Sept. 24 -26 . . . You Helped Make History!

[UFPJ Action Alerts <ufpj at democracyinaction.org>]

<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=42101127&url_num=1&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org>
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
<http://www.unitedforpeace.org>www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545 |
<http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email>Click to subscribe

<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=42101127&url_num=4&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate>Above,
Sept. 24: part of the massive turnout for the three-day D.C. antiwar
mobilization.

THREE DAYS IN SEPTEMBER

What an amazing three days it was!

The Sept. 24 - 26th actions in Washington, DC offered a broad cross section
of people many ways to express their opposition to the war on Iraq. The
mobilization turned up the heat on the Bush administration and Congress
while making connections between the war and other pressing issues of the
day. We are proud to report on the tremendous success of these three days.
As we return to organizing in our communities, schools, religious centers,
and workplaces, our movement is stronger. Hundreds of thousands of people
are re-energized for the work ahead, and Congress and the White House now
recognize our movement as a force to reckon with.

The events and activities that took place these three days could not have
happened without the direct involvement of scores of UFPJ member groups and
hundreds of volunteers. If you helped get the word out, sold bus tickets,
organized or participated in a contingent, helped plan any of the
activities, distributed posters or leaflets, or made a financial
contribution, then you helped to make history! Thank you, to each and every
one who helped bring this ambitious three day program to life!

In the report below we have tried to capture some of the spirit and energy
of the Sept. 24 - 26th antiwar mobilization organized by United for Peace
and Justice. This is only a snap shot of what happened during these 3 days
and we hope to bring you more detailed reports in the coming weeks. To see
photos from these days, visit
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=42101127&url_num=5&url=http://dianelent.com/s24mobe1.htm>http://dianelent.com/s24mobe1.htm

On Saturday, Sept. 24th hundreds of thousands of people - our estimate is
at least 300,000 - marched in front of the White House and through the
streets of Washington, DC in a powerful, unified statement of opposition to
the war in Iraq and for justice for the people of the Gulf Coast. The call
was clear: it is time to end this war and to bring the troops home! People
poured into the nation's capital from every corner of the country, from all
walks of life and many different communities. As impressive as the numbers
were, the creativity and commitment of this massive number of people was
what made the day so
energizing.<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=42101127&url_num=6&url=http://dianelent.com/s24mobe1.htm>

The day began with a rally on the Ellipse, with the White House in the
backdrop. Some of the speakers included: Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Rev. Jesse
Jackson, Cindy Sheehan, Curtis Muhammad (organizer from New Orleans), UFPJ
National Coordinator Leslie Cagan, and Damu Smith from Black Voices for
Peace. But the crowds out on the streets were so large that most people
never made it to the Ellipse. By 12:30 people were in motion, determined to
have their voices heard. And for the next four and a half hours the march
unfolded with contingents of military families and veterans, labor,
students, religious communities, women, people of color groups,
counter-recruitment activists, the nuclear disarmament movement, the
lgbt/queer community, seniors, professional organization, state-wide
delegations, and so many more all marching to end the war on Iraq. United
for Peace and Justice and other coalitions and organizations had
distributed many signs and posters, but people's home made signs told the
world where they had come from and what they felt most deeply. The streets
of Washington are wide (we marched on roads that were 6 or 8 lanes) and
there was hardly a gap as this incredible sea of humanity carried its
message of peace and justice.

By the time the march took off, the two day Peace and Justice Festival
organized by UFPJ was already up and running on the Washington Monument
grounds. Throughout the weekend, thousands of people visited the 17 tents
we had set up where groups working on common issues offered information,
interactive displays, ways to get involved, and much more. More than 150
member groups of UFPJ participated in the booths covering a range of
issues: Iraq, Counter-Recruitment, The Wars at Home, Real Support for the
Troops, Global Justice, Legislative Action, Clergy and Laity Concerned
About Iraq, Palestine, Nuclear Abolition, Stop Global Warming, Preventing
the Next War, Local Costs of War, Youth and Students, and Grassroots
Organizing (UFPJ Member Groups).

At 2:30 the Operation Ceasefire concert kicked off at the Washington
Monument grounds. This amazing event included performances by Joan Baez,
the Machetres, Living Things, Wayne Kramer and the Bellrays, Steve Earle,
The Coup, Sweet Honey in the Rock, The Evens, Ted Leo + Pharmacists, Head
Roc, Thievery Corporation, Bouncing Souls, Le Tigre, and Fort Knox Five DJ
Set. Interspersed between the music were dynamic speeches by Julian Bond,
Rev. Al Sharpton, Representatives Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey, Barbara Lee
and Raul Grijalva, Ann Wright, Jim Hightower, Medea Benjamin,
representatives of Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for
Peace, and others. One of the high points of the event - which went to 1:30
in the morning with 40,000 still in attendance - was when Etan Thomas, the
professional basketball player with the Washington Wizards, read his poetry
and brought it all together.

On Sunday, Sept. 25th smaller but vitally important events took place. The
Peace and Justice Festival continued throughout the day, and trainings for
both the day of Congressional Lobbying and the Nonviolent Civil
Disobedience action at the White House took place. In addition, the Sylvan
Theatre on the Washington Monument grounds was used for a day-long concert
and the Counter-Recruitment Working Group of UFPJ had an afternoon
gathering that brought together people from around the country doing this
work. The day closed out with what has been described as the one of the
most moving Interfaith Religious Services people had ever been to. Using
several of the tents that had been set up for the Peace and Justice
Festival, and building on the practice of tent revivals, leaders from major
religious traditions were joined by upwards of 500 people in articulating
an ethical critique of the war. Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq
(which is housed within UFPJ) organized this inspiring gathering.

On Monday, Sept. 26th two events unfolded throughout the day: the
Congressional Lobby Day on Capital Hill and the Nonviolent Civil
Disobedience action at the White House. Organized by working groups of
UFPJ, the success of these two events represented significant growth for
our coalition.

The Lobby Day took our antiwar message to the halls of Congress, where at
least 800 (and possibly as many as 1000) people representing more than 40
states met with the offices of over 300 senators and representatives in the
largest-ever pro-peace lobby day. We urged our representatives to take
every action to stop this war, cut off funding for the occupation, support
existing legislation that moves towards bringing the troops home, stop
building permanent bases in Iraq, provides funds as compensation for the
damage caused by the war, and forbid schools from sharing student
information with military recruiters without parental permission. The
September 26 Lobby Day was just the beginning of our efforts to create a
coordinated grassroots legislative action network to increase the pressure
on Congress to stop funding the war and to bring the troops home now! The
lobby visits should continue so visit
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=42101127&url_num=7&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3074>http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3074
to download UFPJ's legislative priorities, our legislative asks and talking
points.

The civil resistance action at the White House drew over 1,000 people with
upwards of 400 people risking arrest. A small delegation that included
religious leaders and Gold Star families approached the gate to the White
House on Pennsylvania Avenue and asked to meet with the president. As was
expected, they were denied such a meeting and they proceeded to sit on the
sidewalk in front of the White House, soon to be joined by the others. It
took some time, but by late afternoon over 370 people had been arrested in
what is probably one of the largest civil resistance actions ever carried
out at the White House. This work will also continue and plans for other
activities around the country will be announced in the coming weeks.

In the coming days and weeks we will be sharing more details about what
happened and certainly new ideas about where we go from here. But in the
meantime, we hope those of you were in Washington, DC will share your
experiences with others who couldn't make it. The energy we felt in the
streets for those three days needs to be carried out to every corner of
this country – and you are the people to make that happen.

We also hope you will continue to generously
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=42101127&url_num=8&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate>lend
your financial support to United for Peace and Justice. Our work is far
from over and we need your support as much as ever before! Thanks for
whatever you can do!!


ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
<http://www.unitedforpeace.org/>www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit
<http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email>www.unitedforpeace.org/email
To unsubscribe, visit
<http://www.demaction.org/ufpj/unsubscribe.jsp>www.demaction.org/ufpj/unsubscribe.jsp