Youth to Bloomberg: We Will March on Central Park - Press Conference 1/15 City Hall

FIST
Fight Imperialism - Stand Together
55 West 17th Street 5th Floor
NY NY 10011

Youth to Bloomberg: We will march on Central Park!
Our First Amendment Rights are Non-negotiable

FIST will be participating in
Press Conference sponsored the
Troops Out Now Coalition
Saturday, January 15, 2005, 12 Noon
NYC City Hall

Representatives from the youth organization FIST (Fight Imperialism - Stand Together) will participate in a press conference this Saturday, January 15, at 12 noon to announce plans to march on Central Park on Saturday, March 19, the second anniversary of the beginning of the war against Iraq.

“We have the right to march and assemble in Central Park,” said LeiLani Dowell, an organizer with FIST. “During the protests against the Republican National Convention, Bloomberg and Kelly, in cooperation with the Bush Administration, refused to grant permits for a peaceful demonstration to rally in Central Park. This was a politically motivated attempt to silence the voices of youth and other activists who are against the Bush Administration policies of war, racism and repression. During the RNC, Bush and Bloomberg implemented what can only be described as police-state measures, including illegal mass arrests and detention of political dissenters and unlawful and intimidating surveillance of peaceful protests. We will no longer tolerate these tactics, and we intend to put a stop to them.”

“We are meeting with youth from across the city and region, many of whom were arrested during the RNC protests, and we are determined to reclaim our rights,” continued Dowell. “We will march on Central Park to demand an end to the occupation of Iraq and an end to the war against working people and youth here. We will be protesting against the continued cuts in healthcare and education, against the increase in MTA fares, and against the return of the draft.”

FIST is a member of the Troops Out Now coalition - http://www.TroopsOutNow.org - which includes labor, antiwar, community, and youth organizations working together on the March 19 demonstration.

Media Contact: LeiLani Dowell 212-633-6646