Activists want anti-Bush rally in New York (still want Central Park)

[G_j]

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=562697§ion=news

Activists want anti-Bush rally in New York
Tue 10 August, 2004 20:12

By Grant McCool

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An anti-war group planning the biggest rally of the Republican convention has insisted it be allowed to protest in Central Park and rejected an alternate site chosen by New York police.

With the convention only three weeks away, United for Peace and Justice said on Tuesday it may sue the city for the right to rally in the park, a venue authorities rejected in May for fear an expected 250,000 demonstrators would damage the grass.

Last month, the national coalition of 800 groups that oppose the U.S.-led war in Iraq and other Bush administration policies, agreed to a "final offer" by police to march on August 29 past the Madison Square Garden convention venue and then rally on Manhattan's West Side Highway.

The group rejected that offer on Tuesday because of fears of heat stroke and other issues. UFPJ coordinator Leslie Cagan told a news briefing that "exiling a rally to a remote stretch of sun-baked highway makes a mockery of the right to assemble."

..more..

[G_j]

1. UFPJ , letter sent to supporters

(press conference was after this)

IMPORTANT NEW DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING AUG. 29
An Open Letter to Our Supporters

Dear friend of UFPJ:

United for Peace and Justice has been fighting for months to have our
Constitutional rights respected. We have been in a contentious
process with the Mayor and Police Department of New York City
regarding the location of our march and rally against the Bush agenda
on August 29th, the eve of the Republican National Convention. We are
writing to update you on these negotiations and to make sure you know
about a number of important developments.

Almost three weeks ago, United for Peace and Justice made the
difficult decision to accept the West Side Highway rally site for our
August 29 protest, which was imposed on us by Republican NYC Mayor
Michael Bloomberg and the New York Police Department. We had already
reached an agreement with the City regarding our protest march, which
will assemble at 14th Street and Seventh Avenue and march up the
avenue in front of Madison Square Garden, the site of the Republican
National Convention.

We were compelled to go along with the West Side Highway, a rally
site we did not like, in order to move forward with our organizing
work and build the largest and broadest possible protest against the
Bush agenda. But we also made it clear - to the City, the media, and
our supporters - that there were numerous issues regarding the West
Side Highway location that needed to be resolved to make this site
workable for a rally. These include the use of police barricades to
pen in protesters, which we emphatically oppose, and access to free
drinking water and shuttle buses, which are essential given the
highway's lack of shade and remote location.

Our plan to hold a safe and legal march past Madison Square Garden
remains firmly in place. But we are increasingly concerned about the
viability of a rally on the West Side Highway, because of the
following developments:

1) We have had two recent meetings with the Police Department, in
which they did not make any concessions or commitments on any of the
unresolved issues we have put on the table. Neither they nor anyone
from the Mayor's office has given us any indication that they are
willing to work with us to meet our needs.

2) We have heard from a number of medical professionals that there
are serious potential public health risks associated with holding our
rally on the West Side Highway, away from shade, stores, and public
transit.

3) After consulting with a number of sound and stage companies, we
have learned that it will be extremely difficult and potentially
impossible to provide a quality sound system for the entire rally
area, which would stretch for several miles, and that the cost of
sound and jumbotrons will be in the range of $300,000, which is more
than double what it would cost us to hold a rally in Central Park.

4) We have gotten feedback from a number of groups and individuals -
particularly seniors, people with disabilities, and people with young
children - that they cannot attend the rally if it is held on the
West Side Highway, because of health and safety concerns. Many of our
other supporters have said they will not attend a rally there,
because the inhospitable location amounts to an attack on our right
to free assembly.

In addition, since we announced our decision, some important new
information has appeared in the mainstream media. Quinnipiac
University released a public opinion poll showing that 75% of New
Yorkers support our right to rally in Central Park. Meanwhile, a
horticulturalist who worked on the renovation of the Great Lawn
revealed to The New York Times that it was engineered specifically to
withstand large crowds, undercutting the City's claim that our rally
would irreparably damage the grass.

The question is, where do we go from here?

We will be holding a press conference tomorrow, August 10, to
announce our next steps. Our goal for August 29 remains what it has
always been: to bring the largest and most representative number of
people possible out into the streets in opposition to the Bush
agenda. We are committed to having a safe, legal, and peaceful
protest, accessible to all..

We appreciate the broad support we have received throughout this
challenging process. We have been up against an administration and a
police department that are openly hostile to our First Amendment
rights. On August 29, as massive numbers of people march in front of
the site of the Republican Convention, we will send a strong, clear
message: We reject the Bush administration's agenda of war, greed,
hate and lies, and we are standing up to the ominous suppression of
dissent in this country.

We know you stand with us in this effort, and we are counting on you
to continue building to make August 29 a huge success, overcoming the
barriers that have been put in our way by Bush, Bloomberg, and the
NYPD.

In solidarity,

United for Peace and Justice

============================================
AUGUST 29, THE WORLD SAYS NO TO THE BUSH AGENDA!
Massive Protest at the Republican National Convention, New York City
* Assemble at 10:00AM, Seventh Avenue @ 14th Street
* March steps off at noon
============================================
Visit the RNC mobilizing section of our website for resources and to
endorse the August 29 demonstration:
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/rnc

[DODI]

2. Here is the latest letter from UFPJ

Dear UFPJ supporter:

WE ARE MARCHING! On August 29, United for Peace and Justice will hold a
massive, impassioned, peaceful, and legal march past Madison Square
Garden, the site of the Republican Convention, to protest the Bush
Administration’s deceit and destruction.

But we will NOT be rallying afterwards on the West Side Highway. As we
announced in a press conference today, exiling us to a remote stretch
of sun-baked highway makes a mockery of our right to assembly: The deal
is off.

Our medics have told us that the West Side Highway isn’t a safe place
for seniors, children, and people with disabilities to rally. Our sound
engineers have told us that it’s not possible to set up a quality sound
system there. Many of our members have told us that they simply will
not go to such an awful and marginal location. And our common sense has
told us that this deal was a set-up by a Republican mayor openly hostile
to free speech.

Central Park is the only sensible place for us to rally. We filed a new
permit application today with the NYC Parks Department to rally in
Central Park on August 29, using the Great Lawn, North Meadow, and East
Meadow. We will keep you informed of the City’s response.

Our march plans remain unchanged: We will assemble beginning at 10:00AM
at Seventh Avenue and 14th Street, and step off at noon for our legal
and peaceful march past Madison Square Garden.

You’ve supported us politically through this difficult struggle against
the effort to repress our protest, and now we need your financial
support, too. This long fight for our right to assemble has been very
costly, and we need to raise more than $75,000 by the end of this week to
move forward with our organizing efforts.

Every dollar you donate today is a statement of support for our right
to hold this crucial protest against the Bush Agenda. Please dig deep
into your pockets and make the most generous donation you can – we can’t
allow Bush, Bloomberg, and the Republicans to stifle our cry for peace
and justice!

You can donate in several ways:
* Using a credit card online at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate
* By calling in a credit card donation to 212-868-5545
* By mailing a check or money order to UFPJ, P.O. Box 607, Times Square
Station, NY NY 10108

The war in Iraq worsens every day, the U.S. economy is battered, and
our civil liberties are under assault, while the Bush Administration
shamelessly tries to frighten the population into silence. We say NO to the
war, NO to the lies, NO to the greed and the hate, and NO to the attack
on our basic rights.

With less than three weeks remaining before August 29, we all need to
kick into the highest possible gear to make this protest a success.
Now’s the time to finalize your plans to come to New York City for this
crucial and historic day. Urge your friends, your family, your co-workers,
and everyone you know to stand up against the Bush Agenda by marching
with us on August 29.

Keep checking our website for new resources and information, and we’ll
see you in the streets!

In solidarity,
United for Peace and Justice

[G_j]

3. good for them !

'lawn care' is a completely lame excuse for attempting to keep protesters out of Central Park.

I suppose the terrorists now hate America for it's excellent lawn care as opposed to it's "freedoms".

[kimchi]

21. No, for our wastefulness.

My wacko brother in law visiting from Texas has been obsessed with talking of terrorism and al-Qaeda for 2 days now. His latest is that "they hate us because we waste so much". If I didn't know better, I'd think he was talking about his angry God.

Pretty scary and pathetic.

[WI_DEM]

4. wouldn't it be great to have 200,000 or more people demonstrating

the Chimp in NYC? even the media couldn't ignore that.

[nodehopper]

19. they'll do their best to try.

fortunately there is alternative media.

[Barrett808]

5. Didn't the Simon and Garfunkel reunion draw a half million people? n/t

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. Bloomberg should just give it up already

250,000 to 1 million people will be going to Central Park whether he likes it or not. The only sensible thing to do is to cooperate with the protest organizers to make this a safe and peaceful event.

Instead, Bloomberg and the NYPD are doing everything they can to make sure the protests are a disaster. Oh well, it doesn't have to be this way.

[G_j]

7. "...make sure the protests are a disaster. "

that is exactly what they are trying to do.
they would much rather compromise people's safety than have the protests be peaceful and successful.

[gauguin57]

8. 1982 c.p. rally was massive .. and no damaged grass!

Damage the grass? Give me a break. On June 12, 1982, I was in a crowd estimated to be anywhere from 700,000 to "nearly a million" people, marching through the streets of New York and ending up in Central Park for a massive Nuclear Freeze rally. (a brief description is below -- The Boss, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor were there -- and they're still rockin' for the cause!). I've never seen that many people in one place in my life -- and yet I never heard anything about "damaged grass" from that massive rally.

http://www.nyhistory.org/dove/

"Nearly a million people gathered in New York in June 1982 to advocate Nuclear Disarmament. The United Nations had convened a special session on disarmament, amidst fears that Cold War confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union was heating up. Famous singers such as Pete Seeger, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and Bruce Springsteen sang for the enormous crowds filling Central Park. Speakers such as civil rights activist Coretta Scott King, Helen Caldicott of Physicians for Social Responsibility and the longtime peace advocate Rev. William Sloan Coffin spoke before delegates carrying signs in dozens of languages."

[BeyondGeography]

9. It's the photo of 250k people they worry about

not the flippin' grass!

[trogdor]

11. An idea I just cooked up.

To hell with organized rallies. Instead, everyone arrives as a rally of one. Wear a BLUE t-shirt with your favorite anti-Bush message printed on it. Do not say anything to anyone unless directly spoken to; just walk up and down the streets of Manhattan.

If NYPD asks who is in charge of the demonstration, ask him/her, "what demonstration? I don't see any signs. I don't hear any slogans. Is it a crime to walk on the sidewalk?"

[readmylips]

10. Anti Vietnam rally in the 80s drew over...

one million people and to make it sweeter, the rally was headed by Ronald and Nancy Reagan's daughter, blood sister to Ron. Forget her first name....Davis.

[TahitiNut]

12. Tell everyone to BRING GRASS SEED!

Simple.

[G_j]

13. what are you some kind of

enviro-extremist gardener or something?

[TahitiNut]

14. Hey!?! Did I say what KIND of 'grass' seed?

:evilgrin:

[G_j]

16. "Strawberry Fields"

forever ! :hippie:

[are_we_united_yet]

18. That is freakin brilliant!

:)

[slinkerwink]

15. If the Mayor is so worried about the grass, why can't we donate money

to get new grass for Central Park if there's damage?

[G_j]

20. I'd donate a dollar

x a few hundred thousand should cover it. :-)

[TahitiNut]

17. Tell Bloomberg to Sod Off!

:evilgrin:

[Princess Turandot]

22. Did they ever ask for Times Square as a rally venue...?

It's much closer to the Garden,and can hold a large number of people, as any view of NYC on New Year's Eve has shown. Traffic is already going to be a mess, and the 29th is a Sunday.If they can close it off for New Year's Eve, they could close it off for this.

[G_j]

23. "But let me be clear, we are not going to the highway"

http://www.villagevoice.com/print/issues/0432/ferguson.php

by Sarah Ferguson

They'll Take Manhattan
Activists again eye Central Park, central streets

August 10th, 2004 11:20 AM


Responding to signs of mutiny in the ranks of protesters, organizers with United for Peace and Justice say they will reopen the battle for the right to gather in Central Park on Sunday, August 29, the eve of the Republican National Convention.

At a packed press conference on Tuesday at UFPJ’s midtown offices, national coordinator Leslie Cagan announced that the group had reapplied that morning for a permit to use the Great Lawn as well as Central Park’s East Meadow and North Meadow, acknowledging Parks Department concerns that the Great Lawn is too small to handle a crowd of up to 250,000 people.

Cagan said the group would wait for the city's response, although she did not rule out a lawsuit if the Parks Department refuses to grant them a permit.

"We are exploring all our options, including legal options," Cagan said. "But let me be clear, we are not going to the highway."

..more..

[DoYouEverWonder]

24. Please call and write Mayor Bloomberg

and ask him to come to his senses and issue the permits for the Central Park Rallies.

Central Park is the only place in NYC that can safely accommodate the 250,000 to 1 million people, that are expected to show up during the RNC Convention. Bloomberg needs to understand that with or without permits, most of these folks are going to end up in CP anyway. He needs to accept reality and plan to provide the resources necessary to assure a safe and peaceful protest.



Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
PHONE 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC)

FAX [phone]

E-MAIL:
http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

25. They don't mind when 1,000,000 people see Simon & Garfunkel

but a protest would hurt the grass

Hey city of NYC - FUCK YOU!!!!

[despairing optimist]

29. They also don't mind that 50,000 GOPers will be in Central Park

for some event of their own that week. Did you guys know that?

You see, it all depends on who gets to crush the grass.

[henslee]

26. Seems to me CP is the only safe large place..... its just logical. eom

[struggle4progress]

27. kick for solidarity

:kick:

[banana republican]

28. hey dudes you mean some one found blimpburg's private stash of grass???

an he don't want any one messin with it