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Antiwar organizers get ready for a day of action
Building for January 27

January 19, 2007 | Page 15

SEEKING TO build on growing antiwar sentiment, organizers across the U.S. are gearing up for a national day of action on January 27. Large mobilizations are planned for Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Austin, Texas, and several other cities.

The potential for a big turnout was on display after Bush gave his January 10 speech outlining his plan to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq. The next day, hundreds of antiwar pickets were held across the U.S. to express opposition to the plan.

Just weeks ago, plans for the Washington, D.C., demonstration on January 27 were still up in the air, but the reaction among antiwar activists to Bush's speech appears to have brought more urgency to the organizing.

Also in the past several weeks, the mobilizations have taken clearer shape in San Francisco and elsewhere, in some cases with new organizations taking the necessary initiative to pull together the forces for these protests.

DEMONSTRATE ON JANUARY 27

Protests are taking place around the country on January 27 where activists will call for an end to the U.S. war on Iraq. Check below for details on demonstrations in different cities.

Washington, D.C.
Assemble on the Mall, between 3rd and 7th Streets at 11 am. March begins at 1 pm.
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San Francisco
Assemble at Market and Powell at Noon.
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Los Angeles
Assemble at 9th and Figueroa at Noon. March to the Federal Building at Spring and Los Angeles.
Click for more information

Austin, Texas
Assemble at Austin City Hall at 3 pm. March to the Texas Capitol building begins at 3:30 pm.
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Seattle
Assemble at the Center for Social Justice, 2111 E. Union, at 1 pm.
Click for more information

The national mobilization in Washington, along with regional mobilizations in other cities, is a critical opportunity to take the antiwar sentiment expressed by voters in the November elections and give it a concrete expression in the streets.

The Win Without War coalition issued the initial call for the January 11 pickets "to mobilize citizen opposition to the war and put pressure on Congress to stop it," but many groups took up the call and brought their own political messages to the events.

-- In Chicago, about 250 people from peace groups and antiwar coalitions came out, and a large number said they also planned on attending the January 27 protest in Washington. People sang, and many signed an Out Now petition spearheaded by antiwar author and activist Anthony Arnove, Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn.

-- In Ithaca, N.Y., about 70 people came out to a rally organized by a few individuals in 24 hours. The crowd gathered at a busy intersection with handmade signs calling for the troops to leave now.

-- In Queens, N.Y., more than 25 activists took to the street in front of the military recruitment center. This was the third such protest this month, which enjoyed enthusiastic support from passersby in this predominantly immigrant community. More than 350 flyers were handed out for the January 27 demonstration, and several people signed up for the buses leaving from Queens.

-- In Eugene, Ore., about 100 people braved a snowstorm to gather in the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza downtown. Protesters stood on the sidewalk with antiwar banners, as passing drivers honked their horns to show their agreement.

-- At the University of Washington campus in Seattle, 30 people rallied and marched in the street to a nearby marine recruiters' office and picketed there for half an hour before marching over a nearby freeway. About 40 people in downtown Seattle handed out leaflets to passersby who were largely supportive.

Aaron Amaral, Evan Kornfeld, Steve Leigh, Graham Shaw and Rebekah Ward contributed to this report.

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