PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

March 19th press release
by march 19th media team Saturday, Mar. 19, 2005 at 3:45 PM
press@pittsburghendthewar.org

PITTSBURGH JOINS 765 COMMUNITIES TO SAY "END THE WAR. REBUILD OUR COMMUNITIES."

For Immediate Release March 19, 2005

Contact:
David Meieran, 412-996-4986,press@pittsburghendthewar.org
Tim Vining, 412-361-3022

PITTSBURGH JOINS 765 COMMUNITIES TO SAY "END THE WAR. REBUILD OUR COMMUNITIES."
Mass Rally and March in Squirrel Hill on the 2nd Anniversary of the Iraq War

Pittsburgh, PA––Marking two years since the U.S.-led bombing of Iraq began, on Saturday, March 19th, 3,000 anti-war protesters took to the streets in Squirrel Hill and Oakland to send a message to the Bush administration and the world: End this pointless and costly war and rebuild our communities.

"The best way to support the troops is to bring them home now," said Pete Shell, a resident of Squirrel Hill and President of the Thomas Merton Center, which organized today's demonstration.

The rally began at 2:30pm at the corner of Forbes and Murray in Squirrel Hill, followed by a colorful and lively march to Oakland that included a donkey, a marching band, a giant banner depicting Bush's budget priorities, a tank float and a 30-foot long "story box" that displayed personal messages of political discontent and resistance. A concluding rally also took place at the William Pitt Union. Among the speakers and performers were Rusted Root's Jim Donovan, nationally acclaimed slam poet Vanessa German, State Senator Jim Ferlo, and Diane Davis Santoriello, the mother of a U.S. solider recently killed in Iraq. Over 35 groups have endorsed the demonstration.

"I cannot bring back my son," says Diane Santoriello. "The only antidote to my complete despair became the desire to keep other families from going through my experience and speaking out against this war and the mistakes that continue to be made."

The protest highlighted the ongoing costs of war and occupation: Over 1,500 U.S. soldiers have been killed and more than 11,000 injured; over 100,000 Iraqi civilians have also died. The financial cost already exceeds $150 billion with no end in sight.

Local organizers point out that to-date the war has cost Pittsburghers $120 million. That same amount could have provided 5,600 students with four-year scholarships at Pitt (for example), or provided healthcare for 74,000 children and adults for one year. See http://www.costofwar.com for a detailed analysis of the cost of the war.

Today's rally was not only the biggest anti-war protest ever to take place in Squirrel Hill, but it was region's largest demonstration since the start of the war. Groups from Beaver County, Erie, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Laroche College, Penn State and more were in attendance. United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), the national anti-war coalition, reports that member groups from 765 communities and all 50 states organized similar protests and vigils. For a comprehensive list of actions visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org.

"The unprecedented number and geographic spread of these events reflect the growing breadth of the anti-war in Pittsburgh and around the country. The movement is reaching into more communities than it ever has." said David Meieran, one of the organizers of today's protest and a member of the UFPJ Steering Committee.

For more information visit http://www.PittsburghEndTheWar.org.

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