Los Angeles TONC says: 'Protests will go on'

The General Services Administration, in charge of issuing permits for the use of federal property, has moved to deny the Troops Out Now Coalition’s Los Angeles chapter a permit to use the lawn at the Westwood Federal Building and the Downtown Federal Building for a Sept 22-28 encampment connecting the war at home with the war abroad. The excuses are that: one, tents are not allowed on federal property, and two, the federal government doesn’t have the “resources” to provide security for a 24-hour encampment.

This is despite the fact that canopies and tents have been used at both the Westwood Federal Building and the Downtown Federal Building—and that the government spends over $20,000 every five seconds on this illegal war on Iraq yet now claims poverty.

On Sept. 15 Namibia Donadio and Fernando Suarez whose son was killed in Iraq were interviewed about the Sept. 29 demonstrations on KPFK radio program “Enfoque Latino con Ruben Tapia.” Donadio, youth organizer for Troops Out Now and FIST (Fight Imperialism, Stand Together) stressed the Los Angeles encampments and march will go on as planned.

On the Web, go to www.troopsoutnow.org/grantencampmentpermit.shtml and send a message to President Bush, Vice President Cheney, GSA Chief of Staff Phelps, congressional leaders and the media demanding that the permits for the Sept 22-29 antiwar Encampments in front of Los Angeles Federal Buildings be granted immediately.