Community members will gather on March 19 in downtown Richmond to mark the 6th anniversary of the occupation of Iraq, with an action and rally to express support for a major shift in our country's priorities.

The sponsoring coalition aims to draw attention to bloated U.S. spending on war and foreign occupations at this time of severe economic crisis.

The coalition calls for:

• Deep cuts in military spending and real funding for jobs, housing, schools, health care, green infrastructure, services for the poor, and returning veterans.

• An end to war and foreign occupations, including immediate withdrawal from Iraq, ending the occupation of Afghanistan and no attacks on, sanctions against or covert interference in Iran.

• Putting people’s needs before bank profits and taking monetary policy out of the hands of private banks and the Federal Reserve.

The rally will be on Thursday, March 19, at Kanawha Plaza at 8th and Canal Streets in downtown Richmond, starting at 5:30pm. It will include speeches by community activists and leaders, as well as spoken word poetry.

Preceding the rally, at 4:30pm there will be a gathering in front of the Virginia Employment Commission office at 703 E. Main Street. There, community members will stand in solidarity with people who are out of work.

This peaceful action, held on the anniversary of the occupation of Iraq, which has cost $600 billion, will underscore the urgency of shifting spending from war to jobs.

The two events connect the issues of militarism and the economic crisis. Not only are wars overseas robbing the American people of jobs and health care, they are also violations of domestic and international law. The coalition calls for the new administration and Congress to fundamentally change our country's relationship with the rest of the world, and to shift our priorities from warfare to meeting urgent human needs.

Co-sponsored by the Defenders for Freedom, Justice and
Equality; Pax Christi; Richmond Left Libertarian Alliance; Richmond Peace Education Center; RVA for Peace; and the Virgnia People's Assembly.

For more information, contact the Richmond Peace Education Center at (804) 232-1002 or rpec@rpec.org.

Directions and Parking:

From the downtown expressway/195, exit onto East Canal Street toward US-60. Stay straight to go to Canal Street.

The RMA parking deck is one block away from the plaza at 901 East Canal Street. There is also street parking and additional parking decks and lots nearby.

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