United for Peace and Justice gets screwed on rally site

[Is anyone going? -x]

UFPJ Accepts Rally Location for Aug. 29

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July 22nd, 2004
UFPJ ACCEPTS RALLY LOCATION FOR AUGUST 29,
MOVES FORWARD WITH MOBILIZING FOR
MASSIVE PROTEST AGAINST THE BUSH AGENDA

Dear UFPJ supporters:

On Wednesday, July 21, United for Peace and Justice made a major announcement
about our August 29 “World Says No to the Bush Agenda” protest: We are taking
the West Street rally location which was imposed by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg
and the NY Police Department. (Click here to view a map of the march route and
rally location.)

We did not make this decision lightly. Our central goal for our August 29 event
has always been to maximize the numbers of people out on the streets in
opposition to the Bush agenda. That’s why we chose Sunday and why we pursued
permits. A wide range of other events, which we support, are being planned
throughout the convention week, with varying tactics and goals. With the
locations for both our march and rally now secured, our August 29 protest will
be an event that people from every walk of life can participate in: immigrants,
parents with kids in strollers, elderly people, people with disabilities.

Several weeks ago, we won our fight to march past Madison Square Garden, the
site of the Republican National Convention, but the rally site remained
contested. We have been fighting hard for months to secure the Great Lawn in
Central Park, and many of you have supported us in that fight.

Every alternative we proposed to City officials was rejected. Every attempt at
resolving concerns was dismissed. The City cut off negotiations and refused to
meet with us. Clearly Mayor Bloomberg, a pitbull for the Bush Administration and
the Republican Party, is doing everything he can to silence dissent and erode
basic Constitutional rights.

Within UFPJ, we had many perspectives on how best to resolve this. We considered
everything from canceling the rally and calling for a mass sit-in on the Great
Lawn to accepting West Street under any conditions. We consulted our attorneys,
discussed the issue with our supporters and allies, and debated at great length.

We knew that this fight was taking up a lot of the time and energy we needed for
mobilizing. We knew that many groups’ planning, on everything from bus
reservations to feeder marches, was being held up. At the same time, we knew
that accepting the West Street site was going to add new logistical needs and
that even once we secured a site we would still have to fight the Bloomberg
Administration over key matters such as its use of pens and barricades.

With sadness, anger, and yes, some relief, we decided it was time to resolve
this issue and focus on building as large a demonstration as possible for
Sunday, August 29.

So now we move on. We take with us the victory of a march route past Madison
Square Garden, and we will keep fighting to get what we need to make this
demonstration successful. We have made a public issue of the bullying tactics of
Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his police department. We have also
spelled out what we need from the City to make this site work for the massive
rally on August 29.

Now is the time for all of us to redouble our efforts to spread the word about
August 29, and build the biggest possible demonstration against Bush’s policies.
Visit the RNC section of our website at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/rnc for
downloadable leaflets, information on order stickers and posters, an endorsement
form, and many other resources.

At the same time, we hope that you will contact the Mayor and Police Chief Kelly
to keep the pressure on these demands:

1) No Pens: We have made it clear that we do not want the police to use metal
barricades to create pens or otherwise restrict movement in and out of the rally
site, the assembly site or along the march route itself.

2) Free Water: Because there is no shade or access to stores or other facilities
along West Street, we want the City to provide free water at the rally, as well
as assistance with extra port-o-johns.

3) Free Shuttle Bus: We want the City to provide free shuttle buses from the
rally site to the closest subway stations, which depending where you are along
West Street can be some distance. The City is giving the RNC delegates free
subway/bus passes for the week they are here and we would like the have the
subway and bus fares waived on August 29 to make travel around town easier for
the massive numbers of people expected to join the demonstration.

4) Compensation: Since the City is insisting that we rally on this site, we will
incur major additional expenses for an adequate stage and sound system. We think
the City should help cover some of these costs.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Phone 212-788-3000
Fax 212-788-9711
Email http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly
Phone 646-610-5410
Fax 646-610-5865
Email: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mailnypd.html

Let us be clear: While this settlement is not our first choice, and we are
appalled by the City’s bullying tactics, we are resolute in our commitment to
making August 29 a colorful, massive, and diverse display of dissent. On August
29, hundreds of thousands will take to the streets to send a loud and resounding
message: The world says NO to the Bush agenda of war, greed, hate, and lies.

We’ll see you in the streets!

============================================
AUGUST 29, THE WORLD SAYS NO TO THE BUSH AGENDA!
March and Rally at the Republican National Convention, New York City
============================================
Visit the RNC mobilizing section of our website for resources and to endorse the
August 29 demonstration:
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/rnc
============================================
We need your financial support to make the August 29 protest a success:
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate
============================================
To receive email updates on the August 29 RNC protest, visit:
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
============================================
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
============================================
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