NEW JERSEY
Stop racist profiling
By Monica Moorehead
Jersey City and Kearny, N.J.
"No justice, no peace" and "Stop racist profiling" were two
of the main slogans chanted by some 100 activists at a protest
here Jan. 21 against the illegal and secret detention of
hundreds of people--most of whose names the government still
refuses to release--after the 9/11 attacks. The demonstration
was held on the official holiday recognizing the birthday of
slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Activists marched from the Jersey City side of the
Hackensack River to the Hudson County Correctional Center in
Kearny. Hundreds of mostly Arab and Islamic people who were
rounded up are being held at this prison for "questioning." As
marchers crossed the bridge, a number of truck drivers and
others honked their horns in support.
The demonstration was called by a coalition of peace and
civil liberty groups. Part of the joint statement announcing
the demonstration read, "The Hudson County Correctional Center
is one of the nation's largest holding facilities for Muslim,
Arab, South and Central Asian and Middle-Eastern immigrants.
Many of the people being held have had no charges brought
against them, have had no access to a lawyer and have had no
communication with their families."
As the march neared the prison, the multinational group of
Arab, African American, Latino and white demonstrators could be
seen by some of the prisoners. The prisoners began to wave
their arms and hands at the activists across the street, and
the protesters waved back in a moving gesture of
solidarity.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, Congress has passed Atty. Gen.
John Ashcroft's racist, reactionary and anti-immigrant U.S.
Patriot Act. The Bush administration has used this new law to
deny immigrants in the U.S., those with and without
citizenship, their civil liberties and civil rights. Anyone or
any group that the U.S. government suspects of being a
"terrorist" can be wiretapped without their knowledge,
detained, deported if they are immigrants, and have their
assets frozen.
Before the march began, a short rally took place near the
Jersey City side of the bridge. Speakers included Yunus
Abdur-Rahim Ali, an African American spokesperson for the
Masjid Muhammad Jersey City mosque; Madalyne Hoffman, New
Jersey Peace Action; Joe Ahamanti, Veterans For Peace; Sara
Flounders, International Action Center; and Mohammad Qotononi,
Islamic Center in Passaic.
This demonstration was one of two held in New Jersey that
day on the issue of detainees. The other action took place at
Passaic County Jail in Paterson, a city with a predominantly
African American and immigrant population. Sponsoring groups
included the South Asian group Desis Rising Up and Moving, the
Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants and the Prison
Moratorium Project.
Demands of the Paterson demonstration included: release all
detainees held for immigration violations; repeal the Patriot
Act, the illegal 1996 Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act and the 1996 Anti-Terrorism and Effective
Death Penalty Act; release a real list of detainees, and
provide detainees with immediate, full and proper access to
legal information and representation.
MODESTO, CALIF.
Danny Glover stands tall
By Bill Hackwell
Modesto, Calif.
An overflowing crowd of 1,000 people crammed into the
predominately African American Christ Unity Baptist Church here
on Jan. 19 to hear well-known actor and activist Danny Glover
and to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Glover was the target of a right-wing media attack following
a speech he gave at Princeton University in which he condemned
the death penalty and military tribunals, and defended
opposition to the war.
This event--a moving display of solidarity--came after the
Modesto City Council and the Modesto Junior College had
withdrawn their invitation for Glover to speak at the eighth
annual Martin Luther King commemoration.
The multinational character of those who came out reflected
the organizing efforts done by the African American community
in Modesto and the students at MJC. Christ Unity Baptist
Church, Modesto Peace Life Center, Associated Students of
Modesto Junior College, The Nation of Islam and others
sponsoring the event.
Glover reminded the crowd that Martin Luther King had come
out against the Vietnam War and said, "If Martin Luther King
would've been alive today he would have been against the
targeting of Arab Americans and he would have joined me in
decrying the death penalty."
PHILADELPHIA
'U.S. war: enemy of the poor'
By Betsey Piette
Philadelphia
More than 200 people marched up North Broad Street during
this city's first major snowstorm of the winter to commemorate
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They honored Dr. King by saying: "No
to racism, war and attacks on civil liberties. Money for social
needs, not for war."
Korean drumming group SoRi-MoRi led the march and youth
carried the lead banner. The banner bore King's quote, "I was
compelled to see war as an enemy of the poor and attack it as
such."
More people joined in the indoor rally that followed at the
historic Church of the Advocate in the African American
community. The event focused on the need to build a united
fightback movement.
Rally participants included Rev. Isaac Miller, Church of the
Advocate; Yomaira Tamayo, Youth PAWR; Susan Abulhawa,
Playgrounds for Palestine; Onage Muid, National N'COBRA; Larry
Holmes, International ANSWER; Donna Hernandez, Police Barrio
Relations Committee; Cheri Honkala, Kensington Welfare Rights
Union; Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad, Africana Islamic Institute of Camden;
Berta Joubert-Ceci, Philadelphia International Action Center;
Ramona Africa, MOVE; Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, Partnership for
Civil Justice; Mario Hardy, AWOL; John Braxton, Jobs With
Justice; and Rob O'Brien, ACT-UP.
More than 45 peace, social justice and community groups from
Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, many working together for the
first time, endorsed the march and rally.
ATLANTA
Dr. King would be proud
By Dianne Mathiowetz
Atlanta
The annual Martin Luther King Jr. march brought thousands to
downtown Atlanta on Jan. 21. Contingents from labor unions,
religious and community groups swelled with larger than usual
numbers. Especially noticeable were the many youth and
students.
Among those who organized to bring a message of struggle to
the celebration marking Dr. King's birthday was the Atlanta
Living Wage Coalition, which had a large and enthusiastic
sign-carrying group. This coalition is working to have the
Atlanta City Council pass an ordinance establishing a living
wage of $10-12 an hour for all city workers and those employed
by companies who have contracts with the city.
Opposition to the U.S. war against Afghan istan was evident
in signs and banners carried by member groups of the Georgia
Coalition for Peace. Many wore blue triangles--reminiscent of
those worn by so-called "stateless" people incarcerated and
killed by the Nazis--to show solidarity with the many Arabs and
Muslims "disappeared" in the U.S. since Sept. 11. Flyers
explained that more than 1,200 people have been detained and
held without charges for months as part of the attack on civil
liberties necessary to wage the "endless war" promised by the
Bush administration.
A contingent of supporters of prisoner Imam Jamil
Al-Amin--formerly known as H. Rap Brown--and of death-row
prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal marched together to denounce the
frame-up cases of these two long-time political activists.
Al-Amin's trial on charges of killing a Fulton County sheriff
is expected to begin in February. Information was handed out
detailing some of the many inconsistencies in the state's case
and urging people to attend the jury selection now taking
place.
A large contingent of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people
marched to honor Dr. King's commitment to equality for all.
Other groups that participated in the march included the
Anti-Arab Discrimination Committee, Mothers for Juvenile
Justice--who are advocating changes in the practice of treating
children as adult offenders--and opponents of the death
penalty.
TAMPA, FLA.
Following an anti-war rally at Gadsen Park in Tampa, Fla.,
400-500 protesters who came from all across Florida marched to
the gates of MacDill Air Force Base on Jan. 19. MacDill serves
as the Central Command Headquarters for the U.S. war on
Afghanistan, in addition to directing all other U.S. military
operations in the Middle East, Central Asia and much of
Africa.
Chanting "Peace and justice, no more war," the diverse crowd
demanded an end to the bombing of Afghanistan and no extension
of the war to Iraq, Somalia, Sudan or any other country.
First-hand descriptions of the toll on freedom of speech and
other civil liberties were given by two workers--a high school
teacher and a Good will staff member--fired from their jobs for
expressing opposition to the war.
The attempt to intimidate political opposition to the war
was evident as a helicopter flew overhead throughout the entire
protest. The military base gate was heavily guarded by dozens
of soldiers and city police, who filmed all the
participants.
More than 16 organizations joined together in December 2001
to form the Florida Alliance for Peace & Social Justice
that organized the MacDill protest. The Florida Greens,
American Indian Movement, Student/Farmer Alliance and
International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement are some of
the groups that planned the event.
Omali Yeshitela, chair of the African People's Socialist
Party (shown above speaking) also serves as chair of the
Florida Alliance. He called the march and rally "the beginning
of a new movement which has taken on the responsibility to
change the world." For more information, call the Florida
Alliance for Peace and Social Justice at (727) 826-6960.
--Dianne Mathiowetz
SAN DIEGO
The San Diego Coalition to Stop the Execution of Mumia
Abu-Jamal and local chapter of the International ANSWER (Act
Now to Stop War & End Racism) coalition co-sponsored a
decorated truck in the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade
this year.
The sides of the truck sported identical banners reading,
"The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today--my own
government," a quote from a speech by King on April 4,
1967.
A huge oil portrait of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal on
canvas was mounted above the cab, painted by local muralist
Mario Torero. Flags and signs supporting Abu-Jamal also adorned
the truck. Activists marched with the truck, chanting in
support of the death-row prisoner and distributingflyers on his
case all along the route of march to cheering onlookers.
--Bob McCubbin
SAN FRANCISCO
More than 100 people demonstrated at Powell and Market in
San Francisco against the possibility of another U.S. war
against Iraq. Exactly 11 years ago thousands of protesters met
at this same site as the first bombs started to fall on
Iraq.
The Jan. 16 protest condemned racial profiling and racist
attacks on Arab people in the U.S. It also demanded that Bush
and the Pentagon remove U.S. troops recently deployed to the
Philippines and end war threats against Somalia. The protest
was called by the International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War
& End Racism) coalition to commemorate the birthday of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
-- Bill Hackwell
PROVIDENCE, R.I.
The International ANSWER (Act Now to
Stop War & End Racism) coalition here held a Community
Congress on the occasion of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s
birthday. Activists turned out at the West End Community Center
in the heart of the city's African American community. The
event was chaired by Sahkinah Abdur-Rasheed--a Muslim
Native-African American organizer for ANSWER-R.I. and local
grassroots activist for women's and children's healthcare
rights.
The program focused on the African American struggle against
racism, poverty and war, and Dr. King's critical role in that
struggle. It also covered the history of U.S. military
aggression against the peoples of the Middle East and Central
Asia, and resistance to that oppression. It concluded with open
discussion and plans for mobilizing Rhode Islanders to attend
protests against the World Economic Forum in New York City on
Feb. 1 and 2.
Reprinted from the Jan. 31, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS ::
SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page