* COSPONSORS and ENDORSERS
      Current list of cosponsors (60 as of 10/4/12)
        (in order of appearance)
      Alphabetical list of cosponsors

* VOLUNTEER / COSPONSOR / ENDORSER INFO
      for October 6 Rally & March and October 7 Teach-In
    Check our Volunteer Info page to find out
    how you can help make October 6 & 7 successful days for peace!
    Information on Cosponsoring and Tabling

* NEW! Detailed description of TEACH-IN panel and workshops
    (posted 10/3/12)

* FACEBOOK
   Check out the Occupy Portland facebook event
      and forward it to "friends" *

* MARCH ROUTE
The march leaves the Park Blocks at Salmon St at 1:30 PM, heads south on Broadway to Columbia (Oregonian), east to 4th, north to Madison (City Hall/Wells Fargo/Occupy Parks--speaker stop) and continuing on 4th to Salmon; east to 3rd; south to Madison (Federal Courthouse/Central Precinct); east to 2nd; north to Taylor (World Trade Center) and continuing on 2nd to Burnside; west on Burnside to 4th (Right 2 Dream Too--speaker stop) and continuing on Burnside to Broadway; south on Broadway to Yamhill (Pioneer Courthouse Square) and continuing to Main; west on Main back to Shemanski.

To see the march route map, click here.

Occupy Portland, Not Afghanistan--Rally, March and Teach-in October 6 & 7 2012

Literature tables from cosponsoring and endorsing groups available throughout both days.

NEWS ITEM

For immediate release        September 26, 2012

                   Contact: Dan Handelman, Peace and Justice Works 503-236-3065
                            Occupy Portland 971-258-1006

RALLY, MARCH AND TEACH-IN TO MARK ANNIVERSARIES
OF 2001 AFGHAN INVASION AND OCCUPY PORTLAND
"Occupy Portland, Not Afghanistan" Events Planned October 6 & 7, 2012
to Connect Economic Justice and Peace Issues
Saturday: Shemanski Park (South Park Blocks at Salmon);
Sunday: PCC Cascade (N Albina & Killingsworth)

The organizers of the event have broadly laid out these political platform points to further explain the days' theme:

-- Money for Jobs, Education, Health Care, Housing, and the Environment--Not War
-- End the Wars and Occupations--No Nukes, No Drones
-- Main Street, Not Wall Street--Power to the People
-- Restore Constitutional Rights

The events revive a collaboration between Occupy Portland and peace and social justice groups established in 2011 when the 10 years in Afghanistan march and rally coincided with the occupations of Lownsdale and Chapman Squares downtown.

With the recent announcement that Oregon's National Guard will send a huge deployment to Afghanistan in 2014 (1), a study showing that drone strikes actually increase violent reactions, rather than quelling them (2), as well as the recent marking of Occupy Wall Street's first anniversary on September 17, the timing for the events seems urgent.

Information on the Saturday rally, the Sunday teach-in schedule (including information about food and a planned "food-raising drive"), volunteering, promoting (including posters/flyers) and sponsoring/endorsing the event are on line at the PJW website, http://www.pjw.info

Cosponsors of the Portland event include Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group, Occupy Portland, the Peace Action Committee of the First Unitarian Church, Portland Peaceful Response Coalition, KBOO Community Radio 90.7 FM (media cosponsor), Portland Burn Survivors, War Resisters League-Portland, American Iranian Friendship Council, Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights (AUPHR), Peace and Conflict Studies Program at Portland Community College, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom-Portland Branch, Augustana Lutheran Church, American Friends Service Committee, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Portland Jobs With Justice, Metanoia Peace Community, Alliance for Democracy-Portland Chapter, St. Francis of Assisi Parish and others.

Endorsers include Cascadians Against War, Right 2 Dream Too, Right 2 Survive, Recruiter Watch PDX, Little Light of Mine Friends Worship Group, East Timor Action Network/Portland, pdxjustice Media Productions, Freedom Socialist Party, Oregon Wildlife Federation, Back 2 the Wall, Veterans for Peace Chapter 72, Cascadia Chapter of the Pacific Green Party, Portland Alliance (media endorser), Flying Focus Video Collective (media endorser), Radical Women, People's Activist Cafe, Women in Black-Portland, Oak Grove Peace Vigil, Shelly's Garden, 18th Avenue Peace House, Living Earth Gatherings, Pdx Bike Swarm, Occupy Beaverton, Occupy Estacada, Vincente's Pizza, SisterSpirit, Northwest Veterans for Peace, Civil Liberties Defense Center, Portland Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), Jericho Project, International Socialist Organization, Portland Central America Solidarity Committee (PCASC), and others.

For more information or for your organization to get involved, contact Peace and Justice Works (PJW) at 503-236-3065 or go to the Occupy Portland, Not Afghanistan facebook page.

(1) Oregon Guard gets the word: Prepare to go to Afghanistan in 2014; Oregonian 9/24/12 http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregonatwar/2012/09/oregon_guard_gets_the_word_pre.html

(2) Drone attacks in Pakistan are counterproductive, says report; The Guardian 9/24/12 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/25/drone-attacks-pakistan-counterproductive- report

- END -

--If your organization isn't already on board with the October 6-7 events and would like to be listed as a cosponsor or endorser, let us know.

Cosponsors are expected to donate $50 or more. Endorsers just say "we support your event" and your name will be added to the list (though it may be cut off of some publicity for space reasons).

Cosponsors will be provided table space at the rally and teach-in upon request. If endorsers wish to table at the rally and/or teach-in, send $15-25 sliding scale.

NEW! Deadline to request table space is Friday, September 21. Tables at the rally site are 6'x2.5', please let us know if you can share with one other group. Tables at teach-in are 8' long; due to limited area, standard space will be 1/2 table, let us know if you can make do with 1/3 table.

NOTE: For various legal and political reasons, only non-profit cosponsors and endorsers may table (no for-profit businesses), and for-profit businesses and political parties may endorse, but not co- sponsor. As of August 12, there will be no sales, donations, or money exchanging hands allowed in the park blocks due to restrictions on the permit. Small sales (books, buttons, bumper stickers etc) will be allowed at tables at PCC.

The four fiscal cosponsors of this event are:
(non-501-c-3)--Portland Peaceful Response Coalition / PO Box 5112 / Portland 97208;
            War Resisters League / 2000 NE 42nd #224 / Portland 97213;
            East Timor Action Network-Portland / 2105 SE Taylor / Portland 97214;
(501-c-3)--Peace and Justice Works / PO Box 42456 / Portland 97242.
Other major sponsorship from First Unitarian Church and Occupy Portland.

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These are the points of unity which are guiding the events on October 6/7:

Occupy Portland, Not Afghanistan

--Money for Jobs, Education, Health Care, Housing and the Environment, Not War
-----> Bring the jobs back to the US
-----> Affordable education, health care and housing for all
-----> Cut fossil fuels, stop climate change

--End the Wars and Military Occupations--No Nukes, No Drones
-----> Bring all the troops home and give them care
-----> War enriches the 1% and decimates the 99%
-----> Self-determination for the Middle East*

--Restore Constitutional Rights
-----> Repeal the PATRIOT Act and End indefinite detentions
-----> Close Guantanamo
-----> Stop the war on immigrants

--Main Street, Not Wall Street -- Power to the People
-----> Accountability for elected officials, banksters and the media
-----> Corporations are not people. Overturn Citizens United
-----> People over profits

*-- (including, not limited to, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, and Israel/Palestine)
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While we encourage everyone to return to the park after the march ends (at about 3:30 PM), we also want to be sure folks know that there is a "Paid Sick Days Now!" rally happening on Saturday October 6 at 4 PM at Holladay Park (NE Multnomah and 13th, near Lloyd Center), a quick MAX ride from downtown. For more information contact IWW (one of our endorsers!) at 971-266-1891 or visit paidsickdaysnow.org.
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