War Protests Continue Nationwide
Pastor Dale Morgan
War Protests Continue Nationwide*
Monday March 19, 2007 1:16 AM
By MARCUS WOHLSEN
Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - For a second consecutive day, thousands of
protesters flowed through the streets of several cities Sunday to call
for an end to the funding of the Iraq war or the immediate return of
U.S. troops.
Demonstrators converged in San Francisco, New York, Portland, Ore., and
elsewhere to mark the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq
and call on President Bush to heed what they said was the will of the
people.
In largely peaceful demonstrations, about 3,000 people in San Francisco
closed Market Street, a major downtown thoroughfare; in New York, more
than 1,000 protesters converged in a park near the United Nations
headquarters.
Dozens of police in San Francisco on foot and motorcycle blocked traffic
and kept an eye on the crowd, which stretched for blocks through the
financial district. No arrests were reported by late Sunday afternoon.
Gary Fong, 65, carried a sign calling on President Bush to ``listen to
America'' as he marched in San Francisco.
``I think the war effort at this point is futile,'' the retired school
guidance counselor and former Army intelligence officer said. ``We want
to do our part to express to Bush and the government that change needs
to be made.''
In New York, where union members, representatives of the Rev. Jesse
Jackson's Rainbow-PUSH Coalition and war veterans joined protesters, the
procession stretched for several blocks.
Actor Tim Robbins, speaking at an earlier rally organized by the New
York chapter of United for Peace and Justice, told the crowd that
getting Congress to cut off funds for the war ``would be a good way'' to
get the troops home.
``The American people want this war to end,'' said Robbins, a frequent
anti-war protest participant. ``That's the message they sent last
November in the election. When are we going to start listening to them?''
Police lined sidewalks, and some walked ahead of the protesters as they
marched toward the offices of Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham
Clinton. Demonstrators carried signs reading ``Impeach Bush,'' and ``Not
one more dollar, not one more death.''
In Portland, Ore., thousands of marchers packed a grassy stretch
downtown to call for an end to the war.
``There are Iraqis who can rebuild their country,'' said Raed Jarrar, an
Iraqi-Palestinian blogger, told the crowd. ``They don't need someone to
come from thousands of miles away to tell them how to treat their
neighbor. They are the only ones who can end this violence.''
At the end of the march, a small group of protesters left the route and
continued walking. Police followed them, and then a scuffle ensued, with
police using pepper spray. At least two people were detained.
President Bush was at Camp David in Maryland for the weekend. Spokesman
Blair Jones said of the protests: ``Our Constitution guarantees the
right to peacefully express one's views. The men and women in our
military are fighting to bring the people of Iraq the same rights and
freedoms.''
This week, the House plans to vote on a war spending bill that includes
a troop withdrawal deadline of Sept. 1, 2008. That timeline would speed
up if the Iraqi government cannot meet its own benchmarks for providing
security, allocating oil revenues and taking other essential steps. Bush
has threatened a veto.
The San Francisco march appeared to comprise at least 3,000 people; in
New York, it appeared to be well over 1,000 people.
Trish Gorman, who rode a bus with 55 other people from Bennington, Vt.,
said: ``The people have to speak. The government is not listening to the
people. Sitting quietly at home is not doing it.''
She said she supported a ``safe and well-thought-out defunding and
withdrawal'' from Iraq.
War protester Michelle Barish said she had sent a gas mask to her
brother, a soldier soon to be deployed to Iraq, but was concerned that
cutting funds was not the right way to bring the war to an end.
``If they cut off funding, does that mean I'm going to have to send a
bulletproof vest and care packages?'' she asked.
No counter-demonstrators were visibly present in New York, as they had
been at an anti-war rally in Washington on Saturday that drew thousands
to the Pentagon and the Lincoln Memorial.
In San Francisco, a smattering of counter-protesters waving American
flags also gathered in what they described as a show of support for U.S.
troops.
``It's important to make sure that the sacrifices that we've already
made are worth it,'' said Leigh Wolf, 20, a San Francisco State
University student. ``This is a war we can still win.''
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Associated Press writers Marcus Franklin in New York and Aaron Clark in
Portland, Ore., contributed to this report.