Home > A.N.S.W.E.R. : Actions in solidarity with Haiti in NYC, SF & LA
A.N.S.W.E.R. : Actions in solidarity with Haiti in NYC, SF & LA
by Open-Publishing - Monday 28 February 2005Demos-Actions Democracy International USA
The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition urges participation in actions in New York & San Francisco & Los Angeles and elsewhere in solidarity with the Haitian people on the first anniversary of the US coup and kidnapping of democratically elected Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
IN NEW YORK
Indoor Rally in Brooklyn to Premiere New Video of Haiti Coup
On the 1st anniversary of Haiti’s latest coup d’état and for the first time in New York, the Haiti Support Network (HSN) and the Lavalas Family party present a special advance screening of excerpts from Haiti: The Betrayal of Democracy, a soon-to-be-released documentary by journalist/filmmaker Kevin Pina.
The film will be shown on Sunday, February 27 at 5 p.m. at Clara Barton High School, 901 Classon Avenue, in Brooklyn. Mr. Pina, who lives in Haiti, will speak after the projection.
The film will present graphic footage of events leading up to and following the February 29, 2004 kidnapping and exile of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, including the fierce repression which has met mass demonstrations opposing the coup and the ensuing foreign military occupation of Haiti.
Speakers from the HSN will give an update on what has happened in Haiti since a commando unit attacked the national penitentiary last week, after which hundreds of prisoners escaped.
Lawyer Tom Griffin, the author of an explosive new human rights report on Haiti, will also speak about his investigation and make a media presentation.
Ben Dupuy, secretary general of the National Popular Party (PPN), and Mario Dupuy, a member of the Lavalas Family party’s Communications Commission, will offer analyses of the situation in Haiti, along with speakers from the ANSWER Coalition, International Action Center and others. Performer Marguerite Laurent will bring poetry and dance to the evening, while Eddy François, lead singer of the rasin group Boukan Ginen, will sing with the beloved Haitian choir Voix et Tambours d’Haïti (Voices & Drums of Haiti).
“As we rally in Brooklyn, the repression in Haiti is getting worse daily,” said Serge Lilavois of the HSN. “Dozens of people are being killed, disappeared or jailed illegally every day. We are going to hold high the flame of resistance through rallies like Sunday’s until we can turn back the February 29th coup, just as we defeated the September 30, 1991 coup in Haiti.”
Clara Barton High School is a traditional venue for the Haitian community’s democracy rallies since the days of the Duvalier dictatorship. It can be reached by the 2 or 3 train to Brooklyn Museum. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or in advance in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and New Jersey. More information is available from the Haiti Support Network at 718-434-8100.
IN SAN FRANCISCO
Monday, Feb. 28
4:30 p.m. RALLY at U.N. Plaza
5:00 p.m. MARCH to SF Chronicle; Chilean, Brazilian & French Consulates; end at U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office
Sponsored by:
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, (415) 821-6545, http://www.actionsf.org/ & The Haiti Action Committee, (510) 483-7481, http://www.haitiaction.net/
IN LOS ANGELES
Monday Feb. 28, 9:30 am
Press Conference
Downtown Federal Building, 300 N. Los Angeles St. (Metro Stop, Union Station).
Call (323) 464-1636 or (323) 646-1269
Featured speaker include Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Global Women’s Strike, Margaret Prescod, A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, National Lawyers Guild, Coalition in Solidarity with Haiti, Haiti Action Committee, USLAW (LA), The Pan African Activist Coalition, and others
Wednesday March 2, noon-1 pm
Protest at the Brazilian Consulate at 8484 Wilshire Blvd (east of La Cienega).
Endorsed by Danny Glover. Bring signs, noisemakers! Although the coup and Occupation of Haiti was and is a US project, Brazil is now in charge of the occupying force and leads the way in putting the mask of international approval on this brutal occupation. The Haitian Resistance movement has requested that Brazil be asked to withdraw its troops from Haiti. Protesters are requesting that a delegation be allowed to meet with a representative of the government of Brazil to present the Porto Alegre, Brazil Declaration on Haiti, and to express their concerns.
Funds are Urgently Needed
A.N.S.W.E.R. organizers and affiliates are busy organizing local actions on March 19 all over the country. Funds are urgently needed to help the anti-war movement continue to get stronger. We can’t do it without your help. You can make a contribution through a secure server by clicking here, where you can also find information on how to contribute by check.
A.N.S.W.E.R. CoalitionAct Now to Stop War & End Racisminfo@internationalanswer.orgNational Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389New York City: 212-533-0417Los Angeles: 323-464-1636San Francisco: 415-821-6545For media inquiries, call 202-544-3389.