Mar 12, 2005

40 years after Bloody Sunday, 10,000 march in Selma

SELMA, Ala. — Singing “Ain’t going to let nobody turn me round,” 10,000 marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge here March 6 to protest Bush-Cheney voter suppression tactics and to demand renewal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act set to expire in 2007. click here for related story
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Thousands of Chileans poured into the streets to pay tribute to Chile’s fiery Communist leader, Gladys Marin, who died March 6 at age 63 after a long battle with brain cancer. Crowds estimated at half a million lined the streets outside La Moneda government palace in Santiago March 8 as her funeral procession passed by.
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The death toll in Iraq continues to grow. Associated Press announced March 3 that American deaths had reached the 1,500 mark when a soldier was killed in action south of Baghdad. The number of Iraqi civilians killed is more than 107,000.

Organizers in Los Angeles are preparing for a massive march and rally on the March 19 global day of protest. Marchers will gather at 12 noon at Hollywood and Vine. Thousands of people should be there. A contingent from the Southern California CPUSA is planned.

PHILADELPHIA — The No Child Left Behind Act has wreaked havoc on our nation’s public school system, according to state lawmakers. A bipartisan panel of state legislators issued a scathing report, Feb. 23, on President Bush’s education law, calling it unworkable, inflexible, impractical and unconstitutional. The report accuses NCLB of setting unobtainable goals and not funding the demands it makes. click here for Spanish text

HARTFORD, Conn. — Anger was evident at the state Capitol here recently over revelations of a secret deal between Wal-Mart and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to cover up child labor law violations. The charges include requiring teenage workers to use heavy equipment, including chain saws and forklifts.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — New Haveners gathered to learn and express growing concerns about the devastation the Bush administration’s federal budget cuts would cause in Connecticut at a Feb. 16 public hearing sponsored by the city of New Haven Peace Commission.

WASHINGTON: Senate rejects minimum wage hike / ST. LOUIS, Mo.: ‘Show us the money’ for health care / CHICAGO: Racists considered suspects in killings / HELENA, Mont.: Bring troops home to fight fires, says gov. / WASHINGTON: Coalition protests right-winger from India

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s road trip last week to gather signatures on three pet ballot measures has raised the likelihood of a special election later this year featuring a series of anti-people initiatives. Labor and community organizations are springing into action in response.

NEW YORK — It was bitterly cold outside Harlem Hospital here March 4, but protesters were fired up. Their malfunctioning bullhorn, intermittently sounding like the Emergency Broadcast System, provided an appropriate signal: Harlem Hospital, Medicaid and poor people are facing an emergency.