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Community caravan joins anti-war action

Published Mar 23, 2005 3:42 PM

On March 19 a car caravan rolled through the African American community of Watts and on to Hollywood with lights on, horns honking and banners displayed. Unlike the meaningless commercial ads commanding the attention of people along the sidewalks, this caravan was greeted by the South Los Angeles community with fists in the air and shouts of approval, because it was about something real—health care and the demand to stop sacrificing social services for the billions spent on war in Iraq.


Los Angeles caravan.

The International Action Center initiated the motorcade in conjunction with an action held the same day in New York City called by the Troops Out Now coalition. The caravan went from King-Drew Med ical Center in South LA to a Holly wood demonstration called by the ANSWER coalition marking the second anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Rally organizers said that 20,000 people were in attendance.

The motorcade’s cars were draped with banners stating, “Save King-Drew, shut down the war” and “Money for health care, not war.” A Service Employees Local 660 van and SUV participated in the motorcade.

King-Drew Hospital has been threatened with closure and now faces demands to cut back services by county officials. The predominately Latin@ and Black community served by the hospital has launched a successful fightback with help from Rep. Maxine Waters.

South LA’s community contains fewer health-care facilities per resident than the California average. Many here believe that closing the facility would be tantamount to an act of genocide against people of color and an injustice to working and poor people in general.

The IAC organized the caravan to show solidarity with the people of South LA and expose the direct links between the war budget and the theft of services from working-class and especially nationally oppressed communities.

The caravan fed into the anti-war demonstration held in Hollywood in order to strengthen that rally with voices from communities that have not always been well represented in the anti-war protests.

IAC organizers saw the caravan as a success and an important step toward uniting the community and anti-war struggles.