community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
Pittsburgh Joins Millions Across World to Protest War on Iraq
by Quinten
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003 at 4:06 PM
quinten@andrew.cmu.edu
About 30 people, mostly Pittsburghers, gathered at the Software Engineering Institute today to speak out against the war on Iraq, and to mark the 12th anniversary of the bombing of the Ameriyah civillian shelter in Baghdad in just one of 10 peace events scattered throughout the Pittsburgh area today. Peace events in 600 cities across the world are expected to take place today, with the largest event drawing 500,000 in New York City.
"The most radical thing we can do is have a long memory," said Vince Eirene, quoting Dorothy day.
About 30 people, mostly Pittsburghers, gathered at the Software Engineering Institute today to speak out against the war on Iraq, and to mark the 12th anniversary of the bombing of the Ameriyah civillian shelter in Baghdad in just one of 10 peace events scattered throughout the Pittsburgh area today. Peace events in 600 cities across the world are expected to take place today, with the largest event drawing 500,000 in New York City.
Many spoke personally about why they opposed the war as other rally members and several members of the Corporate Press listened. And eleven wore large letters on their chests, spelling the phrase "No War on Iraq" with their bodies.
Mel Packer from Point Bridge said that "Nobody here is in solidarity with Saddam. We are in solidarity with the people of Iraq." He added, "I am here today with my 11 year old son. He is the one who will have to pay the price for George W Bush's policies."
Diana and David Grubbs from Harrisburg Pennsylvania happened to be visiting Pittsburgh. They said that they couldn't make it to NYC, so were looking for something to do for the peace movement. The response from the people passing by was encouraging, Diana said.
The Grubbs are opposed to war because war in and of itself can be horrible. "It looks like an adventure," David said, "but the bombing of the civilian shelter in Ameriyah 12 years ago is just one example [of how horrible war can be]."
The Grubbs also compared the Bush administration's neo-conservative members actions to the facist policies of the Nazi government during World War II, saying that Bush's imperialist agression needed to be stopped for the safety of the world. Although both said that not all members of the administration were facists, they felt that Bush was being overly influenced by its extremist factions.
Celeste Taylor from the Pittsburgh Religious Society of Friends gave the attendees a challenge: "Fighting means that we speak truth to power. We need to fight propaganda with information. We need to fight for quality education, to use weapons of mass instruction, not weapons of mass destruction."
In 1991, the Ameriyah shelter in Baghdad was bombed on the last day of Ramadan and Ash Wednesday. Eid Al-Fitr, the Muslim holy day that comemmorates the last day of Ramadan, is a day meant for forgiveness and traditionally prisoners are pardoned on that day. Of the 1,200 civillians gathered in the shelter, only 17 survived. According to Vincent Eirine, military technology developed at Carnegie Mellon guided the bombs that hit the shelter.
Crowd gathers at Software Engineering Institute
by Quinten
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003 at 4:06 PM
quinten@andrew.cmu.edu
Many spoke personally about their opposition to the war.
Curious Passers-by
by Quinten
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003 at 4:06 PM
quinten@andrew.cmu.edu
NYC
by pog'er
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003 at 7:49 PM
Just wanted to give people a quick update on how things have been in NYC for Pgh'ers.
A lot has happened. Hundreds of thousands of people. A literal sea of humanity.
Numerous confrontations with the police. Unprovoked arrests, beatings, attempts at un-arrresting, pepper spray, and more we probably didn't witness. A couple of the protest pens were broken out of early in the day when people rushed through and overturned them. The police have closed sidewalks around Times Square and have pushed everyone back.
A couple times people have managed to get on the streets and march with some difficulty. The police have been very heavy handed. Too tired to write a proper account.
See you all later. Stop the war.
![[masthead]](/images/masthead_140.png)