Florida Mass March for Peace in Melbourne - Saturday MARCH 28
by Jeff Nall Monday, Mar. 16, 2009 at 6:17 PM
sabletide@yahoo.com 321-368-5093

On Saturday, March 28 Patriots for Peace and Humanists for Peace will lead a mass march in Melbourne, Florida, calling for a transformation of America’s pro-war foreign policy away from militarism. Protestors will march at 2:00 PM from Front Street Park (2205 Front Street) in Melbourne to Melbourne City Hall to hear a variety of speakers and artists from around the state. The statewide mass march, endorsed by many Florida groups, is being held in solidarity with national protests on March 21 in Washington DC (ANSWER Coalition) and April 4 in New York City (United for Peace and Justice).

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Florida March for Peace

3/28, 2pm, Melbourne, FL

60 Groups Endorse, to Participate in Statewide Demonstration

Calling for an End to Iraq AND Afghanistan Wars

Activists Plan to Feed the Hungry and Homeless at Demonstration Site

On Saturday, March 28, hundreds will pour into the City of Melbourne to send a clear message to local, state, and national elected officials: demilitarize the budget, bring the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, and fund human needs including housing, jobs, and healthcare.

The statewide march is being held in solidarity with national protests on March 21 in Washington DC (ANSWER Coalition) and April 4 in New York City (United for Peace and Justice).

The march starts at 2pm. Protestors will march from Front Street Park (2205 Front Street) in Melbourne to Melbourne City Hall to hear a variety of speakers and artists from around the state.

Organizers say that the issues of militarism, poverty, and racism, which Rev. MLK called the triple evils, are interrelated. As such chapters of Food Not Bombs (Melbourne, West Palm Beach) will serve food to the homeless, foreclosed, needy, and hungry. Food donations will also be collected to assist 'Food Not Bombs' effort of providing healthy meals to those in need around Florida.

Current march endorsers include national groups such as CodePink, World Can’t Wait, Courage to Resist; state groups such as Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice, The Green Party of Florida and The Florida Socialist Party USA; and multiple chapters of Veterans for Peace (South Florida, Central Florida, Gainesville, and Tallahassee.

In total, more than 50 groups have endorsed the march. Participants plan to caravan from cities including Miami, New Port Richey, Tampa, St. Pete, Orlando, St. Augustine, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Ft. Myers, Palm Beach, and Broward. (Complete list of endorsers below.)

The March 28 protest will bring together a variety of activists and their peace and social justice issues. Protestors demand that the Obama administration and Florida’s Senators and Congresspersons:

1. Bring an end to U.S. foreign wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

2. Stop attacks inside Pakistan – diplomacy not warfare

3. Close all U.S. operated military prisons around the world

4. Utilize diplomacy to relieve tension with Iran and Latin American nations including Cuba, Bolivia , and Venezuela

5. Pressure Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territory

6. And reduce military spending in favor of domestic spending on health, infrastructure, education and jobs.

For more info contact Jeff Nall at 321-368-5093, sabletide@yahoo.com or Bill Burton at 321-727-1083, wburton444@aol.com. Go to http://www.HumanistsforPeace.com for up to the minute information on the march including info on area accommodations, speakers, post-march party, and new endorsers.

“[To] be militant merely means to be demanding and to be persistent, and in this sense I think the non-violent movement has demonstrated great militancy. It is possible to be militantly nonviolent”

– Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, March 25, 1968, ten days before he was killed.

Endorsers Include:

Patriots for Peace (march initiator)
Humanists for Peace (march initiator)
World Can’t Wait
Courage to Resist
CodePink (national)
AfterDowningStreet.org
David Swanson
The Green Party of Florida
The Florida Socialist Party USA
Cindy Sheehan
CodePink Florida
Central Florida Veterans for Peace
St Pete for Peace
Rise Up Tampa Bay
St. Augustine People for Peace and Justice
StopWaronIran.org
Broward Antiwar
Miami for Peace
Tampa 911 Truth
Veterans for Peace chapter 14, Gainesville
Veterans for Peace, Chapter 15
South Florida Veterans for Peace Chapter 32
Progressive Democrats of IRC
CODEPINK of East Central Florida
Palm Beach County Green Party
Arlington South ( Naples , FL )
Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Tallahassee
Humanists of Greater Fort Walton Beach
The Peace Coalition Of Brevard
Environmental and Peace Education Center
Mark Weaver (progressive blog/radio)
R&B vocalist, Benny S and hip-hop group, Da Tribe
Social Concerns Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Key West
NatureCoast Coalition for Peace and Justice
Miami May Day Coalition
Dr. Stephen Blythe, family physician and 2008 Democratic candidate for U.S Congress (FL-15)
UninsuredinAmerica.org
Marions for Peace
Jews for Justice
Bail Out the People
Tallahassee Network for Justice and Peace
The Patriots
Lt. Col. Robert M. Bowman, Ph.D. USAF, ret.
St. John XXIII Church
Refuge Ministries
The Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign ( Tampa Bay Chapter)
Brevard NOW
Critical Resistance( Tampa Bay chapter)
Melbourne Drum Tribe
Melbourne Food Not Bombs
Jack Lieberman, Co-Chair Jewish Arab Dialogue Association (JADA)
Florida Chapter of Military Families Speak Out
Peace Now Citrus County
South Florida Palestine Solidarity Network
Wage Peace of Jacksonville
Humanists at Barefoot Bay
International Action Center, Atlanta
Food Not Bombs, West Palm Beach
Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice
Florida Peace Action Network

http://www.jeffnall.com/

www.floridamassmarch.com

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