Bush to Protestors: Drop Dead
Officials Seek to Marginalize State of Union Protest
Capitol Hill Office: 511 `C' St. NE Washington DC 20002, Stanton Park
DC PRESS CONTACT: Don Spark, 202-536-4310, donspark@worldcantwait.org
EMBARGOED: Monday, January 23, 10:00 a.m.
PRESS CONFERENCE: Monday, January 23, 9:30 a.m.
Bush to Protestors: Drop Dead
Officials Seek to Marginalize State of Union Protest
WHO:
Mike Hersh, Progressive Democrats of America, Wheaton, MD
James R. Klimaski, attorney, Washington, DC
Rev. Deborah Lake, Chicago, IL
Travis Morales, World Can't Wait, Berkeley, CA
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Hip Hop Caucus, Washington, DC
WHERE: Edward R. Murrow Room, National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC
The Bush administration is denying the First Amendment rights of Americans to protest in Washington, DC on the night of the State of the Union (January 31) to demand, "Bush Step Down," by failing to provide a rally site adjacent to the Capitol, according to organizers of World Can't Wait. "World Can't Wait is organizing people living in the United States to take responsibility to stop the whole disastrous course led by the Bush administration. We seek to create a political situation where the Bush administration's program is repudiated, where Bush himself is driven from office, and where the whole direction he has been taking U.S. society is reversed." (From Mission of the World Can't Wait)
After weeks of negotiation, the best site that the administration has offered is more than one mile from the Capitol, well outside audio or visual contact. World Can't Wait will be filing a lawsuit to obtain a permit for a rally adjacent to the Capitol.
"George Bush is squeezing the life out of the right to dissent," said Travis Morales, World Can't Wait Washington, DC organizer. "Staged event by staged event, fake town meeting by fake town meeting, protest by protest, this President has demonstrated his hostility to free expressions of public disagreement with his disastrous program of torture, illegitimate war, massive spying and indefinite detention without charges. Truly, the World Can't Wait, Drive Out the Bush Regime! We think it's time for George Bush to step down."
World Can't Wait counsel, James R. Klimaski, said, "The administration wants dissent in the United States to become invisible to the world. I don't understand why the people around the President are so fearful of Bush seeing people dissent from his policies.
Reverend Deborah Lake, a member of The World Can't Wait Steering Committee, emphasized the peaceful nature of the planned demonstration. "We're here to make a joyful noise unto the Lord," said Lake. "George Bush has led our nation into grave dangers, both at home and abroad, and we want to raise our voices, in songs, in spoken word, with musical instruments, with drums, with dancing, to show the president and the Congress that the spirit of dissent in America is alive and well and feisty!" Organizers have invited choral singers, drummers, spoken word performers, and dancers to join together in symbolically drowning out Bush's lies during the State of the Union Address.