UFPJ Accepts Rally Location for August 29

["UFPJ Alerts" <listmaster at unitedforpeace.org>]

ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
============================================
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. (Details on the
march route and rally location are below.)

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 permits 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

The details of our march route and rally site are as follows: We will
assemble between 14th Street and 23rd Street, stretching from Sixth to
Eighth Avenues. The march will kick off from 23rd Street and head up
Seventh Avenue past Madison Square Garden. It will then turn west on 34th
Street and head over to West Street, also known as the West Side Highway.
We will proceed south on West Street to the rally site, which will stretch
north from Chambers Street.

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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