Peace groups vow to march

>Archive - PWW Print Edition Archive - 2004 Editions - Aug 21, 2004


 

NEW YORK — United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) is going ahead with mobilization for its Aug. 29 peaceful and legal march past Madison Square Garden, the site of the Republican Convention, organizers stressed Aug. 18.
“There are two key moments this year when people throughout the United States will have the opportunity to send a resounding message of opposition to the Bush Agenda: Nov. 2, Election Day, and Aug. 29 in New York City,” UFPJ said on its web site. “Already, many thousands of individuals and hundreds of groups — antiwar, civil rights, immigrant, religious, labor, feminist, environmental, and many more — are planning to participate in this demonstration,” UFPJ said.
“Mobilization is going on up and down the east coast and as far away as Texas and Wisconsin,” Judith LeBlanc, a UFPJ staff member, told the World. “We are the only group in New York City to have a permit to march past Madison Square Garden.”
Marchers will begin assembling at the corner of 7th Ave. and 14th St. at 10 a.m. and march up 7th Ave. to Madison Square Garden at 33rd St. The march will begin at noon.
UFPJ filed a lawsuit Aug. 18 in New York State Supreme Court over New York City’s denial of the use of Central Park for a rally after the march past Madison Square Garden. It is seeking a court order to allow the rally to proceed. The lawsuit asserts that by denying the demonstrators use of the park, the city is violating constitutional rights to free assembly.
“The filing of this lawsuit means that we probably will not know the final destination for our march until the very last minute,” a UFPJ statement said, although the assembly time and location remain unchanged.