"1-2-3-4, We Don't Want THEIR Fuckin' War" The S'29-L.A. Mobilization

by John Mart ez-Aztlan Media Collective

Downtown Los Angeles Saturday afternoon, some 300 protesters peacefully

rallied/marched/shouted/chanted & sang, exposing the corporate-led U.S.

racist war-hype of G.W.Bush & Co., in the aftermath of the S'11 attacks.

The 1st rally began on the back of a flatbed truck after 11am at Oylmpic &

Broadway. Música protesta by Salvadoreño Carlos Jimenez set the tone. Edith

of the Youth Student Network-October 22nd & Roberto of Tendencia

Revolunionaria-El Salvador were MCs. The general tone for the day was set:

no to the new U.S. war; that neo-liberal capitalist globalization, along

with the legacy of U.S. Imperialism set the stage for the S'11 attacks;

civil/human rights inside the U.S. are about to be further squashed, & that

we see thru the racist scapegoating/hate crimes against Arabs & Muslims.

LAPD riot squad, bike patrol, squad cars & audio/visual monitoring vans were

in full effect.

Speakers at the first rally included: Rodrigo del Comité Pro Democracia en

México, Cindy of Communications Workers of America, Jeff, one of the

arrested during the May Day LBPD crackdown & Yolanda of Freedom Socialist

Party. Our last speaker, Xochitl of the October 22 Coalition urged us to

take to the streets, north on Broadway to the Roybal Federal Building on

Temple.

Encircled by LAPD with riot squads at every side street going north along

Broadway, Danza Azteca Cuauhtemoc led the march with drums copal &

ceremonial danza, followed by the S'29-L.A. Mobilization main banner. The

Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade represented with lively drumming sets,

chants & songs. Various contingents brought their own banners & signs, while

several groups passed out flyers literature & propaganda to the public along

Broadway. The people were overwhelmingly open to our messages, as 100's of

pieces of literature was accepted. We also asked the people to join us at

our upcoming 2nd rally. People from the sidewalk joined the march. Demands

to "Boycott Taco Bell" were heard as we passed that corporate pimps' outlet

at 5th & Broadway. During the march one reactionary heckler engaged some of

us, we remained cool, spoke our minds & continued north.

The flatbed truck with speakers on the PA system watched our back. National

Lawyers Guild legal obserevrs were on hand as well. After passing the L.A.

Slimes (aka Times) corporate offices, we headed east on Temple to our second

rally in front of the Roybal Federal Building.

Laura La Escuela Popular Norteña & John of the Aztlan Media Collective were

MC's at the second raly & began with shout-outs of the organizations who

helped make S'29-L.A. possible (see fuller list below). Speakers at the 2nd

rally included: Joey of the Revolutionary Communist Party, Areceli of the

Forever 21 Campaign for worker's justice, Cheryl Deptowicz of Radical Women,

Carlota of Estación Libre with a Chiapas update, Bev of the newly formed

People's Coalition Against War, Ricardo of Tendencia Revolucionaria-El

Salvador, Ana of La Resistencia & Vicente of the Argentina Solidarity

Committee. Time was tight at the 2nd rally, as LAPD informed us we only had

only 10 minutes after our 2pm permit time -imit to finish the rally. For

'some reason', LAPD didn't appreciate our messages.

As the 2nd rally began to close, people were invited to attend the Westwood

peace rally co-organized by the International Action Center that began at

2pm. We also made it clear that the S'29-L.A. Mobilization, we were not

simply calling for unconditional peace in the world today, that peace

without real geo-political justice was an empty jesture that perpetuates the

continuance of the U.S. as thee Imperialist Neo-Liberal Capitalist super

power in the world. The S'29-L.A. Mobilization ended with RCYB leading the

chant "1-2-3-4, We Don't Want THEIR Fuckin' War".

Within a week, the S'29-L.A. Mobilization will meet to evaluate the march &

plan future meetings to broaden the anti-wra/anti-imperialist struggle.

John Martínez

Aztlan Media Collective