Join Us to Defend Free Speech Rights on the National Mall

[proud2BlibKansan]

Picture Washington DC without mass demonstrations, without people coming together to redress grievances; a Washington DC that is radically different from the vibrant heart of political dissent that has been its historical role. That is the vision that the Bush Administration intends to implement unless we act now to stop them.

We are launching a nationwide mobilization of public opinion to defend free speech rights in Washington, D.C. Unless we take action, the Bush Administration will, as one of its final acts, leave office having dramatically altered access of the people to public lands that have been the site of the most significant mass assembly protests in U.S. history.

There has already been an amazing response to the public appeal issued by the Partnership for Civil Justice calling on people to take action to defend free speech rights on the National Mall. More than 10,000 people have sent letters to the National Park Service in the last two weeks opposing the Bush Administration's efforts to restrict or ban protests on the Mall.

Join in demanding a moratorium on any plans to restrict access to the mall. There can be no designated protest zone or protest pit. We are demanding that there be an immediate halt to the proceedings to allow greater input from the American public.

<skip>

Initial signers of the statement include:

Howard Zinn, professor, author of People's History of the United States
Ramsey Clark, former US Attorney General
Cindy Sheehan
Dennis Banks, Co-Founder, American Indian Movement
Malik Rahim, Co-Founder, Common Ground Collective, New Orleans
John Passacantando, Executive Director, Greenpeace USA
Mahdi Bray, Exec. Director, Muslim American Society, Freedom Foundation
Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Elias Rashmawi, National Coordinator, National Council of Arab Americans
Heidi Boghosian, Exec. Director of National Lawyers Guild
Jim Lafferty, Exec. Director of the National Lawyers Guild, Los Angeles
Tina Richards, CEO, Grassroots America
Brian Becker, National Coordinator, ANSWER Coalition
Michael Berg, father of Nicholas Berg, killed in Iraq
Dr. Harriet Adams, Esq.
Elliot Adams, President, Veterans for Peace
Jennifer Harbury, Human Rights Attorney
Ron Kovic, Vietnam Veteran, author, Born on the Fourth of July
Juan Jose Gutierrez, Latino Movement USA
Blase and Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas
Fernando Suarez Del Solar, Guerrero Azteca, father of Jesus Del Solar, soldier killed in Iraq
Chuck Kaufman, Alliance for Global Justice
Frank Dorrel, Publisher, Addicted to War
William Blum, Author
Sue Udry, Director, Defending Dissent Foundation
Annalisa Enrile, Mariposa Alliance
Ed Asner, Actor

http://www.justiceonline.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5275&news_iv_ctrl=0&s_oo=mWnRTId6yqThYi9qLBn8gg..