The NYC authorities are refusing march permits for Feb. 15. Under no circumstances, they say, will there be a march bigger than 10,000 people. Why? Because the police cannot contain it. The following are *excerpts* of notes from Co-chair Leslie Cagan of the United For Peace and Justice Coalition(admin. committee notes.)
a) The NYC Police Dept. informed our lawyers today that they will NOT issue a parade permit for the demonstration. On the call today we all agreed to challenge this decision in court. The New York Civil Liberties Union is representing us and the papers will be filed in the court tomorrow (Thursday).
The police said they would grant us permission to have a rally, but for safety and security reasons they will not give us the permit to march. Our lawyers believe we have a strong case, but certainly there is no guarantee on what the judge will eventually decide. […]More details on the campaign will be forthcoming very soon. In the meantime it is full steam ahead with the organizing!
b) Below is a complete list of the people presently confirmed to participate in the rally on 2/15, followed by the other categories the program committee wants to include.
[…]
Confirmed Participants in 2/15 rally in NYC
this includes speakers, singers and poets and the list is not in any particular order
Bishop Desmond Tutu
Julian Bond, chair of the board of the NAACP
Colleen Kelly representing Sept. 11th Families for a Peaceful Tomorrow
Middle East and Iraq experts Phyllis Bennis, Anthony Arnove and Rania Massri
Mike Marqusee of the UK Stop the War Coalition based in London
an Israeli refusnik, one of the reservists refusing to serve in the occupied West Bank
Martin Luther King III
Vietnam Veteran Jaime Vasquez former Deputy Mayor
two of the poets from Def Poetry Jam
playwright Tony Kushner
Harry Belafonte
Danny Glover
Mos Def
Sarah Jones, performer
Patti Smith, singer
Betty, accopela group of three women
Richie Perez, NYC community activist
highest ranking labor leader possible
Brenda Stokley, NYCLAW (NYC labor leader)
Humberto Brown, Black Radical Congress (on reparations)
Rev. Al Sharpton
David Rovics (musician, singer)
[The next part of the email mentions unconfirmed speakers and other categories of speakers that the program commmittee wants to include.]
For more information contact (DC) Jason Kafoury (w) 202-387-8030, (c) 202-465-2764 (NYC) Leslie Cagan (w) 646 473 8934
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