3-24-09, 12:51 pm
Statement from United For Peace and Justice and the Bail Out the People Movement Join Us for Actions on Wall Street in New York City Friday April 3 and Saturday, April 4
On April 4, 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke out against war at his historic 'Beyond Vietnam' speech at Riverside Church in NYC. A year later to the date, April 4, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis where he had traveled to lend support to the struggle of striking sanitation workers.
This year, on April 3 and April 4, we honor the legacy of Dr. King with our urgent call for a new direction by marching on the financial capital of the country: Wall Street. What brings us to Wall St. is clear:
*The human costs of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan mount every day, and each month upwards of $12 billion are drained from our national treasury. Now is the time to end these wars, now is the time to bring all the troops home! The long term solution to our nation's economic crisis must include major cuts in military spending and putting our money to work in the rebuilding of our communities.
*Instead of pouring our money into bailing out wealthy bankers, we need government investments in spending that creates new jobs, provides health care and quality education for all, ends the foreclosure epidemic, and supports sustainable, clean energy.
Dr. King understood that the struggle for economic and social justice at home is tied to our work for peace abroad. On April 3 and April 4, we are taking the next step on this journey. By bringing people into the streets of the financial center on these two days, we will send a strong, clear message: Now is the time to raise our voices in a unified call for the changes we know must be made, the changes millions of people are demanding!
The activities on Friday, April 3 are being led by the Bail Out the People Movement and the April 4 activities are being led by United For Peace and Justice. On Friday, April 3, United For Peace and Justice will join Bail Out the People's program on Wall Street. On Saturday, April 4, Bail Out the People Movement will gather on Wall Street and join United For Peace and Justice's March on Wall Street that will end at Battery Park. We encourage you to participate in both days of action, but if that's not possible, we hope you will be out with us on at least one of these days.
