1,000 in Chicago blast occupation
By Beth Semmer
Chicago
More than a thousand people attended a protest
Aug. 23 organized by the Chicago Coalition Against War &
Racism (CCAWR). Over 60 organizations endorsed the protest,
called just three weeks ago.
On Aug. 22, Financial Times reporter James Harding used the
Chicago demonstration as an example of "a new season of
anti-war protest with a fresh message: "Bring the troops home
now!" And indeed many rally speakers, including veterans and
parents of U.S. soldiers, urged the crowd at Federal Plaza to
get back in the streets to get the U.S. out of Iraq and bring
the troops home now.
The rally was co-chaired by Philana Fisher and Andy Thayer,
activists with both CCAWR and the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network,
a Lesbian/Gay/Bi/ Trans organization that defends against
attacks on the LGBT community. They told the demonstrators that
upcoming actions included a mass rally in Chicago Sept. 26 as
part of the Sept. 25-28 Inter national Days of Protest Against
War, Occupation and Empire and that CCAWR would be organizing
buses to go to the Oct. 25 March on Washington.
Pearlie Stuckey of Chicago ANSWER, whose son recently
returned from duty in Iraq, told the crowd how last fall she
feared the U.S. was determined to go to war with Iraq and her
son would be sent. Determined to do something about the
impending war Stuckey went to Washington, D.C. for the Oct. 26,
2002, and the Jan. 19 and March 15 ANSWER marches. She was
ready to get on the bus again for the Oct. 25, 2003 march.
Another speaker was Gloria LaRiva of the International
Action Center in San Francisco, who was in town for the
convention of her union, the Communication Workers of America.
Gloria is also a delegate to the San Francisco Labor Council
which recently passed a resolution calling for an end to U.S.
occupation of Iraq and endorsing the Oct. 25 March on
Washington.
Shoppers and tourists lined the march route, with some
joining in.
Reprinted from the Sept. 4, 2003, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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