Letter From Belgium
Dear world can’t wait,
I can’t even begin to express how happy I am that (young) people are finally doing something against Bush! I wish I could be there with you, unfortunately I live in Belgium and there really isn’t anything I can do. I just thought I could show you that you’re not alone in this. All over the world people are watching you, thinking of you and wishing you luck. For a better world, for our future.
Letter From NYC
Dear World Can’t Wait
I got home right now from the protest and….
*I was out there from 12 to 6:30 screaming and cheering. my main reason for coming out today was that at my high school im a top student and i asked my principal for a college reccomendation. He looked at me, said well, after reading your essay (on 9/11) i don’t think i can. He then went on to call me crazy, tell me my sources were nothing and he shoved his ideas down my throat. This set off my anger and i knew i had to come. After the actual protest myself and a few others stayed in the city until 6:30 and later trying to get on the MTV network and have our voices heard more worldwide. We were harassed by police, pushed around, and generally mistreated. Even after all the turmoil i am home, happy and satisfied with myself. Our work isnt done yet but this was the start. We can do it all together!!
*Today I went to my first protest. I thought it would be boring and with no purpose, but it spoke to me. I mean, what is the point of George W. Bush playing around in the white house? For heavens sake he said God gave him a mission to declare war, I mean, who would say something like that, he’s gone a little off. I think this was more than a protest, there will be more of these until bush is out. He’s using people like hand grenades that have no life, he knows, oh yes he knows, that his killing innocent young and elder people by sending them to fight in Iraq. After what we’ve seen us do in the past five years, I’m not afraid of terrorists any more, we’re the terrorists because of George Bush. No more fair play eh? Well then us citizens of America will not, repeat, NOT, play fair. We are the people of America, and, oh yah, one more thing,
“STEP DOWN GEORGE BUSH!”
by:Z.M.M Age 9½
From Article about Cincinnati Walkout
Senior Traven La Botz, a member of the Walnut Hills High School group Concerned Students for Peace, said the students wanted to put into action lessons they learned about civil disobedience. “All of us are missing class for this, but I think we can make a class of this,” he told students gathered around the flag pole.
La Botz, 18, reminded his classmates to remember the lessons they learned in history and English about civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who died
last week.
‘With the death of Rosa Parks, we mourn a great activist and practicer of civil disobedience,” La Botz said. “For all who walked out today, I’d like to give you an ‘A.’ You are not only learning lessons but putting them into practice.”
From L.A
At Wilshire and Alvarado/ McArthur Park the scene was wild. World-Can’t-Wait-green was everywhere. The whole park was covered in stickers and posters. World Can’t Wait posters lined a block of Alvarado and a block of Wilshire and Spanish banners were prominently displayed on the corner and in the park. The highschool students were unstoppable. They stood on the corner fiercely shouting chants on bullhorns. They literally couldn’t wait for the march to start at 1:30pm, so one group of students marched down to hook up with people on Figueroa and Wilshire. Another group went on two marches around the park.
Students kept arriving from different schools and as they would get to the corner they would be greeted by cheers and their schools were announced over a bullhorn. Montebello, Belmont, Downtown Business Magnet, Van Nuys, and others. Inside the park there were musical performances and speakers. Armando Navarro, professor and department chair from UC Riverside was one of the speakers. There were also people from New Orleans, proletarians from Watts and Pico-Union, high school students from several of the schools, and someone from the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade. The bands that performed were Los Animas, Flatbush, 7 Gatos Negros, and a solo performance by Brandon from Kill Radio.
Once the march started, it was lively and determined. People joined with us in the park and along the march. As we passed Vermont, we picked up a lot of people who had been protesting there since noon – including a contingent from Los Angeles City College, which had done their own march from the school. About 600 people marched to Normandie. Following the march was a funeral procession for the Bush regime – led by 4 hearses!!!
Link to Nov.2 Protest at University of Southern California
Speech Given by Student at University of North Carolina-Greensboro
North Carolina
Speech for Nov. 2nd 2005, The World Can’t Wait Protest
Good afternoon, my name is F.A, Greensboro local, and a proud co-organizer with The World Can’t Wait movement to drive out the Bush regime. I thought long and hard about what I was going to say today, and I have done my best to write out how I feel. I apologize if this isn’t the most eloquent or well written speech presented here today, but I assure you that this comes from my heart.
In the last week we all lost a dear friend, Rosa Parks. I feel it is not only appropriate, but necessary to discuss her. She was a role model, a hero, and a true American. She stood up against the oppressive government, and made the world a better place in the process. I can not begin to imagine how she would have felt watching African Americans in New Orleans being treated in such a racist and degrading manner after Hurricane Katrina hit.I don’t know how painful it must have been when William Bennett, former secretary of education under Bush senior, facist, and supporter of the Bush regime stated that ‘if we want to lower crime rates, we should abort black babies’ on a radio talk show. The many advances that were made by
Ms. Parks and other members of the movement for equality of races, sexes, religions, and the general equality of people are being crushed. We as a nation are regressing and the steps we are taking forward are in a frightening direction, a direction that can not be tolerated.
People often ask me: Why do you bother? I hate Bush, but do you really think you will make a difference?’ For a while my answer was merely ‘I don’t know but I have to try.’ But is it possible for me, a high school senior, not even old enough to vote, to actually make a difference? Yes and no. Alone, I can only do so much. But I am not alone. Together, we can and will put an end to this regime. So why do I bother? Because it is my duty, and my responsibility to myself. Greensboro is not as dumb as people think.
What about the four young black men who sat down at the lunch counter a block or so from where we stand right now? What about the rallies against police brutality every year? And what about the people here today? No, I am not alone.
We can not be discouraged by our opposition. We can not allow ourselves to be broken down and silenced even if we are physically threatened and assaulted like I have been. We must stand firmly with a strong voice. I stand here today not as a Democrat, Republican, Communist, or Anarchist. I do not stand here as a young white male. Rather, I stand here today, shoulder to shoulder, with people from all walks of life, as a human being, acting on my conscience. I stand hear to send this message. United with you by the call, we will not tolerate racism, violence, oppression, hate, and greed. We will not tolerate the Bush administration and do not condone their actions.
I know that I will continue to do everything that I can to change the world I live in, to alter the fate of mankind, for myself, my peers, those who came before me, and humanity as a whole, both for now and for the future. I ask you to make this vow with me here today. Follow your heart and conscience, and together we can make a difference and have a better tomorrow.
Thank you very much for lending me your ears, donating your time and energy.
send your reports and letters to youth_students@worldcantwait.org