Nationwide Protests to Free the Jena 6
November 7, 2007

In Chicago over 50 people came out for a spirited picket and rally at Federal Plaza to demand all charges be dropped against the Jena 6. The protest was joined by students from Columbia College, Harold Washington College and Northwestern Law School.

Protesters chanted "Until the 6 are free, neither are we!" and "No justice! No peace!" At the rally Daylan Dufelmeier of ANSWER Chicago said, "We stand here united in the streets with one voice calling for all charges to be dropped in the case of the Jena 6 and all troops home now because we know that a determined struggle against racism and war is the path to ending the attacks on all of our sisters and brothers around the world."

The Chicago Protest was endorsed by Act Now to Stop War & End Racism - Chicago; Charles Hendrix, Chicago Organizer for Nov 16 National March in DC for Jena 6; Chicago Area CodePINK, Chicago Progressive Alliance; Committee on Pilipino Issues; Greater Chicago for Dennis Kucinich, Nicaragua Solidarity Committee; October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality; World Can't Wait - Chicago; 8th Day Center for Justice.

Over 100,000 take to the Streets of U.S. on Oct. 27 to End the War Now!
Tens of thousands march in Chicago in city's largest protest against Iraq War!
Reports on Protests in LA, SF, Seattle and many other cities

Report: Chicago Midwest Regional Anti-war March
ANSWER Chicago

In Chicago on October 27 tens of thousands of people marched to End the War Now. Organizers for the October 27 Mobilization Committee, the sponsoring group, estimated the crowd at 30,000. The demonstration was the largest protest against the U.S. war and occupation of Iraq to take place in Chicago up to this point. At least half of the participants were students and other young people - many attending their first protest.

The demonstration was very multinational with strong representation from the African American community. There were many labor contingents including members from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), UNITE HERE, the Teamsters, and the National Nurses Organizing Committee. There were also contingents from over 150 organizations from all over the Midwest that endorsed the protest.

ANSWER Chicago congratulates everyone who came out to resist the war. You helped to make this important protest a clear signal to the warmongers in Washington that the people will continue to escalate their opposition. We also want to thank all the volunteers and friends who helped to build October 27 by distributing leaflets, stickers, e-mails and making phone calls.

Tens of thousands of leaflets for October 27 with the following slogans were passed out: "END THE WAR NOW! Full rights for all immigrants now! End Occupation: Iraq, Palestine, Haiti, Afghanistan ...! U.S. Hands off Iran! Money for Jobs, Healthcare & Education, Not War! Free the Jena 6 - Stand Against Racism!"

At the protest, people were eager to find out how they can get involved and to get information from all of the different groups that supported the march. We collected over 1,000 petitions to end the war and mass distributed leaflets that propose thousands of local "No Business as Usual" actions on March 19, the 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War. 

ANSWER Chicago marched in a militant contingent with flags from countries that are occupied, threatened or are under attack by U.S. imperialism. Chants of "Troops Out Now, Iraq for Iraqis", "We want money for schools, not for war", "Free, Free Palestine" and "Free, Free Iraq" were echoed by people throughout the march.

To get involved in the anti-war movement and help build upcoming actions call 773-463-0311, e-mail answer@chicagoanswer.net or visit ChicagoANSWER.net

Report from National Demonstrations
The October 27 demonstrations represented another important step forward for the anti-war movement in the United States.

Over 100,000 people took to the streets in coordinated regional and local protests to demand an immediate end to the war in Iraq. The October 27 demonstrations took place just six weeks after the September 15 National March and Die-In in Washington, D.C. that was led by Iraq War Veterans and family members of soldiers and marines.

We have included below a brief summary from some of the events that took place yesterday. (San Francisco march of 30,000 pictured here.)

Anti-war sentiment is growing. The demonstrations yesterday, like the September 15 March on Washington, were noteworthy for the large number of young people - students and young workers - who are joining the front ranks of the anti-war movement in the United States. The Arab American and Muslim community was well represented. The participation of Iraq War Veterans and their families continues to grow. The energy and spirit of the demonstration is an indicator that the people of this country are fed up with the criminal war and occupation of Iraq.

Everyday, the corporate-dominated media tries to convince people that the anti-war movement is shrinking. That is a lie, as you can see from the reports below. The same media lies to the people about the so-called progress made by the “surge” in Iraq. The truth is that the U.S. military occupation of Iraq cannot succeed. The Iraqi people insist on their right to determine their own destiny. The people of the United States, who have no voice in either the Republican or Democratic Parties or in the big business media, are determined to find a way to end the war, which has taken hundreds of thousands of lives and costs $3 billion each week.

The ANSWER Coalition, UFPJ and hundreds of other groups organized for the October 27 protests. What is needed now is to intensify the mass organization of the people. As it was in Vietnam, it will be the people, not the politicians, who will bring this imperialist war to an end. Check the ANSWER Coalition website for regular updates and reports on future steps for the anti-war movement.

San Francisco

More than 30,000 people marched in San Francisco in a demonstration sponsored by the October 27 Coalition, which was initiated by the ANSWER Coalition. The demonstration was endorsed by over 150 political, religious, labor and community organizations, including all seven Bay Area Central Labor Councils. Speakers included Cindy Sheehan, leaders of the Arab American and Muslim community, American Indian Movement co-founder Dennis Banks, Episcopal Bishop of California Mark Handley Andrus, and prominent labor union leaders from the Bay Area. The march included a dramatic Die-In on Market Street where the crowd lay down to symbolize the almost 3,900 U.S. and over 1 million Iraqi deaths in the war. The march included a strong labor contingent numbering nearly 1,000 and including banners from many different unions.

Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, nearly 20,000 people marched through downtown to the federal building for a mass rally and Die-In. The California fire catastrophe did not keep people from registering their opposition to the Iraq war in a major way. The demonstration was overwhelmingly youthful, with students pouring into the march from hundreds of Southern California schools. More than 250 people joined the youth and student contingent organized by Youth & Student ANSWER. Others lined the front banners, chanting "Iraq for Iraqis, troops out now!" and "Alto a la guerra, stop the war!"

After the march, almost everyone present participated in a mass symbolic Die-In. Ian Thompson of the ANSWER Coalition introduced the Die-In while masses of people lay down. Thundering sound effects of air raids and bombs exploding punctuated the action, followed by a solemn minute of silence for the Iraqis and U.S. soldiers killed in the war. As protesters rose up after the Die-In, all chanted "Stop the war!" Preston Wood of ANSWER and Greg Akili of African Americans Against the War spoke about the cost of war on people in the United States, urging everyone present to become organizers in the anti-war movement. Muna Coobtee of the National Council of Arab Americans spoke about the dire conditions facing Iraqis due to the imperialist occupation. Other speakers included actors Martin Sheen ("The West Wing"), Mike Farrell ("MASH") and Mark Ruffalo ("Zodiac"). ANSWER initiated the protest, which was organized by the Oct. 27 Stop the War Coalition, a broad array of progressive, anti-war and social justice organizations.

Seattle

In Seattle, at least 7,000 people marched. Buses and carpools came from the entire Northwest Region - from Eugene and Portland, Oregon; Olympia, Tacoma, Everett, Mt. Vernon, Bellingham and elsewhere in Washington State. There was a youth-and-community-oriented opening program, followed by a march and lively rally. Speakers included Fatimah Magsombol, Mindanao Bagsomoro Caucus; Michael Dixon, community activist; Chanan Suarez Diaz, President, Seattle IVAW; Jeff Johnson, research director, Washington State Labor Council, speaking on behalf of WSLC chairman Rick Bender; Aracely Hernandez, Committee for General Amnesty and Social Justice; Wally Cuddeford and Caitlyn Esworthy, Port Militarization Resistance; Dr. Goudarz Eghtedari, American Iranian Friendship Council; MCs Cedric Walker, Jane Cutter of Seattle ANSWER and Marie Marchand of Whatcom Peace and Justice Center in Bellingham.

New York City

The New York City demonstration was initiated by United for Peace and Justice. There was a strong turnout despite a steady downpour. UFPJ organizers estimated the crowd at 45,000. The ANSWER Coalition mobilized people from many cities on the East Coast and organized a spirited student and youth contingent.

Boston

The heart of Boston was filled with anti-war energy on Saturday afternoon, as some 7,500 took to the streets in protest of the war in Iraq.  Braving inclement New England weather, veterans, students, seasoned activists and many first-time protesters from throughout the region rallied in Boston Commons.  Led by veterans organizations and military families, thousands later marched to Copley Square, demanding "Bring all the troops home now!" one of five principal demands.  Speakers at the rally included Melida and Carlos Arrendondo, historian Howard Zinn and Liam Madden of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW).  New England United, a coalition of local and regional organizations, organized the demonstration and march. The ANSWER Coalition mobilized people from Boston and several other cities in New England and organized a spirited student and youth contingent.

Regional and Local Demonstrations Nationally

Regional and local demonstrations also took place in Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Jonesborough and Chattanooga (Tennessee), Salt Lake City, Denver, Rochester and elsewhere.

100,000 March Against Iraq War in Washington
200 Arrested in Dramatic Mass Die-In
Sept 15, 2007

Yesterday, nearly 100,000 people -- led by anti-war Iraq veterans, military families and others -- marched from the White House to the Capitol in Washington, D.C. to demand an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq. The march concluded with a dramatic "die-in" of 5,000 people surrounding the Capitol. Almost 200 people were arrested when police prevented them taking an anti-war message to Congress.

People marched shoulder-to-shoulder on eight-lane-wide Pennsylvania Avenue, with the densely packed march stretching more than 10 blocks. It was a historic action and a step forward for the anti-war movement.

Protesters surged onto the Capitol's south lawn and up the steps where they were met by a police line. There, Iraq veterans conducted a solemn ceremony to memorialize the U.S. soldiers and Iraqis killed in the war. Over 5,000 people then laid down in a symbolic "die-in" -- one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in recent years.

One hundred ninety-seven people, including dozens of veterans and activists, were arrested when they tried to deliver their anti-war message to Congress and were stopped by the police. Among the arrested were Adam Kokesh, Liam Madden, Jeff Millard, and Garrett Reppenhagen of Iraq Veterans Against the War; Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism); Ann Wright, former U.S. Army Colonel; Michael Prysner, Iraq war veteran and ANSWER activist in Florida; union president Gloria La Riva; and Eugene Puryear, Howard University student and National Coordinator of Youth & Student ANSWER. Police pepper-sprayed demonstrators without provocation.

This mass action came on the heels of the pro-war Petraeus report to Congress and Bush's wholehearted endorsement of the report. Meanwhile, the war rages on, destroying Iraqi society. Nearly 4,000 U.S. solidiers and up to 1 million Iraqis have died since the U.S. invasion in March 2003.

Many organizations and individuals joined together to sponsor the protest in Washington, D.C. timed to coincide with the Petraeus report on the "surge" in Iraq, including the ANSWER Coalition; Ramsey Clark; Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation; Mounzer Sleiman, Vice Chair, National Council of Arab Americans; Cindy Sheehan; Camp Casey Peace Institute; Cynthia McKinney; Veterans for Peace (National); Garett Reppenhagen, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Chair of Board of Directors; Tina Richards, CEO of Grassroots America; Rev. Lenox Yearwood, CEO of Hip Hop Caucus; Code Pink; Father Roy Bourgeois and Eric LeCompte, School of Americas Watch; Al-Awda, The Palestine Right of Return Coalition; Kevin Zeese, Democracy Rising; Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto, co-founder Appeal for Redress; Liam Madden, Pres., Boston Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War and co-founder of Appeal for Redress; Malik Rahim, founder of Common Ground Collective, New Orleans; Howard Zinn, Author and Historian; Carlos & Melida Arredondo, Gold Star Families for Peace and hundreds of other organizations and individuals.

ANSWER Chicago 2007 Labor Day BBQ

U.S. Government Deports Chicago Immigrant Rights Activist Elvira Arellano
Report by Douglas Freedman, Party for Socialism and Liberation (Aug. 2007)

Stop the raids, detentions and deportations! Full rights for all immigrants!

On Sunday Aug. 19 Elvira Arellano was arrested by Immigrant and Customs Enforcement agents in Los Angeles . Arellano is a well-known immigrant rights activist who had taken sanctuary in a Chicago church in August 2006 to resist a Homeland Security deportation order.

She was arrested at 3 pm after leaving Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in downtown Los Angeles . She was heading north to San Jose to speak at another church.

Arellano is a founder of la Familia Latina Unida in Chicago . She is a leading voice for justice in the immigrant rights movement in the U.S.

An unmarked vehicle stopped the van that she and her companions were traveling in. 15 agents with machine guns stepped out of unmarked vehicles and arrested her in front of her 8 year old son. Nine hours later she was summarily deported to Tijuana , Mexico . 

In response to the arrest, supporters came out on Sunday night for a vigil in front of the ICE building in Chicago . On Monday morning 150 supporters showed up in front of the ICE building again to protest the arrest and deportation.   

Elvira Arellano was ordered to report to Homeland Security On Aug. 15, 2006 to be deported. In 2002, she was arrested in a 9-11 security sweep at her place of employment, O’Hare Airport in Chicago . At the time of her arrest she was earning $6.50 an hour cleaning airplanes.

Through a series of struggles with the U.S. government, she was able to stay in the U.S. for four more years. When her visa ran out, she took her 8-year old son Saul, who is a U.S. born citizen, and took refuge in the Chicago church.

Since her arrest and deportation the media has increased its attacks on Arellano. The Chicago Sun-Times has been especially vicious with large headlines such as “GAME OVER: Illegal immigrant Elvira Arellano busted in L.A. Her one-way ticket to Mexico awaits” and “NOW GET IN LINE! If Elvira wants back she will have to do it the right way”. 

Arellano is currently in Tijuana with her son Saul. She has vowed to continue the struggle for immigrant rights from Mexico .

Protest against Chicago police killing of Aaron Harrison
August 10, 2007

On August 10 over 500 people attended a rally on Chicago’s west side to protest the police killing of Aaron Harrison. The community rally was followed by a street take over and militant march to the North Lawndale Harrison District police department.

At the end of the rally, police arrived in an attempt to intimidate and disperse the protesters. In response, hundreds of people took over the street and faced down the police. The police quickly retreated.

Loud chants of “No Justice, No Peace, No Racist Police!” rang out through the west side neighborhood. Protestors carried signs that read: “CPD Guilty! Justice for Aaron Harrison! Stop Police Brutality!”

Aaron Harrison, an 18 year-old African-American man, was shot in the back by a Chicago Police officer on the night of Monday August 6. The community responded with militant street protest the night of the shooting and the following night. Protesters converged on the police department both nights. A protest march was also held on the afternoon of Wednesday August 8.

The police attacked and arrested five protesters on the night of August 6.

August 10 rally speakers included family members of Aaron Harrison, Fred Hampton Jr., Rev Al Sharpton and Rev. Paul Jakes Jr. Aaron’s family is demanding justice for his murder and an end to the racist brutality of the Chicago Police Department.

On August 7 the Cook County Medical Examiner’s autopsy concluded that Aaron Harrison had been shot in the back. The Chicago Police have insisted that Harrison was shot in the shoulder. They also say that Harrison was armed at the time of the shooting.

But dozens of witnesses have insisted that Harrison was unarmed when he was shot in the back. Mayor Daley has defended the police killing and backed the police department’s lies. Police have reportedly visited the homes of possible witnesses to intimidate them and warn them against telling the truth.

Harrison ’s killing is the latest in a string of police killings and beatings. Two nights before on August 4 Gefery Johnson, 42, was killed in his home by Chicago Police. The Police killed Johnson with a Taser gun.

For the Police, brutality and murder against oppressed communities is the norm

Other Chicago-area police shootings in the past two years, among many others, include: In September 2005, Emmanuel Lopez, a janitor, was shot 16 times in his car after a traffic stop; In April 2006, 22 year old Benjamin Uwumarogie, a community college football player, was shot in the head in his home; In August 2006, 13 year old Ellis Woodland Jr. was shot three times while he was on his way to a baseball game; In November 2006, 22 year old Michael Smith was shot in the stomach and killed by an undercover Chicago police officer. They were all unarmed.

In February officer Anthony Abbate was caught on video tape brutally beating bartender Karolina Obrycka. The video has sparked worldwide outrage. Her beating at the hands of the police is the norm. It is one in a number of high profile cases of police brutality in Chicago .

The Chicago Police Department is in reality an armed force organized and trained to repress poor communities, especially the African-American community. It is a criminal gang formed to protect the status quo of class rule and racism. The CPD is guilty of torture, murder, brutality, daily harassment and so much more.

Mayor Daley, ex-Chicago police commander Jon Burge and many Chicago police officers were involved in or had knowledge of the systematic torture of dozens of African-Americans in city jails in the 1980s. Torture tactics included burnings, mock executions and electrocution.

Mayor Daley continues to support police brutality. His administration is currently refusing to follow a federal court order to publicly release records of abuse complaints against Chicago police officers. 662 police officers have had over 10 complaints filed against them. Racist police violence, especially against the African-American, Latino and Immigrant communities, is encouraged and continues to go unpunished in Chicago and around the country

Justice for Aaron Harrison and his family!
Stop Police Brutality!
Fire Mayor Daley and try him for crimes against the people!

ANSWER Chicago along with many other anti-racist organizations and individuals participated in the August 10 Protest and March.

Protestors Defeat Anti-Immigrant Minutemen
Saturday, August 4

On August 4 over 70 people turned out at the Mexican consulate in Chicago for a militant counter-protest against the racist Minutemen. The anti-racist protestors outlasted and defeated the dozen racists who assembled to attack the Government of Mexico.

The Minutemen were protesting against Mexico’s involvement in the case of two border patrol agents who shot an un-armed immigrant in the back. Agents Ramos and Campean are currently in jail.

The Minutemen is an anti-immigrant group that conducts armed vigilante patrols of the Mexico-U.S. border. Racist and fascist groups that advocate violence against oppressed communities participate in their activities.

Showing up earlier than the Minutemen, counter-protestors took over the sidewalk and street corner in front of the consulate. Counter-protestors held their ground against the Minutemen and attempts by the Chicago police to silence and shut down the counter-protest.

The Minutemen were forced to the far corner of the consulate next to the consulate parking lot.

For three hours counter-protestors chanted together until the Minutemen left in defeat: “Racists go home!” and “Minutemen/KKK, racists go away!”

The Chicago Chapter of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) mobilized for the protest along with other immigrant rights, anti-war and social justice organizations. Participants included the March 10th Movement, Latino Union, Jobs with Justice, Committee on Pilipino Issues, Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism and International Solidarity Movement – Chicago.

Thousands protest Waukegan, Ill. anti-immigrant law
Friday, July 27
Report by Stefanie Beacham and Bill Massey

On July 16, over 4,000 demonstrators, mostly immigrants and their allies staged a militant protest on the steps of city hall in Waukegan, Ill. The city council was holding its second vote on a local anti-immigrant law that would allow local police to initiate deportation proceedings for undocumented immigrants convicted of "serious crimes."

Protesters rallied for five hours outside city hall. Buses came from Chicago, Elgin, Wheeling and Cicero.

The law was passed on June 18 to be a so-called section 287(g) program. This section was part of the "Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act" passed by Congress in 1996. It empowered local police to partner with the federal government for immigration enforcement programs like Waukegan’s.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of Homeland Security, is partnering with local police all over the U.S. to expand its anti-immigrant assault of raids and deportations.

The Waukegan measure is part of a nation-wide offensive against immigrant workers.

Over the last year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have been deported. Hundreds of military style raids have been conducted on immigrant communities and workplaces. An average of 27,500 immigrants are held in detention centers across the United States each day.

According to a 2005 Census report, the city has about 82,000 residents, with about 53 percent of the population identifying themselves as Latino or Hispanic. The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement says that, in reality, Waukegan is over 80 percent Latino.

The outrage and response from the community to the 287(g) program was immediate.

A boycott of stores supporting the city council decision started in June. Any store not displaying an orange sign against the anti-immigrant program is subject to the boycott. Over 200 companies have come out against the city’s measure.

In the days before the city council meeting, dozens of young people canvassed Latino neighborhoods in Waukegan, circulating petitions to defeat the law.

In the end, the city council voted 7-2 in favor of the law. Despite the vote, organizing will continue.

Ramon Becerra, president of the LCLAA and organizer of the Waukegan protest said, "We will not compromise. We will not negotiate. We will use every inch of our resources to make sure we defeat this administration."

April 28 2007
Socialism Conference in Chicago Draws Militant Workers, Youth & Students
Chicago Branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL is a member of the ANSWER Coalition)

Over 70 people attended an April 28 Socialism Conference in Chicago. The conference, entitled, “The Struggle for Revolutionary Change” was the first of its kind held by the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Chicago.

Participants were young and old and came from every community. The conference was held in Albany Park, a working class community on the Northwest side of Chicago. The highly multi-national community is made up of Latino, Arab, Filipino, Korean, African-American, white workers and others.

The day was filled with lots of discussion, passion and resolutions to struggle for change. The conference opened with a rousing solidarity statement with May 1 immigrant rights marches.

Over the day there were two plenary sessions and two sets of workshops.

Discussion focuses on Ending War, Changing System

“If the War on Iraq is a bad idea in 2008, why should our friends and family be sent to kill and die there in 2007?”  “Is Socialist revolution possible in the United States?” “What lessons can we learn from the experience of revolution in Cuba and the Soviet Union?” These were just a few of the many questions that speakers and participants addressed at the conference.

Stefanie Fisher, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Chicago, chaired the opening panel and led off the conference with an overview of current social problems for workers and their roots in Capitalism.

Yenica Cortes, a PSL member from New York then analyzed the struggles of immigrant communities in the U.S. She talked about how the growth in immigration is caused by an increasingly aggressive U.S. imperialism. She affirmed that the struggle of immigrant workers is central to the struggle of workers against capitalist exploitation here and abroad.

Eugene Puryear, a Howard University student leader, discussed the relationship between Black Liberation and Socialism. He explained that the liberation of workers in the U.S. is impossible without militant support for the African-American struggle against institutionalized racist violence of the capitalist system.

Ken Lurch, National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 3825 talked about the war on workers and how it is directly related to the war on the Iraqi people

Brian Becker, the National Coordinator of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, was the keynote speaker of the event. He spoke of the need for Socialism and building a revolutionary Party that can lead the struggle of the U.S. multi-national working class for emancipation in a time of crisis for the Capitalist system.

Following the opening panel and discussion, the Conference broke into workshops. Party members and friends presented workshops on such issues as U.S. Imperialism in the Middle East and East Africa; the importance of the Cuban and Venezuelan experience to socialism; how capitalism promotes racism, sexism, and homophobia; and a historical analysis of socialist development in the Soviet Union. Each workshop was structured around discussion. Participants engaged in the workshops with extensive questions and comments.

The Conference concluded with a closing panel of speakers. Speakers included Preston Wood, Los Angeles member of the PSL, discussing recent events concerning Cuba and how they impact the workers’ struggle in the U.S.; John Beacham, ANSWER Chicago Coordinator, on why a Socialist Revolution is possible in the U.S.; and Heather Beneno, PSL member in Chicago, addressing why the workers’ struggle requires a Marxist-Leninst Party. Yoani Mendoza, a member of the PSL in Chicago, chaired the closing plenary.

Mass Outreach to Workers in the Name of Socialism Key to Conference Success

The Socialism Conference in Chicago reflected over a month of intense preparation and outreach. PSL members in Chicago organized themselves into outreach teams, and distributed tens of thousands of stickers, flyers and posters all over the city. Party members also attended many local functions to promote the event.

The PSL organizes conferences like the one in Chicago to reach out to people who want to fight against Capitalism. We want to reach out to people and promote the struggle for revolutionary change and Socialism as the only alternative to the unending battles of the working class for justice and equality.

The Albany Park neighborhood was literally covered in outreach materials for the conference. Many people, far beyond the number of people who were able to attend, responded favorably to literature promoting Socialism.

The conference was aided by the Leftist Lounge Chicago, which loaned the Conference paintings to display as part of an exhibit of revolutionary women of color.

One attendee described feeling “incredibly powerful” as she left the Conference after having participated in the panel discussions and the workshops. The Party for Socialism and Liberation plans to follow-up the conference with an intensive educational series on Lenin’s “State and Revolution” on May 19, 20 and 23. For more information call 773-920-7590.

Led by a contingent of Iraq war veterans, active-duty service-members, Gold Star families, and veterans from other past and present wars, the demonstration received a large amount of media coverage. CNN has featured the demonstration, which the report described as a march of tens of thousands, in its rotation since yesterday. The major French newspaper, Le Monde, ran a significant article under the headline, "More than 50,000 People Protest Against the War in Iraq," about the March on the Pentagon as the U.S. component of the world-wide protests marking the beginning of the fifth year of the war against Iraq. The rally was broadcast live on C-span and Al-Jazeera and received wide-spread media coverage. C-span will be replaying the rally, check http://www.cspan.org/ for times.

The March on the Pentagon was not a solitary action but one of more than 1,000 protests that will take place in the U.S. between March 17 and March 20. In Los Angeles , the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition called a demonstration that drew 50,000. Maxine Waters was one of many speakers and music was provided by renowned Ozomatli, Jackson Browne and Ben Harper.

The ANSWER demonstration on March 18 in San Francisco drew 40,000 protesters and filled 15 blocks of Market Street, a six-lane avenue.

The March on the Pentagon took place the day after a severe winter snow and sleet storm suddenly hit northeastern states that prevented many buses from traveling, 700 fights from taking off, and thousands of cars from reaching the March. Motorists were advised throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic region to stay off the road. The large turnout at the demonstration was all the more significant given the hardships people had to endure to participate in the activity. People marched to the Pentagon and stayed as long as they could braving 20 mile-an-hour winds and a windchill factor into the teens.

A great thank you is owed to the committed volunteers who endured a torrential downpour of freezing rain though Friday night to help set up the assembly and rally sites. People stayed overnight with the equipment and then began working again at 5:00 am in complete darkness. The assembly area had become a lake on March 16 and filled with mud by the time the march stepped off. The windchill in the early 

The front banner for the March on the Pentagon

hours was not far above zero.  At the rally site the large tents and canopies blew down. Volunteers continued to work long hours after the rally ended to take-down, pack, clean the entire area and unload trucks. The anti-war movement is growing both numerically and its organizational capability and the tireless work of volunteers forms the core of this success.

The lead banner of the march demanding US Out of Iraq Now was carried by Cindy Sheehan, Cynthia McKinney, Jonathan Hutto co-founder of Appeal for Redress, Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and youth and students in the anti-war movement.

Pentagon Prevents Immortal Technique and Others from Joining the Rally

The Pentagon and Virginia State Police, many clad in riot gear, wearing gas masks and wielding batons, blocked people coming from the subway/metro who wanted to attend the demonstration. They also blocked buses from accessing the Pentagon in contravention of the agreements reached in the permit. This required people to walk nearly two miles to get to their buses following the rally.

Many people who came to the rally after it had begun - some who had seen the huge march at a distance as it crossed over the Memorial Bridge across the roadways and wanted to then join the activity - were blocked by the Pentagon and the police from entering the rally site through a maze of misdirection, road closures and threats of arrest at multiple different locations. The ANSWER Coalition worked to get people in, and ANSWER organizers and our attorneys went to the site of sudden police confrontations and shutdowns, but many people were still unable to get in including the hip-hop artist Immortal Technique who was scheduled to perform. 

Like so many other people, the hip-hop artist Immortal Technique's travel plans to get to the demonstration, seemed so daunting as to be virtually impossible. But due to his determination and his resourcefulness, he found a way to overcome cancelled flights and frozen roads. Although he rebooked flights in order to land in North Carolina, personally rented a car and drove it to Washington D.C., the Pentagon and law enforcement blocked him from coming into the rally where he was going to perform. We urge everyone to read Immortal Technique's compelling account -- which is both a narrative and a political commentary. Immortal Technique's message below should be read and circulated to your e-mail address book and to e-mail lists everywhere.

Message from Immortal Technique:

"First and foremost I would like to congratulate the organizers of ANSWER and in specific Brian, Amelia, Peta, and Sarah and the many others who reached out to me and who I saw make a powerful statement today. I am not a big fan of marches and rallies because I have always believed that the system must be attacked economically above all. But, if coordinated well, they can effect change and remind people that this war is still costing lives and no matter who the father of Anna Nicole's Baby is or who wins the next season of American Idoll or what new song is on the radio, people are dying, both from this country and in massive numbers in the Iraqi Civil War. March 17th, even with all the problems we faced, was a success in reminding people of the insurmountable evidence of corruption, self righteous moral depravity, and dishonesty present within our government... Because we have issue with the administration we should not be painted as people who despise their country. If I am not pleased with a book I read or a movie I watch that doesn't mean I hate the concept of film in general or that I take issue with printed literature on a whole. The administration presently tries to attach itself to the idea of America as if they were the far right standard by which all should be judged by as Americans. This White House after all just concerns itself with the well being of its stock holders, make-shift praetorian guard of politicians and political contributors. Click to see the rest of Immortal Technique's message.

March 10
Benefit for Students Scholarships to March 17 March on Pentagon
Heather Beneno, ANSWER Chicago

On March 10, a crowd of fifty people attended a rousing ANSWER benefit entitled “Why I am Marching on the Pentagon.”  The proceeds raised at the benefit went to fund student scholarships to attend the March 17^th March on the Pentagon.

The agenda was filled with speakers, musicians and other performers.  Speakers presented on why they were marching on the Pentagon.  Speakers included:

• Yoani Mendoza, ANSWER Organizer

• Riko Rosete, Committee on Pilipino Issues

• Liz Lazdins, World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime

• Andy Thayer, Gay Liberation Network, M20 Coalition Against the War

• John Beacham, ANSWER Coordinator

• Stephanie Mitchell, Chicago State Student

Heather Beneno, an ANSWER organizer, chaired the benefit and spoke on why people from the Middle East are marching on the Pentagon to stop the War on Iraq . 

The benefit was a lively display of solidarity against war, occupation and imperialism.  A.J. Viola, a local poet and photographer, presented a poem on why she was marching on the Pentagon.  Agents of Change also performed a musical set.

The evening concluded with an open mike session.  Attendees used the open mike to show their solidarity with the anti-war effort.

February 22
International Women’s Forum
packs ANSWER Chicago office
Report by Heather Beneno
Fight Sexism and Racism!

On Thursday, February 22, 2007, ANSWER Chicago hosted a Forum entitled “Women in Struggle: Fight Sexism and Racism!” The event featured a diverse array of speakers and concluded with lively discussion. A main theme of the meeting was solidarity with the struggle of immigrant women.

The Women’s Forum was chaired by Jacqui Scott, an ANSWER organizer. She started the evening by recounting the history of International Women’s Day, March 8. The first speaker was Stephanie Mitchell who gave an update on the U.S. government’s attacks on African-American revolutionary Assata Shakur.

Heather Beneno of the Party for Socialism and Liberation spoke on the struggles of Iraqi and Palestinian women. Mathilda De Dios, an activist with the Committee on Pilipino Issues, followed with a talk on the struggles of Pilipino women who immigrate from the Philippines to the U.S. Finally, Chicago organizer of the March on the Pentagon Stefanie Beacham related the struggle of women to the importance of the upcoming March in Washington DC.

The talks provoked a lively discussion. Comments ranged from stories of Palestinian resistance in Gaza, to expressions of solidarity with women all over the world who are fighting occupation. Participants vowed to unite the struggle for women’s liberation with the anti-war struggle and all other people’s struggle on the steps of the Pentagon on March 17 in Washington DC.

Report from January 27, 2007 March on Congress
Stephanie Mitchell and Stefanie Beacham, ANSWER Chicago

ANSWER Coalition activists from Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, New Haven, Conn., Reno, NV and San Francisco participated in the January 27 March on Congress to end the War in Iraq . Estimates vary, but well over 100,000 people marched in the demonstration. It was a strong and broad outpouring of opposition to the war. Thousands of young people traveled from all over the country to flood the streets of the Capitol and build resistance to the war.

Starting in the early morning and going into the late afternoon, ANSWER activists formed outreach teams to spread the word about the upcoming March 17 March on the Pentagon on the 4th Anniversary of the Iraq War. Volunteers worked all week to prepare thousands of placards and banners. Tens of thousands of flyers, stickers and buttons were distributed for the Pentagon protest by over a hundred experienced and new volunteers. Feelings about ending the war were so deep that dozens of people volunteered, on the spot, to help pass out stickers and other materials. Enthusiasm for the March on the Pentagon was widespread with many people wanting more information on how to organize in their cities and communities for the upcoming march.