PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

POG Says War Sux, We Have Proof!
by Dan Kyle Friday, Feb. 28, 2003 at 3:14 PM

Rally and March this Sunday March 2nd in front of the U. of Pitt starts at 2pm. We are gearing up for big big things on the weekend of March 14th-16th!

Building on the incredibly successful Pittsburgh Regional Peace Convergence, the largest protest our city has seen since the Vietnam War, the Pittsburgh Organizing Group is building on our momentum from that weekend with two major upcoming events. This Sunday March 2nd Pittsburgh activists will converge at The William Pitt Union at 2pm for a Rally for Peace.



Roughly 500 are expected at the March 2nd Rally beginning at 2pm. Speakers include Sandy Kelson of Pittsburgh Veterans for Peace, Molly Rush of the Thomas Merton Center, Ken Boas of Professors for Peace, Bridget Colvin of Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG), a representative from Pittsburgh Association of Peacemaker and Proactive Youth (PAPPY). Internationally renowned folk artist Anne Feeney will also perform. The rally has been endorsed by over 30 organizations, including the Thomas Merton Center, Pittsburgh Veterans for Peace, Rosenberg Institute for Peace & Justice, and Alliance for Progressive Action.

Kelson is a US Army Vietnam era veteran, Member of the Thomas Merton Center and VFP, traveled the world for peace including Nicaragua as election monitor, Croatia during Balkan War to arrange medical evacuation of war wounded children to US for pro bono medical treatment. He was also a speaker in Hiroshima 50th anniversary of the Atomic bomb.

Rush has been a staff member of the Thomas Merton Center since 1974 and is currently the coordinator of the Citizens Budget Campaign of Western PA. She was a founding member of the Plowshares Eight, who in 1980 entered the General Electric Nuclear Missile Re-entry Division in King of Prussia, PA where nose cones for the Mark 12A warheads were made. They hammered on two nose cones, poured blood on documents and offered prayers for peace.

Boas is a former President of the Board of the Thomas Merton Center, a professor at U. of Pitt in the English Department, and a member of Professors for Peace and Justice and the Middle East Forum of Pittsburgh.

Colvin is one of the 20+ organizers of Pittsburgh Organizing Group and a member of the U. of Pitt Student Community Organizing Project. She is also a PhD candidate in the Department of Immunology.

The rally will be followed by an unpermitted March at 3pm. The march is unpermitted, it is in and of itself a non-violent act of civil disobedience. POG organizer Alex Bradley said: �Were we in agreement to get a permit, the city's unconstitutional permit process and 45 day requirement would make that impossible. We will be in communication with the police on the day of the event and do not anticipate any problems. As with the January convergence we are completely committed to creating safe, non-violent events that are suitable for everyone alongside events respecting a diversity of tactics.�

Pittsburgh Organizing Group Is Also Planning Weekend for Peace March 14th-16th

Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) is also organizing a larger weekend for peace March 14th-16th. A benefit concert will kick-start the weekend on Friday, March 14th at 7pm in the Benedum Auditorium at the University of Pittsburgh. Scheduled acts include The Copyrights, The Channel, and the Arco Flute Foundation. Donations of $4-6 will go toward expenses Pittsburgh Organizing Group have accrued in organizing the event.

The centerpiece of the weekend will be a 2:00PM Permitted Rally at Schenley Park- Flagstaff Hill followed by an unpermitted march through Shadyside. Out of town groups that participated in the regional convergence are being asked to mobilize and POG organizers are hoping for a number of buses from our area. Several local groups have pledged to take this opportunity and schedule their own peace related events. People are encouraged to organize their (Church, College, Organization) own contingents to march to Schenley from points in the area.

In addition the March 16th rally, a number of events, such as the 1:00pm Picnic for Peace, also at Flagstaff Hill, are being organized to coincide with the weekend for peace. Activists from around the area can bring their appetite, a dish to share with others, the kids, a kite, a Frisbee, bubbles, and especially their sense of community. This informal gathering will provide a chance for all to share thoughts, ideas and food as a community that celebrates the diversity of our different cultures and organizing strategies, uniting under a common vision of a world without war. Organizers will be setting up communal tables for the event. To offer donations of food or beverages please contact: peacepicnic@hotmail.com

Pittsburgh Organizing Group is not expecting the kind of numbers the J26th rally garnered, however this rally and weekend will be uniquely Pittsburgh. Dissent will be colorfully visible in the hundreds. Now more than ever, it is important to keep up the public displays of dissatisfaction with this administration�s war policy. The rally has been endorsed by over 30 organizations, including the Thomas Merton Center, Pittsburgh Veterans for Peace, Rosenberg Institute for Peace & Justice, and Alliance for Progressive Action.

Visit http://www.organizepittsburgh.org for more detailed information.

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