From
airplanes flying with “IMPEACH” banners, to human bodies spelling it
out on beaches in San Francisco & Coney Island, to tourists looking
down from the Washington Monument to see it spelled out by hundreds of
picnickers, to protests in Miami against Bush’s visit, the clamor for impeachment was visible on Saturday.
These actions took place just days after
Dennis Kucinich introduced Articles of Impeachment against Cheney, and after prominent voices of conscience, including Mayor Rocky Anderson, Chris Hedges,
Daniel Ellsberg, Cindy Sheehan, and Dennis Kucinich, who introduced
articles of impeachment against Cheney on 4/24. [Click here to find out
more, read their statements, & watch video.]
Worldcantwait.org will feature more reports, pictures, and video as they become available, and more can also be found at A28.org.
For now check out the following:
Sacramento, CA
WE GOT A MILLION BEEPS FOR IMPEACHMENT and I feel, took
back our flag today. We flew big beautiful red-white-and-blues
on both corners of our demo. for 3 hours. There were at least
35 people at all times, I guess. I got Raleys to make a big
sheet cake saying “Impeach Bush/Cheney.” Note, that’s
corporate Raleys. I stuck with my request, eventually they said
Sure! with a smile. We had music and hugs and promises to gather
more people next time. Matt from Redding (17 years old) brought
his friends the 100 miles down here. On the way they hung a
bedsheet “Impeach” sign from a cliff overlooking I-5;
the cliff is OWNED by an older woman who called them to donate
her “Bill Board.” It’s PERMANENT.
San Francisco, CA (Ocean Beach)
April 28 was the second Beach Impeach, and this time over
1,500 people came to San Francisco’s Ocean Beach
to make sure the message was even bigger and bolder. This time the letters were one hundred feet tall,
and said IMPEACH NOW!People arriving along the sea wall got to cruise good
information tables from World Can’t Wait and other organizations with
literature, bumperstickers, and all sorts of impeachment gear (buttons, shirts,
stickers). We passed out almost 1500
Calls with our latest words on impeachment and driving out the Bush regime on
the back, and signed up a lot of new people.
If you look at the beach photos you can see how WCW turned the exclamation
point bright orange, as a way to incorporate into the “impeach now” our message
about the crime of torture. We were
joined by about 50 people of all ages who eagerly bought up and climbed into
orange jumpsuits and black hoods for this historic photo shoot.It was a great crowd, with a certain sense of purpose and
community in the air as people found their places in the giant letters. The mood grew even more enthusiastic as the
helicopter whirred into view, much cheering and waving – as if people felt they
were sending their message and their presence out to people all over the rest
of the country and the world.After Beach Impeach, following a truck bearing giant IMPEACH
letters on top, we took a 9-car caravan snaking across San
Francisco to Camp
Pelosi (the home of Nancy
Pelosi), to join a rally organized by Code Pink. Speakers included Ann Wright and Peter
Phillips, Impeach Bush Cheney, and others.
World Can’t Wait gave a brief speech and then launched the crowd into
the World Can’t Wait Spelling Bee.
Volunteer teams were handed a stack of giant Scrabble tiles, and then
asked to arrange themselves before the crowd to spell out: T-O-R-T-U-R-E – E-N-D-L-E-S-S
W-A-R – K-A-T-R-I-N-A, and other war crimes and crimes against humanity, while
the crowd called out the spelling letters along with them.
More photos:
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2007/04/29/18406582.php
Videos:
CBS News:
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=22837@kpix.dayport.comhttp://indybay.org/uploads/2007/04/29/20070428bi.mov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy-pAb1tusY
Pasadena, CA
We had 30 participants and our presence got a great response
from the public.The honking was incessant. In the warm and sunny
California afternoon, carloads of people drove by smiling, clapping,
flashing the peace sign and thumbs up. Two World War II vets
at least joined us, and we got statements from almost everybody
as to why they had decided to come today which we hope to post.
Signs urging people to “Stop Car, Sign Petition” brought
some people to our table, and at least one participant parked
and picked up a sign and stood with us. We gathered another
50 names on a petition to “Impeach George W. Bush and Dick
Cheney”. We sported and sold terrific “M” [pciture
of a peace] [picture of a bush] t-shirts designed and executed
by Chritisina H., Waynna K took care of our banner logistics–with
help from Adam we got it hanging 13 feet in the air–independent
of any city structure! The crowd loved it!
Ventura, CA
Our IMPEACH went over without a hitch here in Ventura. The
man didnt shut us down and it looked great. We had old and young
on the beach moving stones and sand. The relief looked AWESOME.
About 90 feet by 12 feet and its gonna stay awhile for all to
see. Its sad that we’ve come to a point where we have to use
the most ancient means of communication, stones to get a message
across, but it was worth every last one. The irony was not lost
on us. Hundreds of people who probrably otherwise would never
have known about the movement are now in the loop. I got lots
of greats pics not to mention lots of new supporters for the
movement. And like the other IMPEACHER said we took back our
flag today. Man it felt sooo good to be out there claiming it!
Washington, DC (National Mall)
Tourists from across the country got an eyeful when they looked down from the Washington Monument and saw hundreds of picnickers spelling out the word “Impeach” between the famous DC obelisk and the Capital . The event which was part of a nationwide action by the Impeach 07 Coalition of which the World Can’t Wait is a member, drew longtime activists, students, families and many new fresh faces. Despite cloudy skies, the rain never came and spirits remained sunny.
Delray Beach, FL (along George Bush Blvd.)
Close to 80 good people gathered at the crossroads of Federal
Highway (US Rte. 1) and George Bush Boulevard with their I-M-P-E-A-C-H
signs today. We would have had more, but many folks from our
area (Palm Beach County) travelled 60 miles south to Miami to
protest at Miami-Dade College, where George Bush himself was
scheduled to present the commencement address. It was a beautifully
sunny day, and very HOT! We made it hot for Bush and Cheney,
too! We held a mock trial and found them both guilty of a dozen
different impeachable offenses. The Raging Grannies were there,
and so were folks from CodePink, Democracy for America, Veterans
for Peace, Project Truth, and more. We had a tense moment early
on when a police car stopped at our intersection, but it turned
out that the officer just wanted to “see if we were all
okay.” We had lots of supportive honks and thumbs up, and
several passersby pulled their cars over to join us. For some,
it was their first demonstration, and a measure of their disgust
with the current administration that they were willing to come
and stand with us today.
Atlanta, GA
It was great! We had about 40 people in the morning, lots
of good response from people passing by. Our local CBS affiliate
showed up with a camera to do a few interviews so we made the
6 o’clock news. Then on to the Inman Park parade a few blocks
away to march with the impeachment contingent. More great response
from the crowd. Then back at the park at 7:30 to spell it out
with candles. As soon as we set them up and started lighting
them, passersby began honking in support. Some parked and joined
us to see what we were about–mainly wanting to stay in touch
for future actions. I brought the editor of Atlanta Progressive
News to this event, and you can read the article here.
Honolulu, HI
About 50 people spelled I-M-P-E-A-C-H with large florescent
poster boards at 5 city intersections and a freeway overpass.
Response was overwhelmingly positive (running about 15 supporting
for every person opposing). Lots of passers-by raised their
fists, laid on their horns, shouted, or gave an enthusiastic
shaka. Trolleys transporting loads of tourists from one mall
to another rang their bells, and lots of city bus and truck
drivers honked their horns.
Amherst, MA
Amherst
spelled it out this weekend – I M P E A C H! Activists for the Impeachment of
Bush and Cheney joined demonstrators across the country by spelling it out with
jumbo letters in the center of town at noon on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Representatives from Amherst’s
Democratic Town Committee, Town Meeting, Women in Black, and the Amherst Peace Vigil
participated over the three days. Women in Black have been protesting the Iraq war every
since late 2001. They made the giant letters from the insides of outmoded
political lawn signs and wore them on Friday April 27 at noon until 1PM.Saturday, April 28, was a National Protest for Impeachment.
In Boston the demonstration
was at Faneuil Hall from noon to 4PM. Those activists for impeachment from the
Amherst Democratic Town Committee and Town Meeting who couldn’t join their
colleagues in Boston
stood in the center of town with the seven letters. The Democratic Town
Committee passed a resolution for impeachment March 9, 2006 and Town Meeting
passed a similar resolution November 1, 2006.On Sunday, April 29 the letters were worn at the regular
Peace Vigil at noon on the Common. The Amherst Vigil for Peace and Justice in a
Nuclear Free World is now in its 28th year.A photograph of the Sunday standout appeared in the
Springfield Republican April 30, 2007
Boston, MA
As the first picket signs went up, with slogans like “Bush
is Over, If You Want It” and “Cheney Lied. Impeach!”,
passers-by and would-be tourists became patriots and demonstrators.
And as the stage was being set, impeachment t-shirts and bumper
stickers were already flying off the tables, and signatures
came streaming in. By the time the sound system was operational
and the stage was set at the Samuel Adams statue, facing Faneuil
Hall, there were possibly over a hundred demonstrators, including
a wonderful showing from CODEPINK, Raging Grannies, and Veterans
for Peace. As musicians played and speakers orated, many more
came streaming into the small square by the historic assembly
hall, where the original patriots – groups like the Sons
of Liberty and people like Samuel Adams – gathered to protest
the reign of King George III. The highlighting event of the
afternoon occurred at about 2:30, after the Raging Grannies
had just finishing singing a song of protest in favor of impeachment.
Several hundred had gathered on the square, surrounding the
flag-draped casket and memorial set up by Carlos Arredondo.
As the Grannies” words rang out, a our town crier stepped
up to read a proclamation. He proclaimed that because the government
had failed to act for accountability, the demonstrators and
audience were to constitute a Citizen’s Council on Impeachment.
At that point two colonial guardsmen and a drummer boy cleared
a path through the crowd to lead the honorable Judge Justine
Grace to the podium. With Judge Grace overseeing the
proceedings, the town crier called out for the accused to step
up. Two members of Veterans for Peace, dressed as George W.
Bush and Dick Cheney, were lead through the crowd at musket-point
by the colonial guardsmen. Both were wearing crowns. Although
the guardsmen helped ensure their safe passage to the impeachment
hearing, they were made to suffer no small amount of jeers by
an angry crowd! The crier read the charges while the Raging
Grannies, as the Greek Chorus of the event, repeated each charge
in short. After some words of wisdom from the Judge, a vote
was held. All those in favor of impeachment say Aye! And with
that prompt, the crowd of hundreds declared in their most empowered
voice “Aye!”, many with raised fists. All those against,
say Nay! And with that prompt, only the sad and lonesome Billionaires
for Bush counter-protesters sung out in small numbers, and were
met with boos and jeers. “The ayes have it!” The Judge
instructed the crier to read the accused their Miranda Rights
and the guardsmen removed the crowns that had been upon their
heads. The emotion from the empowered crowd was overwhelmingly
energetic, and they took great notice of the fact that Bush
and Cheney were told that an attorney would be provided for
them if they could not afford one.
Grand Rapids, MI
Our action was taking place on a walking bridge that goes
over a river through the middle of Grand Rapids. I brought a
30-foot banner that screamed IMPEACH! and as people came down
they said they could see it driving up the surrounding highways!
There was a university graduation at the local arena a couple
of blocks down the road, so we decided to relocate to the next
bridge over when it got done with. We got a ton of honks and
waves (along with a finger or two) and 115 signatures for our
petition. This was my first attempt at organizing any sort of
event and it turned out great! 3 of us hadn’t had enough at
the end of our rally, so we walked a 10-foot IMPEACH! banner
3 miles home. 🙂 It was a lot of fun and everyone can’t wait
for the next one!
Kalamazoo, MI
We had a very exciting day spelling out Impeach here. A
dozen people spelled out Impeach outside graduation day at Western
Michigan University. Although campus security made us leave
campus, we regrouped nearby and hundreds of motorists gave us
an overwhelmingly positive thumbs up, laid on their horns and
yelled and whooped support out their windows. We then moved
to a very busy intersection by a shopping center and held two
sets of Impeach letters on opposite corners. Again we got over
90% positive responses, with some stopping to buy bumper stickers.
It was obvious that the tide has turned overwhelmingly against
the Bush Regime and for impeachment. Two high school students
who joined us for the day took back Calls, yard signs, bumper
stickers and plan to organize at their school in a little town
between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids!
Charlotte, NC
Report by David Dixon
Some 25 people gathered at a busy intersection near Rep. Sue Myrick’s office in the upscale Southpark area of Charlotte calling for the impeachment of President Bush & Vice President Cheney.
There was an overwhelming amount of support from passersby honking in response to a “Honk to Impeach Bush & Cheney” sign. It was incredible with the whole area being filled with honking horns and cheers of support at times throughout the rally. Almost every single person showed suppor by smiling, waving and flashing peace signs & raised fists. Even little kids were flashing peace signs at us.
We had the huge, bright pink CODEPINK “Impeach to Support Our Troops” banner covering a corner of the intersection. In addition to “Impeach Bush & Cheney Signs”, others said “Impeach for Peace”, one read “Impeach or Get 1776 Again” (referring to the founding revolution) and many more.
The demonstration was part of the April 28 National Impeachment Day actions (see www.a28.org). It was called for in Charlotte by Action Center For Justice with participation from CODEPINK Charlotte, Charlotte Coalition For Peace & Justice, & the Islamic Political Party of America.
The event was ignored by the press, except for the local Fox affiliate, even though they were notified twice about the event.
Impeachment actions will continue in Charlotte with an upcoming Impeachment Teach-In featuring a leader of the national impeachment movement & a Mass Regional Rally featuring Gold Star Families For Peace, Iraq Vetarans Against The War, Veterans For Peace, World Can’t Wait, Troops Out Now Coalition, national & regional Impeachment Movement leaders, & many others that will kick off the Charlotte Impeachment Summer Campaign.
New York, NY (Coney Island)
New York, NY (Tompkins Square Park)
We had a great day in Tompkins Square Park, where the Rude
Mechanical Orchestra (nyc’s original radical marching band)
drew a crowd and led a dance party as we collected 100 letters
to Congress calling for impeachment, that we then used to spell
out IMPEACH on a huge banner. The response was incredibly positive
and had a wonderful time. While I strutted around in my Bush
Is Over shirt before and after the event, I got a smile from
almost everyone. This was honestly one of the best days of my
life and I can’t wait for round 2!
Tulsa, OK:
Austin, TX:
Houston, TX:
On Friday, April 27th, 75 people covered 4 bridges over
Highway 59 in Houston
with a wide variety of Impeach Signs and images. The responses on and off the bridge were
lively. Many drivers in Houston’s rush hour
traffic were passionate about their viewpoints. At times, the honks for impeachment were
overwhelmingly loud. And the antis were
belligerent as well. I’d say it was 3 to
1 for impeachment.The following is from CodePink Houston:
Members of CodePink Houston, the Green Party, Veterans for
Peace, and the World Can’t Wait were
joined by other outraged citizens at a downtown Impeachment Rally in the theatre
district on Saturday evening,
April 28. We walked around the
downtown theatre district carrying huge signs that said IMPEACH. We marched
along the areas adjacent to the Hobby Performing Arts
Center, Jones Hall, the Alley Theatre,
and the Wortham Center and Houston Festival entrances
from 7 to about 8:30 P.M. while crowds were gathering downtown for Saturday
night venues.
Seattle, WA (Madison Park)
The Seattle Chapter of World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime’s A28 protest had a great day Freeway Blogging on overpasses of I-5 from 1-4 pm. It turned out to be a GREAT day for blogging in Seattle, not just because of the great sunny day we had, but also because of the incredible amount of traffic flowing southbound. The traffic stayed very heavy all three hours of our event! Not so great for the people trying to get through to Seattle, but great for getting our message across to thousands of drivers.
About 30 – 40% of these drivers gave us the “thumbs up,” or pumped their fists, or gave us the “peace sign” and there was lots of horns being honked in support of our message to IMPEACH BUSH and CHENEY.
Of course we got some other more negative signals too, but those were by far the exception. Other groups on other overpasses in the Seattle area also received a great response.
So, the response was overwhelmingly positive! At 5:00 pm we rushed to Safeco field and handed out IMPEACH! Balloons and engaged in some interesting conversations with the people going in to see the Mariner’s Game.
We are all looking forward to the next IMPEACH! ACTION!
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy was great. We started collecting photos from
people out and about in Rome early in the week. And on Thurs
and Fri our mobile photo-op
team, The Flying Seven, went around Rome with t-shirts, each
with a letter, and posed in front of monuments and, of course,
the U.S. Embassy. On Saturday we were in front of the Colosseum
with small letters, huge letters, balloons, wind wheels and
plum cakes, all spelling out Impeach! Weather was gorgeous.
We got lots of support from people from all over the world.
And wave and peace signs from the open top tourist buses passing
by.
Check out some press coverage of impeachment activities this past week:
The time has come for an impeachment tutorial
Salt Lake Tribune – Salt Lake City,UT,USADelegates to mull impeachment
San Diego Union Tribune – San Diego,CA,USAImpeachment rally set for Omaha
Beatrice Daily Sun – Beatrice,NE,USASupport A28.org: April 28 is Impeachment Action Day
Huffington Post – New York,NY,USABuzz Davis: Gonzales’ actions call for impeachment
The Capital Times – Madison,WI,USARally calling for Bush, Cheney impeachment to be held April 28
Battle Creek Enquirer – Battle Creek,MI,USAProtesters to urge Bush impeachment
The Charleston GazetteBush arrives in Miami today
Miami HeraldBush vows to veto troop withdrawal plan
The PantagraphD Is For Democrats
KQED: Capital NotesSteve Anderson: Support A28.org: April 28 is Impeachment Action Day
HuffingtonPostReaders divided over impeachment vote
The Burlington Free PressRocky Will ‘Star’ In New Political Movie
KUTV2 Salt Lake CityPryor’s Opinion Unchanged After Gonzales Meeting
The Morning News