposed to take the place of the class.
For a list of notable speakers at the opening and closing rallies, click here.
 Los Angeles Photo: Travis Wilkerson |
Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, 5,000 people marched through the streets of Hollywood against the wars. Demonstrators carried coffins draped in Iraqi, Afghan, Pakistani, Palestinian and U.S. flags, among others, to highlight the daily loss of life in those countries at the hands of U.S. imperialism. Marchers also carried large tombstones that read “R.I.P. Health care / Jobs / Public Education / Housing” to draw attention to the other causalities of war: social programs that serve human needs, which are being gutted to pay for the largest defense budget in history.
The march travelled down Hollywood Blvd. in a heavy pedestrian and tourist area. A contingent of veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq organized by March Forward! led the march. More than a dozen veterans marched with a banner that read, “Veterans say ‘resist!’ Refuse to fight another rich man’s war” and carried flags representing the real beneficiaries of the war: Boeing, Chevron, Blackwater, Exxon Mobil, and more.
The veterans contingent was also joined by Ron Kovic, Vietnam veteran and author of “Born on the Fourth of July.” At one point, Kovic directed the march to sit down in the middle of the street in an act of civil disobedience. He said: “This is a symbol of our power. As long as these wars continue, we will be in the streets fighting against them, and we will shut down the streets until every troop is home.”
The march made its way to Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, and a closing rally was held outside. Speakers called for the immediate withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, and full funding for education, job programs, health care and more. Speakers included Kovic; Blase Binpane, Office of the Americas; Ivy Quicho, AF3RM / Gabnet; Carlos Alvarez, PSL candidate for Governor of California; and musical performances by Buyepongo and hip hop artist Bambu.
Two veterans and members of March Forward!, husband and wife Jeremiah and Alejandra Rishton, addressed the crowd while holding their three young children. Alejandra said: “We joined the army together because we were struggling to feed our children, because we couldn’t make a living wage, put ourselves through school, or have a decent place to live. We joined because we had no choice, but nobody should have to choose between poverty and going to war.” Jeremiah, who did a combat tour in Iraq, said: “Now we’re going to fight for what’s right. We’re going to fight to end these wars.”
 Chicago Photo: John Beacham |
Chicago
Anti-war protesters rallied outside the Federal building in downtown Chicago on March 18 for a united demonstration against war and occupation. Demonstrators held a rally and then marched down Michigan Avenue through the commercial center of downtown Chicago.
The protest called for an end to the wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan and demanded money for people’s needs and not for war. The united demonstration was organized by groups all over the Chicago area, including the Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism, and it was endorsed by the ANSWER Coalition.
More than 1,000 people participated in the march and rally. Speakers demanded an end to wars for empire and oil and immediate withdrawal of troops. One student speaker from Loyola University encouraged women and oppressed communities to join the anti-war movement to pull together the struggles against racism and sexism. The protesters were young and old, and many were attending their first demonstration since Obama’s inauguration.
At the closing rally following the march, John Beacham of the ANSWER Coalition encouraged people to stay involved. “The politicians always tell us that they have to close the schools and health clinics because there is no money,” Beacham said. “We know that this is a lie. Pentagon Generals and the banks get all the money that they ask for—every dollar spent on the war is money that could be spent on creating jobs and funding services. We can end these wars if we stay together on the streets.”
The Chicago action endorsed the March 20 March on Washington. Organizers encouraged the protesters to get on buses and head to Washington, D.C., for the upcoming national march.
 Seattle Photo: Seattle Bureau |
Seattle
About 350 people participated in a rally and march in Seattle on March 21. The Westlake Plaza rally was followed by a march to Victor Steinbrueck Park through the crowded downtown streets.
Speakers at the rally included Dr. Nada Elia, who spoke about the economic and cultural boycott of Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian liberation struggle. Other speakers included Chanan Suarez-Diaz, an Iraq War veteran, and Steven Talley of the Nickelsville homeless encampment. The rally was co-chaired by Jane Cutter of the ANSWER Coalition and Emma Kaplan from World Can’t Wait.
The spirited march was greeted with great encouragement and enthusiasm as it wound its way through the open-air Pike Place Market. Veterans had a strong presence and formed the lead contingent in the march. Veterans for Peace chapters mobilized from several different cities including Bellingham, Tacoma and Wenatchee, as well as Seattle.
This writer walked through the crowd during the rally and asked people why they were there.
“I’m here because the war machine continues to churn on,” noted David Sandler, a special educator with the Seattle School District.
Eli Simke, a college student at North Seattle Community College said, “I’m frustrated about the way that it seems that the American people have forgotten about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Jason Call came to Seattle from Marysville with his son. He said: “[This war] was wrong from the start. I was out there before the war started. Anybody who was paying attention knew that there weren’t going to be any weapons of mass destruction.”
Ibrahim Saoudi, a local anti-war activist, commented: “It’s stunning that there are thousands and thousands of Americans who sleep on the streets every day because they are homeless at the very time that America gives $3 billion to Israel.”
The march and rally were initiated by ANSWER Seattle and co-sponsored by Code Pink, Iraq Veterans Against the War Ft. Lewis chapter, Sound Non-violent Opponents of War, Veterans for Peace #92, and World Can’t Wait.
Sunil Freeman, Jon Britton, Michael Prysner, Heather Benno and Andrew Freeman contributed to this report.
