In DC, the AP reported 500 protesters. The day included a rally with poetry, spoken word, musical performance and a host of speakers. (see below for list of speakers and performers) The parents of Rachel Corrie made a surprise appearance and Craig Corrie spoke. Jennifer Harbury’s testimony about torture and the many cases she is involved with was incredibly horrifying. Throughout the day, many of the chapter’s new wcw organizers signed up people at the rally on e-mail lists, collected donations ($1100.00 was raised) and passed out the Call with the flyer on back announcing our next big meeting, scheduled in DC for Friday night. (one week from today). One of our strong supporters, an attorney himself, organized legal observers who were at the event.
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Video of the rally: |
The highlight of the day was our public declaration of the White House as a Crime Scene. At about 5pm, Travis Morales announced to a swelling crowd, “we now go the the White House to declare this a crime scene!” Hundreds lined up to follow the Rythym Workers Union druming across to house of the Bush Administration. Everyone was asked by Travis to pin on an orange ribbon and people wore these as they crossed over to the White House. We yelled “the World Cant Wait-Drive Out the Bush Regime”, as the crime scene tape was unrolled from the White House gate, out, in 2 directions. Hundreds lined up and grabbed hold of the crime tape, unrolling it farther and farther, until it lined all the way down Pennsylvania Avenue two blocks from 15th St. to 17 St. Travis Morales powerfully indicted the Bush Regime for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as the people screamed “Guilty! Guilty!” As dark fell, many returned to Layfayette Square for an “open mic” when many youth lined up at the stage, to speak their minds about the governments’ crimes and views on driving out the Bush Regime.
From what we can tell, many people came off the radio interviews Travis did, and also the PSA’s played on Pacifica. People came who we had not heard from in a long time, off both e-mails we sent out, and those that were forwarded by other local organizations, like Democracy Rising, DC Anti-War Network (DAWN), and others. The Quakers posted the event, and so did Code Pink. People came to our event maainly from DC, Maryland (all over) and Virginia. There were a significant bunch of people who were visting DC, and were excited to see this demonstration taking place and just joined in right on the spot. Others, passing by the rally, got flyers, and stayed. Leading up to Oct 5, we had a solid volunteer crew in our office every day for many hours. They made calls, did outreach in the streets as well as answering phone calls from the many people responding to radio interviews and PSA’s and the web site. In several cases, we heard from people who heard from friends and relatives out of town, and they checked the site and contacted our local office. Lots of people called to arrange a time to come by to pick up flyers to distribute, and several of them came back repeadedly for more.
Speakers:
* Rev. Lennox Yearwood (HipHop Caucus; co-emcee)
* Jennifer Harbury (Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition; attorney; author; activist)
* Rev. Graylan Hagler (Pastor, Plymouth Congregational Church, DC; also member of the steering and administrative committee of UFPJ)
* Travis Morales (One of the people encamped in front of the White House with World Can’t Wait- Drive Out the Bush Regime for 19 days before November 2, 2005)
* Chris Otten (Green Party)
* Rick Tingling-Clemmons (DC community organizer)
* Kathryn Fuchs (United for Peace and Justice)
* Sandra Telep (Pride@Work, AFL-CIO)
* Captain Ron Fisher (US Navy Ret.)
* Allan Lichtman (Professor, American University)
* Kevin McCarron (Veterans for Peace)
* Gael Murphy (Code Pink)
* Imam Abdul-Alim Musa (Masjid Al-Islam)
* David Swanson (afterdowningstreet.org)
* Kevin Zeese (Democracy Rising)
* Chigozie Onyema (Howard University student)
* Jann Campbell (community organizer & Katrina disaster worker)
* Craig Corrie (father of Rachel Corrrie)
ENTERTAINERS / ARTISTS:
* Rhythm Workers Union
* DC Gorilla Poetry Insurgency
* Rick Burnley (poet)
* Yikes McGee (singer/songwriter)
* Alan Barysh (poet)