Thank You! You're Making A Difference
Over 1,000 people participated in the Albany Peace Walk to protest the 4th anniversary of the War on Iraq. 838 people registered for the demonstration through the web site www.RememberingTheFallen.org. Additionally, 153 registered at one of the tables at the rally on the day of the event. There were also people present who did not register. Several feeder marches were organized by organizations including Women Against War, the Muslim Solidarity Committee, a student feeder march, the Albany Greens, the SUNY 9/11 truth group and the Ironweed collective.
The rally was organized by the Northeast Peace and Justice Action Coalition (NEPAJAC) which is a coalition of area peace groups including Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, the Saratoga Peace Alliance, Chatham Peace Initiative, Peace Action, Troy Peace Action, Guilderland Neighbors for Peace, Schenectady Neighbors for Peace, South Rensselaer Neighbors for Peace, the newly formed Pine Hills Neighbors for Peace and Women Against War. Other organizations that participated and endorsed the action included the Solidarity Committee of the Capital District, New York State Now, New York State Green Party, the Troy and Capital District Area Labor Councils and others.
The walk started with a rally at the steps on the east side of the Capital. Speakers included Maureen Aumand of Women Against War, Frank Houde of Veterans for Peace, Marcia Pappas, President of New York State NOW, John Millantz of Iraqi Veterans Against the War, Alice Green of the Center for Law and Justice, May Saffar, an Iraqi women, Shamshad Ahmad the President of the Masjid As-Salam Mosque from where Yassim Aref and Mohammed Hossain were recently tricked by the FBI and sentenced to 15 years in Jail. Also, speaking were Kathy Manley, one of the lawyers for Yassim Aref who read a statement from him to the rally. Doug Bullock the first VP of the Troy Area Labor Council and Rebecca Cooper from the United Steel Workers of America also spoke. Mike Metzger, a student from SUNY and leader of the student 9/11 truth group spoke as did Chris Knowles, the mother of a soldier serving in Iraq. She told the story of how her son who had to retrieve the body of his best friend who was recently killed by a bomb in Iraq. Also, Susan McDaniel spoke. She is the aunt of David Fisher of Watervliet who died in Iraq. As the marchers left for park for the walk to the federal building, the song used for David Fisher’s memorial was played.
At the federal building, organizers collected the signs of the fallen GIs that marchers carried. These will be delivered to the offices of our Senators. Marchers also carried a large sign constructed by the Guilderland Neighbors for Peace that honored the 655,000 Iraqis who have died because of this war.