Check the new WhoseFlorida for statewide updates 

On March 20……2004

On the four-month anniversary of the FTAA protests in
Miami…..

On the one-year anniversary of the US War Against
Iraq…..

Protestors Return to Bayfront!


Several hundred antiwar, pro-peace and pro-democracy
demonstrators from all over South Florida will return
to Miami on Saturday, March 20 to commemorate the
one-year anniversary of the start of the US military
invasion of Iraq. The rally and march will take place
at Bayfront where four months to the date, Miami
police attacked anti FTAA protestors with tear gas and
continuous rounds of rubber bullets.

Organized by a tri-county coalition known as the South
Florida Peace & Justice Network, the demonstration
will begin at noon at the Torch of Friendship
(Biscayne Blvd. & NE 3rd Street). The event will
feature a spirited march to the downtown office of JP
Morgan Chase as well as street theater, music and a
speaker program that includes Fred Frost, president of
the South Florida AFL-CIO.

On this Global Day of Action, the Miami March 20
protesters will stand in solidarity with United for
Peace & Justice, A.N.S.W.E.R and similar
demonstrations in 200 cities around the country and 45
countries around the world. They will call for an end
to Bush’s militaristic foreign policies and massive
military spending amidst vast cuts in vital domestic
social and economic programs.

Speakers and street theater will highlight the
economic and political linkages between the
occupations of Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan and the
recent US-inspired coup in Haiti. The March to JP
Morgan Chase will express opposition to restrictions
on the people’s right to free speech and peaceful
assembly. At the bank, demonstrators will expose JP
Morgan Chase as a triple-dipping war profiteer. With
board members representing Bechtel, Exxon, Mobil,
Honeywell and other corporations profiting from war in
Iraq, Chase now loans Iraq the funds needed to rebuild
its war-torn infrastructure. And by requiring future
revenues from Iraqi oil be put up as collateral, Chase
will become the mortgage holder for the occupied
nation.

Transportation from Stuart, West Palm Beach,
Delray/Boca Raton and Ft. Lauderdale to Miami will be
provided by the Progressive Democratic Alliance
(Robert Haigh: 561-222-9140 or 772-781-1887).


ENDORSING ORGANIZATIONS (as of 3/15):
*Broward Anti-War Coalition
*Broward Citizens for Peace & Justice
*Broward County Green Party
*Citizens for Peace & Justice Palm Beach/Treasure
Coast
*Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, Century
Village/Deerfield Beach
*Greenpeace Miami
*Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
*Jewish Arab Dialogue Association
*Lake Worth Global Justice Group
*Low Income Families Fighting Together
*Mayans in Exile
*Miami Activist Defense/National Lawyers Guild
*Miami Coalition Against the War
*Miami-Dade Green Party
*Miami Workers Center
*Miamiforpeace.org
*OUTcomes, U-Miami
*Palm Beach-Treasure Coast Green Party
*Pan-Afrikan Nationalists of South Florida
*Peace South Florida
*Progressive Democratic Alliance
*Reality News Network
*Save Our Civil Liberties Coalition
*South Florida Peace & Justice Network
*Women's International League for Peace & Freedom

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Events

Sarasota Peace Rally And walk 

Saturday - February 15
2PM – 4PM

We will be gathering at Bayfront Island Park on Bayfront Dr.(US 41) in downtown Sarasota, at the Children’s Fountain. Drumming will begin at 1:30PM. Please come early and bring your drum, signs and banners – and all your family and friends. We will have inspiring speakers and music. The children will make a Peace Banner to lead our silent walk at 3PM to Gulfstream and US41 for our public witness, calling for a new way of thinking. Violence is not an acceptable option with Iraq or any other of our neighbors here on Earth. We will honor those who have given their lives for liberty and justice for all, at the War Memorial at Main St. and Gulfstream. We will express ourselves in street theater. Please join us in our call for Peace. 

For more information, please call: 941-366-5008 or 941- 346-0131

Participants include: Voices for Peace, Venice Peace Coalition, GulfCoast Coalition for Peace and Justice, Women in Black, Sarasota Friends Meeting(Quakers), Sarasota Green Party, Pax Christi Manasota, Campus Greens, Social Concerns Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota and others. And YOU we hope!

Broward County Commission to Consider Resolution Protecting Civil Liberties of County Residents

Resolution Seeks Disclosure of Names of Broward Detainees

FT. LAUDERDALE - Local Broward County activists concerned that the federal government's fight against terrorism has gone too far will testify at a public hearing Tuesday to urge county commissioners to pass a resolution protecting civil liberties.

"This movement in support of the Bill of Rights is gaining momentum nationwide and it's time for the Broward County Commission to take a stand on behalf of the rights of all Broward County residents," said Alan Scheib, a board member of the Broward County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and spokesperson for the Broward Bill of Rights Defense Coalition (BBoRDC)

On January 14, the Broward County Board of County Commissioners will consider whether to add Broward County to the growing list of cities and counties that have expressed concern about the loss of fundamental rights and liberties that many believe have been jeopardized by the USA PATRIOT Act and other congressional and executive measures passed in the aftermath of 9-11.

The public hearing to discuss the proposed resolution will be at 10 a.m. January 14 in Room 422 of the Broward County Governmental Center, 115 South Andrews Avenue in Ft. Lauderdale. Prior to the commission meeting, there will be a demonstration in support of the resolution at 9:15 a.m. outside the governmental center. (Tuesday's agenda is posted on-line at http://www.co.broward.fl.us/regag.pdf )

The resolution, drafted by the Broward County Human Rights Board and supported by a wide variety of community organizations, affirms "that any efforts to end terrorism should not be waged at the expense of essential civil rights and liberties of the people of Broward County and the United States."

Coalition members are particularly concerned about the impact of national security measures on members of Muslim, Arab and South Asian communities who have faced the brunt of the immigrant backlash stemming from policies implemented by the Justice Department in the past year.

"This country is founded upon equal rights and respecting civil liberties and we're now coming together to voice our concerns that an attack on any group or community is an attack on all of us," said Nidal Sakr, Chairman of the March for Justice, one of the organizations that endorsed the draft resolution.

The proposed resolution, endorsed by 15 local community groups in Broward, states that the Broward County Commission "calls upon the United States Attorney's Office, the Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and local law enforcement authorities to publicly disclose the names of any federal detainees suspected of terrorism held in Broward County."

The draft resolution also lists a series of provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act and ensuing executive and administrative orders that may violate the constitutional rights of Broward County residents, including measures that:

* Reduce judicial supervision of telephone and Internet surveillance; * Expand the government's ability to conduct secret searches without warrants; * Grant power to the Secretary of State to designate domestic groups as "terrorist" organizations; * Grant power to the Attorney General to subject non-citizens to indefinite detention or deportation even if they have not committed a crime; * Grant the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) access to sensitive medical, mental health, financial and educational records about individuals without any evidence of a crime; and * Grant the FBI the power to compel libraries and bookstores to produce circulation or purchase records of their patrons and forbids disclosure that such records have been requested and produced.

"Government actions over the past year have targeted people of Middle Eastern descent and members of the Muslim community by unfairly stigmatizing and isolating hardworking immigrants who live, work and pay taxes in this community," said Ammal Elhaddad of Network of Arab American Professionals of Florida. "We're calling upon our elected officials to support this resolution and safeguard the rights of immigrants in Broward County."

If the resolution passes, Broward County - with a population of approximately 1.7 million - becomes the largest community to pass a resolution protesting federal measures that violate fundamental rights and liberties. Last month, Oakland, Ca. became the 19th city to pass a resolution supporting the Bill of Rights and reaffirming the need to protect it. Others include: Madison, WI; Ann Arbor, MI; Boulder, CO; Carrboro, NC and Northampton, MA. More than 30 other localities around the country are considering similar actions.

Officially formed last month, the BBoRDC includes the following member organizations: The Broward County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters of Broward County, The March for Justice, Community Outreach Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Lauderdale, Humanists of Broward County, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Broward Antiwar Coalition, Network of Arab-American Professionals of Florida, Hispanic Unity, Broward Citizens for Peace and Justice, Broward Green Party, Citizens for Democracy, Libertarian Party of Broward County, Foundation for Social Justice and South Florida Human Rights Council.

See below for the text of the resolution or visit: http://www.aclufl.org/bordcdraft.html 

For additional information about Tuesday's hearing, contact Alan Scheib at 954-217-2958. 
...posted by AO,1/12/03

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Both President Bush and Gov. Jeb Bush in Miami

President plans visit to Florida - TALLAHASSEE -- President Bush will return to Florida for the centennial celebration of Cuban Independence Day and to campaign for his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush.-- 
The president's trip to Miami on May 20 will represent his ninth official journey to Florida since his inauguration in January 2001.-
It will not be the last this year, as Florida Republicans gear up for an election season in which they expect to spend $30 million on winning the president's brother a second term.


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NAACP vs. Katherine Harris - NOT looking good

Bob Kunst protested Katherine Harris in Miami 12/4

update here 

STOP THE BOMBING OF AFGHANISTAN! NO TO WAR, RACISM, & ATTACKS ON OUR RIGHTS!

We are gathering exactly one month after the horrific events of September 11, 2001, during which thousands lost their lives, and which sent waves of shock, sorrow, and anger across the country. As individuals and representatives of diverse organizations in this area, our most heartfelt sympathies and condolences are with those who lost loved ones on this tragic day. Though we represent a wide range of beliefs, we are united in our commitment to work for a peaceful world: one which can only be built upon foundations of social justice, self-determination, and human dignity. Another world is possible!

As we mourn the victims of September 11, 2001, we also stand in opposition to the continuing deaths and widespread suffering of so many in the Middle East-and elsewhere around the world-as a direct result of the policies and actions of the U.S. government. For the past fifty years, U.S. intervention in the Middle East has resulted in the systematic use of "state-sponsored terrorism." A war by the world's richest nation against the poorest will now be part of that cruel legacy. This war will not serve to protect people in this country from further such attacks; indeed, it will ensure their continuation.

· No U.S. War in the Middle East or Central Asia! · Defend democratic and constitutional rights! Respect all human rights! · No to all forms of racist, ethnic and religious profiling!

For further information, contact: antiwarbroward@yahoo.com 
Broward Ad Hoc Committee for Peace.
For more information or to RSVP, please call 954-981-0112 or 954-401-3477.

Article about the Broward 10/11 vigil:

Groups square off over retaliation in Afghanistan

Call it a war of words and clever signs.

"Osama, yo mama," read one sign.

"Bombs are not justice," countered another.

The battle: whether the United States should be at war with Afghanistan.

The battlefield: a busy Fort Lauderdale intersection during rush hour.

What was designed as a Thursday afternoon peace demonstration turned into a war of public opinion when counterdemonstrators amassed a larger turnout. The peace rally was organized by the newly formed Broward Antiwar Coalition.

Demonstrators waved flags and shared their messages with anyone who would listen from opposite sides of the street at the Broward Boulevard-Andrews Avenue intersection.

Few ventured to speak to each other. And when one snuck behind enemy lines, the battle escalated to shouting.

Some people yelled from their cars or honked to show support for either side.

"Doing this scares the pants off me," said Cary Basse, one of about 15 peace demonstrators Thursday. "Never have I felt as scared to speak. Never have I felt so in the minority. But history has shown that majority opinion has not necessarily been what was right."

Basse, of Fort Lauderdale, said he is against war because "revenge is not justice."

"To bring innocent lives to an end because of the lives that were lost Sept. 11, doesn't seem American to me," he said.

On the other side, the feelings were just as strong.

Nelson Gil was choked up when he spoke about the terrorist attacks and called for justice.

"We've already done what those people are advocating: nothing," he said. "We've tried to talk, to negotiate. You have to use power, force. That's what these terrorists understand."

Elizabeth Donzella, dressed in red, white and blue, agreed.

"The quickest way to get attacked is to do nothing," she said. "Freedom has never been free."

But Cara Campell, a member of Broward County's Green Party, said the reason America was attacked could instead be traced to the nation's policies and history of supporting aggression.

"We did this," she said. "We trained bin Laden. We gave them money."

War will only create more anti-American feelings and breed new terrorists, said peace protester and organizer Paul Lefrak.

"We need to address the root causes of what makes people hate America," he said.

Instead of war, he said terrorists should be tried in a world court, the United States should support opposition groups in Afghanistan such as the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban, and Americans should provide real food relief to the Afghanistan people.

"We need to create people-to-people solidarity," he said.

Diana Marrero can be reached at dmarrero@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4523.

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Key West 'Peace Walk In Silence' 

With the unanimous vote of it's members, the Green Party of the Florida Keys joined 26 other groups, businesses and churches in supporting a 'Peace Walk In Silence' Saturday, November 10 ... call Claudia at the Sugarloaf Women's community at 745-1218 for future events.

PEACE VIGIL  PEACE VIGIL   PEACE VIGIL   PEACE VIGIL

Sarasota National Coalition for Peace and Justice 

 for more information please call 366-5008 or 929-9813

  The National Coalition for Peace and Justice, representing the nation’s largest peace organizations, has agreed on five points for this national call.  Member groups, such as: American Friends Service Committee (a Quaker organization), Pax Christi (a Catholic Peace group), Fellowship of Reconciliation, Black Radical Congress, Shundahai Network, War Resisters League, Peace Action and others agreed: 
1.  We mourn the victims and condemn the attacks of September 11.  2.  War and militarism are not the answer.  
3. Defend Civil Liberties.  
4.  We oppose anti-Islamic, anti-Arab, anti-immigrant and all racial, ethnic, and religious bigotry and violence.  
5.  Seek global peace through economic and social justice.

Anti-war protest meets veterans - Three-hour protest was peaceful as war opponents, supporters squared off at Naples location.
Anti-war demonstrators mostly made up of Collier County schoolteachers and students faced off against Vietnam and Korean war veterans Sunday afternoon, with each side armed with the symbols of their philosophy — protest signs and American flags. The confrontation was peaceful, and although police were on the scene no one was arrested during the three-hour protest.

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Miami ANTI-WAR COALITION

SAY NO TO:
--Attacks on our Democratic Rights
--Arab and Muslim Police Profiling
--Attacks on Immigrant Rights
--Denial of Jobs to ex-offenders
--Diversion of Funds from Social Services to the War
Machine

Brothers of the Same Mind Bldg.
4055 NW 17th Ave., Miami 

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