We Are Marching -- Permit or No Permit

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

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Please forward as widely as possible!

The NYPD is refusing to allow us to hold a peace march anywhere near the
United Nations on Tuesday, Sept. 19, when President Bush will be speaking.
We are marching anyway, standing up against this war and for our right to
dissent.

We need your support!

* If you can participate in this peaceful civil disobedience action, call
our office at 212-868-5545 so we can give you information about nonviolence
trainings.

* We are also seeking a permit for a legal rally in Herald Square on
Tuesday morning, which everyone can participate in without risking arrest.
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=187908741&url_num=5&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org/>Check
our website for details and plan to join us if you possibly can!

* Forward this message far and wide.

* We need volunteers! If you are in the NYC area, and can spare a few hours
helping us spread the word this weekend, please call 212-868-5545 and ask
for Nia.

* Support our work to end the war and defend the right to protest by
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=187908741&url_num=6&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate>making
a financial donation to UFPJ.


On Tuesday, Sept. 19, President Bush will be speaking at the United Nations
as part of an election-year public-relations push on his disastrous Iraq
War.

The New York City Police Department has refused to grant a permit to United
for Peace and Justice to march anywhere near the United Nations.
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=187908741&url_num=7&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3383>Based
on feedback from our member groups and supporters, we have come to a
decision: We are marching anyway. Permit or no permit, we will stand up
against this immoral war and for our right to dissent.

While the Bush Administration has pursued its belligerent policy of
preemptive war abroad, attacking a country that posed no danger to us, our
Constitutional rights have been steadily eroded here at home, with peaceful
protesters treated as security threats. In New York City, the NYPD and
other agencies have systematically declared one location after another
off-limits to protest -- no rallies in most of Central Park, no marches on
Fifth Avenue, no pickets in Times Square, and so on endlessly.

We know there are serious security issues to consider when the president
and other heads of state are in town. But those needs must be balanced
against protecting the right to assemble, the right to protest, and the
right to dissent. The NYPD said no to every alternative we put on the table
and simply refused to give us a permit for a reasonable location for our
march next Tuesday.

Enough is enough. We are marching -- marching to demand that the troops
come home now, and to assert our right to peaceful protest. Marching
without a permit amounts to nonviolent civil disobedience, and those of us
who participate in the march on Tuesday will place ourselves at risk of
arrest.

We also know and respect the fact that many people cannot participate in an
activity that does not have a permit. And so we are seeking a permit for a
rally starting at 8:30 a.m. in Herald Square, one of the busiest locations
in Manhattan. This will enable anyone who wishes to protest the war and the
restriction of our civil liberties to join us without risking arrest.

There are important details to work out, but this we know for certain: we
will not be silenced, we will call for an immediate end to the war in Iraq,
and we will be on the streets of New York City on Tuesday, September 19th!

WE NEED YOUR HELP:
1) Please share this email message as widely as possible. Help make sure
that everyone knows about the rally and march on Sept. 19th and the denial
of our request for a march permit.

2) Especially if you are in the NYC area, make plans now to join us next
Tuesday morning. If you would like to participate in the march, please take
a moment to call our office at 212-868-5545 so we can give you information
about nonviolence trainings. We would rather take this risk than allow our
rights to be undermined.

3)
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=187908741&url_num=8&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org/>Check
the UFPJ website for updates on the details for Sept. 19th, including the
exact time and location of the rally and the plans for the march. If you
are looking for or would like to offer a ride to NYC,
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=187908741&url_num=9&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org/transport>please
visit our ride board.

4) And, of course, all of this work takes money. Whether or not you are
able to participate in person on Tuesday, you can show your support by
making a financial donation today!
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=187908741&url_num=10&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate>Make
an online contribution, call our office at 212-868-5545 to make a credit
card donation over the phone, or send a check or money order to UFPJ, P.O.
Box 607, Times Square Station, NY NY 10108.

COMING UP: DECLARATION OF PEACE
Just two days after Bush speaks at the United Nations, on Thursday,
September 21, the
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=187908741&url_num=11&url=http://www.declarationofpeace.org/>Declaration
of Peace campaign will kick off with candlelight vigils around the country
and a nonviolent civil disobedience action in Washington, D.C. There will
be a wide array of powerful actions for peace all around the country
throughout the entire following week.

<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=187908741&url_num=12&url=http://www.declarationofpeace.org/>Check
the Declaration of Peace website to find out about events in your area. If
you are planning an activity that is not yet listed, please put it on the
calendar now. And we urge those of you who can to join the actions in
Washington, DC, on Sept. 26th or Sept. 27th.


Help us continue to do this critical work:
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=187908741&url_num=13&url=http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate>Make
a donation to UFPJ today.

ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
<http://www.unitedforpeace.org/>www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
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