April 29th Peace Train to NY to Protest the War in Iraq

From Madelyn Hoffman, Director of NJ Peace Action (973)744-3263 (office) On Saturday, April 29th, the New Jersey Coalition Against War on Iraq is organizing a Peace Train into New York City, to participate in United for Peace and Justice’s “March for Peace, Justice and Democracy!”

Peace groups in at least 16 New Jersey communities, stretching from Northwest Jersey to New Brunswick to the Jersey shore and south to Camden and Atlantic City will be sending people to board trains into New York City.

The New York City march to which the Peace Trains are carrying supporters will kick off at noon in Manhattan, just north of Union Square and proceed south along Broadway to Foley Square, where a Grassroots Action Peace Festival is scheduled from 1- 6 PM. The New Jersey contingent is scheduled to meet at 33rd and 7th at 11:45 AM to march together to the staging area at 22nd and Broadway.

Organizations initiating the call for this demonstration include United for Peace and Justice, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, National Organization for Women, Friends of the Earth, U.S. Labor Against the War, Climate Crisis Coalition, People's Hurricane Relief Fund, National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, and Veterans for Peace. This march comes at a critical time, with support for the war in Iraq dwindling daily.

A little over 3 years after the U.S. led invasion, it is clear that Iraq is either on the brink of or already embroiled in a civil war. To date, almost 2400 U.S. soldiers have died and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died. The war has also taken a tremendous toll on the U.S. economy, leaving us unable to take care of our own here in the U.S. and has left Iraq devastated and torn by violence.

The April 29th march brings together an unprecedented coalition of organizations to call to an end to this madness and a return to sensible priorities in this country. Rallies will take place in the following locations (in alphabetical order). Local contact names and numbers are provided.

The Central New Jersey Coalition Against Endless War, together with a broad coalition of groups including Campus Antiwar Network, Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War, Graduate Students for World Peace and Social Justice, International Socialist Club, NJ Citizen Action, NJ Civil Rights Defense Committee, NJ Peace Council, RU Graduate Student Association, People’s Organization for Progress Central Jersey, Radigals, Rutgers Against the War, Tent State University, Middlesex County Democracy for America, and the Rutgers Student and Education Workers' Union. will have a pre-boarding rally at New Brunswick at 9:45 am at the New Brunswick Train Station and board that same train at 10:36 AM. For more information please contact NoToWar@optonline.net or RutgersAgainsttheWar@gmail.com or call Ellen Whitt at 732-846-3544.

The Bergen Peace & Justice Network will rent buses. At least four buses will be leaving from Teaneck, Englewood, and Ridgewood. For more information contact Zoe Baldwin at zbaldwin@bergenjustice.net.

The Morristown Peace Vigil will hold a press conference at 10:00 AM and board the 10:24 train. They will take it all the way into Penn station in New York. For more information contact Susan Berkowitz at (973) 334-3826.

The Northwest NJ Peace Fellowship (a chapter of NJ Peace Action) will gather at the New Jersey Transit Dover station at 9:30 a.m. to catch the same train, at 10:05 AM. For more information contact Litsa Binder at (973) 726-3245 or Tom Bias at (973) 729-4043.

Somerset Voices for Peace and Justice (a chapter of NJ Peace Action will hold a rally at 9:00 AM and catch a train at 9:21 AM. For more information contact Susan Johanesen at (908) 258-3041. South Mountain Peace Action (a chapter of NJ Peace Action) will meet that train at 10:52 AM in Maplewood or 10:56 in South Orange. For more information contact Paul Surovell at (973) 763- 9493.

The Union County Peace Council will sponsor a pre-boarding PEACE RALLY at the Westfield Train Station (on the south side) by South Avenue, starting at 9:30 AM sharp, prior to boarding the 9:50 AM "Peace Train" to New York City on the Raritan Valley Line. We will transfer to PATH trains in Newark's Penn Station to arrive in NYC for the big march which begins at NOON north of Union Square along Broadway (18th to 22nd Streets. For more info: e-mail: unioncountypeacecouncil@gmail.com or call Diane at (908) 233-7344

Bloomfield Peace Action (contact Susan Mullins at 973-338-5850), Jersey Shore Against the War of Monmouth County (contact Carol Gay at 732-785- 1503) and Voices United of Passaic/Essex, the newest chapter of NJ Peace Action (contact Ron deStefano at 973-925-8565) will also participate.