Public Employee Press

Members join huge anti-war protest

Demonstrators around the world took to the streets Sept. 24, demanding an end to the war in Iraq as part of an international day of protest. Rallies were held in London, Paris, Madrid and several cities across the United States.

The largest U.S. demonstration was held in Washington, where police estimated that more than 150,000 people marched in front of the White House. Others said the throng of protesters reached 200,000 to 300,000. It was clearly the biggest demonstration against the war so far, a sign of growing opposition to the Bush administration by the American people.

Among the demonstrators were hundreds of union activists who arrived by car and train and on three buses sent by DC 37 and locals 371 and 1549.

War based on lies
“We asked our members to come to Washington because lives and money are being wasted for a lie,” said Ralph Palladino, 2nd vice president of Clerical Administrative Employees Local 1549.

“Our resources could have been helping right now in the Gulf States. But the Louisiana National Guard and their equipment are in Iraq,” he said. Local 1549 has opposed the Iraq War since it began. Santos Crespo, executive vice president of Dept. of Education Employees Local 372, and Palladino led the DC 37 protesters, who included Local 2627 Vice President Gary Goff, Local 1930 President Lynn Taylor and dozens of members of their locals.

Among the many speakers at the rally were the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Julian Bond, actor Jessica Lange and Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq. Her 26-day vigil outside of the president’s ranch in Texas won national attention and increased the anti-war pressure on Bush.

There are roughly 147,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Since the war began in March 2003, 1,940 U.S. soldiers have been killed and 14,641 have been wounded. (For the story of one DC 37 member on his way to fight in Iraq, see page 9.)

Army 1st Sgt. Frank Cookinham was one of the many protesters who were attending their very first anti-war march. “I’ve never done this before,” said the Persian Gulf War veteran, who recently returned from a second tour of Iraq.

“Here I am, in uniform, figuring this is the only way I can shove it to Bush. This war makes no sense.”
Leslie Darling, 60, came all the way from Cleveland with four friends for her first anti-war protest.

Hurricane Katrina made her take another look at the war. “The hurricane made it clear that while we spend all this money trying to impose our will on other countries, here in our own country, we can’t take care of each other,” said Darling.

— Alfredo Alvarado