[330] in peace2
25,000 Say "No More Business as Usual" in Philly (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Aimee L Smith)
Tue Aug 1 00:07:56 2000
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To: peace-list@MIT.EDU
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Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2000 00:07:49 -0400
From: Aimee L Smith <alsmith@MIT.EDU>
Some of us are back from Philli. The Globe reported (on page
10) that there were 5,000 protesters. The park commission
20- 25,000. But hey, what's 20,000 among friends? And I can
see how the image of a nice gavel and a nearly empty convention
center would be more important for the front page than photos
of the march...
It was a great day, and for those who couldn't make the trip,
fear not! The excitement is coming to you this Oct 3 as we
protest the corporate sponsored debates that are excluding third
party candidates. Get ready for O3!! (If you want to help
with the planning, I can give you info about the organizing
committee. Just email me.)
In unity,
Aimee
------- Forwarded Message
by Mike Morrill, of the Pennsylvania Citizens Action Network
************************************
The first two days of actions in Philadelphia are over and they have been
great! Five thousand people gathered on Saturday for the Universal Health
Care Rally. Yesterday, 20,000-25,000 marched at Unity 2000, according to a
spokesperson for the Fairmount Park Commission. The rest of the week should
be just as exciting, as people participate in numerous actions. Today's
biggest event is the March for Economic Human Rights beginning at 11:00 AM at
City Hall.
The main assembly of Unity 2000 began amassing on JFK Boulevard at 9:00 AM.
Various groups gathered at different places along the Boulevard to assemble
their contingents. There was a sense of excitement in the air as more and
more people filled the streets and sidewalks. By the time the march kicked
off at 10:30, JFK was filled for blocks.
Meanwhile, "feeder marches" formed streams that merged into the main march to
form a mighty river. The Camden, NJ march walked over the Franklin Bridge
and met up with the Chinatown march. The Million Billionaire March began at
29th and JFK, accompanied by the Corpazilla float. SOA Watch/War No More
joined the main march from 15th and Market St. and the Peace contingent began
at the Friends Center.
At one point, people stretched over 7 diagonal blocks, filling a six-lane
wide parkway. The march was festive and loud with scores of chants and
music competing for attention.
While the marchers were peaceful, as promised, the police continued their
intimidation tactics. As the march arrived at Logan Circle, the
demonstrators were met by cordons of police lining both sides of the Parkway,
standing at attention. Unity 2000 organizers immediately contacted the ACLU
attorneys who sprung into action. Stefan Presser called Police Commissioner
Timoney and demanded their removal. Within minutes, the police disappeared,
but the message had already been sent.
Hundreds of people were already on the Parkway when the march arrived. Folk
singers had already begun performing to the hundreds of people who chose not
to march. The march arrived later than scheduled because of the volume of
marchers, putting the program behind schedule for most of the day.
The program featured great music and incredible speeches from a variety of
organizations and issues. The variety of messages spoke to the wide range of
concerns that are still unaddressed in our society. The first part of the
program featured chants by Tibetan monks and issues such as labor rights, the
diminishing number of African-American farmers and the attempt to destroy
Chinatown by placing a baseball stadium in its heart.
At the same time as the program at the main stage, there was great street
theater going on, as well as impromptu drum circles, dancing and chanting.
Peace Action brought at 50' inflated missile on a flatbed truck to emphasize
the folly of the renewed arms race. The Alliance for Democracy had a 30'
high Liberty Bell calling for full public financing of elections, the
Teamsters brought a bus. The hit of the day was Corpazilla, a float created
by the Washington Action Group that featured Gore and Bush engaged in mud
wrestling.
The day was a huge success, bringing together hundreds of organizations to
emphaize the emptiness of the corporate-dominated economy and poliitcal
system in the U.S. Despite weeks of police intimidation, and corporate-media
sensationalism, 20,000-25,000 people turned out to say "No" to business as
usual. This bodes well for the rest of the week in Philadelphia and the
action at the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles in two weeks. It also
gives hope to the growing movement that despite the opposition of the two old
parties and their wealthy benefactors, the people will not be fooled.
Unity 2000
315 N. 12th St., #308
Philadelphia, PA 19107
1-215-627-5007-tel
1-215-627-5009-fax
unity2000@pcan.org
www.unity2000.com
Email list: philly2000-subscribe@listbot.com
___________________________________________________________
------- End of Forwarded Message
