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CPUSA members mark 5th anniversary of the war
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Archive
Struggles
Peace and solidarity
Iraq War
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Author: CPUSA
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First published 03/20/2008 14:21
by {article_topic_desc}
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Bring
'em home
On March 19th, 2008, Communist Party
USA districts, clubs, and members
joined tens of thousands of Americans in marking the 5th anniversary of
the war with protest and vigil.
We are an active party, involved in the
day-to-day struggles of the
American working class, but with a long-term vision for socialism and a
strategy for getting there. If you feel inspired to get involved,
please fill out our application for
membership.
Video:
CPUSA: End
The Iraq War
Club Reports:
- South Bend, IN
- Tuscon, AZ
- Phoenix, AZ
- Harlem, NY
- Portland, OR
- Bay Area, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Baltimore, MA
- Dallas, TX
- Rio Rancho, NM
 South Bend stands for peace
Nearly 200 residents of South Bend, Indiana braved the cold
weather to raise awareness about all the lives needlessly lost in
the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.
The South Bend club, working with other local peace and community
groups through the Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition, helped
organize the rally and garner media coverage, including 3 local
channels: Fox 28, WNDU, and WSJV.
Check out their video here.
(back to top)
 Tucson
members lay the heat on
A many as 600 people turned out to protest the Bush/McCain War at
the
Tucson Federal Building for a 5 pm rally. The Tucson Club CPUSA was one
of 21 organizations sponsoring this event spearheaded by the Tucson
Peace Action Coalition.
About 400 marched there from Armory Park and were joined by folks
getting off work downtown. The open mic rally featured
talks by City
Councilwoman Nina Trasoff, poetry from anti-war high school kids,
musicians, and comments from others. A high point were two songs
from
the Raging Grannies.
The action was not only commemorative. There was a demand for
change.
Speakers were cheered when they talked of struggle and the need
to
make regime change here in the US.
(back to top)
Phoenix Party joins
chorus
In Phoenix several hundred turned out for a protest at
Senator McCain's office. Members of the East Valley club have
been
active in the End the War Coalition, and the Arizona Alliance for Peace
and Justice.
(back to top)
 Ben Davis club
remembers those lost
The Ben Davis (Harlem) club of the CPUSA joined with
the Uptown Young Communist League club, the Uptown Youth for Peace and
Justice Coalition, the Black Radical Congress, and neighborhood members
of MoveOn.org in Central Harlem to remember all the lives lost in this
tragic war. Despite the pouring rain, 30 people joined the vigil.
(back to top)
Willamette Reds struggle on different fronts
This weekend past a group of us participated in the
Portland antiwar rally. We had a tent and we distributed about 150 PWWs
and several boxes of literature. So far we have had two inquiries—one
from an artist and one from the editor of a nearby student newspaper.
 This was the
first time in many, many years that there was a Communist Party
presence at a Portland antiwar rally.Most of the people who stopped
were young people. There were times when we had as many as 9 people at
the booth at once and we kept up a steady stream of folks all day.
See http://willamettereds.blogspot.com/
for more information about Party activities in Portland.
(back to top)
Bay
Area surges for peace
Members of East Bay clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area were among
hundreds of community members participating in the March 15 Surge for
Peace at Walnut Creek’s Civic Park. It was the third annual anniversary
protest at the park. Demonstrators carried their banners and home-made
signs from the BART station to the park for a rally that featured
remarks by Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier and a message from Congressman
George Miller. The People’s Weekly World tabled at the event.
The same day, in nearby Richmond, Calif., other East Bay club members
joined with hundreds who combined anti-war action with a protest
against Chevron Corporation’s war profiteering and its plans to expand
refinery operations that have polluted Richmond neighborhoods for
decades. A rally was followed by a spirited march to the refinery gates
where about 50 people formed human chains while others held banners,
chanted and sang. Some 24 demonstrators were arrested for trespassing
when they entered refinery property.
(back to top)
Chicago
stands vigil
 Party clubs in
Chicago helped initiate and
participated in three Moveon.org vigils on March 19. The South Side
club organized a street corner vigil on March 18. Other comrades joined
a march in downtown. The photo is from a vigil in Wells Park and
community walk that drew over 80 people. The Oak Park club also helped
initiate and participated in a rally and march in the western suburbs.
(back to top)
Baltimore
party builds unity
The Baltimore club helped
organize a rally of about 200 people at a local church Mar. 19
co-sponsored by Veterans for Peace (VFP) and Baltimore United for Peace
and Justice (BUFPJ).
Ryan Mason of the Algebra Project said there is a "war raging in the
streets of Baltimore" because the city is starved of funds to rebuild.
Gold Star mother, Tracy Miller, spoke about the pain she suffers from
the death of her son, Nick, in Fallujah.
A member of our club, reminded the crowd that Maryland voters just
voted for Congress, Donna Edwards, a staunch anti-war activist, in a
primary landslide. He pointed out that Tracy Miller, ran for the
legislature in 2006 with support of the anti-war movement.
(back to top)
Lone
Stars not alone
 Dallas peace
activists, Party
members, and MoveOn.org members stood vigil against the war at the
historic "Dealy Plaza" where JFK was assassinated.
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Rio Rancho fed up with war
In the small city of Rio Rancho, NM, CPUSA members joined approximately
100 residents and converged on a busy city intersection; they had an
array of signs about impeaching Bush, ending torture, and bringing our
troops home, and were greeted with a steady of stream of enthusiastic
honks from members of their community passing by. It brought together
veterans, children, and both the Anglo and hispanic communities.
One party member noted, "It was very impressive, and brought home to me
that progressive sentiments are alive and well all over the country,
and only have to be elicited and made known."
(back to top)
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Tucson, AZ activists commemorate the 5th anniversary with protest
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