From the SF Chapter of World Can't Wait

It’s time to step it up for Bradley Manning as his case nears trial, and on August 16 actions supporting Bradley Manning up and down the West Coast brought out several hundred protesters, with military veterans at the heart of each demonstration and/or occupation. Six people were arrested occupying Obama campaign headquarters in Oakland, and another six for the same action in Portland. Other protests were in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Seattle.

By San Francisco Bay Area World Can't Wait Chapter

Monday, July 23, 2012, as Obama came to the Bay Area for multiple campaign fundraising appearances, a large protest crowd was in the streets of downtown Oakland for hours.  An anti-war action was called by World Can’t Wait, Afghans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Code Pink, the Bradley Manning Support Network and Courage to Resist and we were there with banners and signs aloft.  Near the Fox Theater (the Obama rally site) we gathered with more groups: Occupy Oakland and Redwood City, Vets for Peace, students.  There were other clusters of protest scattered around the area at different times: youth protesting for immigrant rights, Occupiers, environmentalists.  Also there were lots of people who had earlier been at a large rally for medical marijuana  (the feds have raided major Oakland dispensaries despite their legality and despite Obama’s “promises”). 

If not us, who? If not now, when? 

From the NYC Chapter:

On Sunday at the Heritage Pride Parade a contingent of Vets for Peace, World Can't Wait, Grannies, members of  Whistleblowers Theater and others marched with banners, signs and whistles to support Bradley Manning. WBAI interviewed folks on the spot and did an in-depth piece later in the day. 

A group of Pace University students who were watching the parade asked if they could join us on the march down 5th Ave. They jumped over the barricade and helped us pass out 3,000 "Free Bradley Manning" postcards and about 1,000 stickers to the thousands of people watching the parade. By the second half of the march route we had no materials left but were still cheered on by the parade watchers.  Despite the crowd's cheers for the contingent the fact is that many did not know who Manning is or what he is charged with or how that matters to them.

By Li Onesto 

June 17, thousands of people marched through the streets of New York City to demand an end to the NYPD's policy of stop-and-frisk. The crowd was very diverse, old and young, and different nationalities, from many different walks of life—reflecting a growing awareness of this issue and how important it is to take an active stand against stop-and-frisk.

There were civil rights groups, labor unions, student groups, teachers, nurses, Occupy Wall Street, immigrant rights organizations, gay and lesbian groups. By Friday, 299 organizations had endorsed the march, including, in addition to African-American organizations, groups representing Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arab, Jewish and other ethnic and cultural organizations.

From Revolution 

March with Thousands Against U.S.-NATO Wars

I’m going to toss this medal today for the 33,000 civilians who have died in Afghanistan that won’t have a monument built for them.

Brock McIntosh, Army National Guard, deployed to Afghanistan

I’m giving back my medals for the children of Iraq and Afghanistan. May they be able to forgive us for what we’ve done to them.

Steve Acheson, U.S. Army Iraq war vet

On May 20, more than 40 vets—men and women, from different branches of the military—made a dramatic statement to the world.

Reports on the Protests at the NATO Summit in Chicago May 2012

Humanity Confronts the "Blue Bloc" in Chicago by Debra Sweet

Remembering the Victims: #NATOvictims

Post-NATO Summit Roundup: Police Brutality, Repression & More by Kevin Gosztola

Protesting NATO War Crimes in Chicago by Debra Sweet

Iraq & Afghanistan Vets Throw Away Blood Medals at NATO Protest (video)

PHOTOS of Veterans Throwing Away Medals by Lynne Jackson

They Have Military Alliances; We Are Allied with the People of the World by Debra Sweet

NATO in Chicago: Thousands Protest War Criminals’ Summit from Revolution

Chicago: Peace Town by David Swanson

“Money for Jobs Not for War”— American Chauvinism + Reformist Illusions by Larry Everest

The Empire Holds Its War Council in Chicago by Glen Ford

Marching for NATO/US War Victims by Debra Sweet

National Lawyers Guild Provides Wrap-up of Police Actions During Week-long NATO Demonstrations

Memorial for NATO Victims-Debra Sweet and Jill McLaughlin

Memorial for NATO Victims-Religious Voices

Memorial for NATO Victims-Debra Sweet and Jill McLaughlin

Memorial for NATO Victims-More Voices

More videos from the People's Summit:

Debra Sweet at People's Summit: Indefinite Detention and Repression

Michael Thurman at People's Summit

AFGHANISTAN: Debra Sweet on Why We're Protesting NATO

Eugene Cherry, Iraq Veteran, Speaks on War in Afghanistan

Dr. Mohammed Daud Miraki on the War in Afghanistan

Debra Sweet on US Aggression Against Iran

Ali Abdi on the Protest Movement Within Iran

Sheida Jafari on Why the Anti-War Movement Should Stand with the People of Iran

from World Can't Wait, NYC chapter  

Fordham University’s commencement events on the weekend of May 18th-20th attracted advocates of justice as the university awarded an honorary doctorate to commencement speaker, John Brennan, President Barack Obama’s Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security.  See more on Brennan here.

Brennan, an alumnus of Fordham and former senior CIA official, defended the US program of “targeted killing” by drone as consistent with international law, despite repeated evidence that such strikes kill civilians and would-be rescuers.  Brennan "is widely know for his advocacy of kidnapping-for-torture (aka 'extraordinary rendition') and killing 'militants' (including US citizens) with 'Hellfire' missiles fired by 'Predator' and 'Reaper' drone aircraft," wrote former CIA agent Ray McGovern, also a Fordham graduate.

What did thousands of people accomplish by protesting in Chicago this week during the NATO Summit? If you have thoughts on that, please write me. Mine:

• "NATO = Peace & Security," as banners across the Loop said?  No, NATO = Protest, in Chicago, from here on out. The words "NATO Summit" were always accompanied by the word "protest" in Chicago media. This began to get people asking what we were protesting.  When World Can't Wait went out to neighborhoods with our multi-language "Humanity & the Planet Come First," people asked, "are you the protesters? You're here!" Some of the most economically crushed, riding the bus from work, gave us small donations to support the protests. People opened their homes and hearts.

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