World Can’t Wait “Drive Out the Bush Regime” Held in Downtown Atlanta (UPDATE 2)
Photographs by Albert Viola
(APN) ATLANTA — At least 800 protesters participated in the World Can’t Wait “Drive Out the Bush Regime” demonstration in Downtown Atlanta’s Woodruff Park, Atlanta Progressive News observed.
The protest was one of many being held across the country.
Atlanta’s activities included a march throughout downtown, a rally in Woodruff Park, and a protest line along the Peachtree Street side of the Park.
Peachtree Street was dubbed “Impeachtree Street” for the day by protesters.
Speeches were made by numerous local activists.
Lillie Mae Stokes, a Hurricane Katrina victim, spoke emotionally about her experiences during Katrina and scolded the Bush Administration’s failures to help the people of New Orleans to evacuate, or to receive timely help after the storm.
Stokes is one of the many members of the New Orleans diaspora now living in Atlanta.
“The Christian Right is wrong!” Reverend Kenneth Samuel, Pastor of the Victory for the World Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia, repeated throughout his speech. Samuel is also President of the DeKalb County NAACP.
Other speakers included Theresa Davis, a Georgia poet; and Denise Thomas, a Georgia mother whose daughter recently returned home after being a soldier in the US Invasion of Iraq. Patricia Roberts of Georgia, who also spoke, is the mother of the first US soldier to be killed during the US Invasion of Iraq. Both Thomas and Roberts are opposed to the Invasion.
“The Bush regime is remaking the world very quickly in a fascist way as they plan for war on Iran with other 
countries in their sights,” Tracie Stern, an organizer with Atlanta World Can’t Wait, said in a press release obtained by Atlanta Progressive News.
“They have put into place an unprecedented new law which eliminates habeas corpus and legalizes torture,” Stern said.
World Can’t Wait nationally raised over $150,000 for a series of corporate media advertising purchases in recent weeks after a vigorous email campaign. The ads resulted in several new chapters of World Can’t Wait around the United States, Stern told Atlanta Progressive News.
Atlanta World Can’t Wait told protesters: this isn’t the end; it’s hoped to be the beginning of a movement to drive out the Bush regime at last. An Atlanta planning meeting is planned at The Horizons School in Decatur 
for October 12, 2006, to coincide with planning meetings in cities nationwide, Stern told Atlanta Progressive News.
Stern said she was happy with the Atlanta turnout, and attributed the turnout of so many people due to the activist politics of her organization. So many people are ready to do something about the Bush regime, she said.
Many organizations were represented at the event as well, representing a spectrum of political viewpoints. The People’s Hurricane Relief Fund and Georgia Green Party ran tables. Additionally, The Atlanta Progressive News and Revolutionary Communist Party distributed their respective newspapers.
CORRECTION (UPDATE 2): A previous version of this article stated World Can’t Wait raised $1 million for advertising purchases nationally. However, according to fundraising emails sent from the group, they raised at least $150,000 for purchases in The New York Times and USA Today Newspapers.
About the author:
Matthew Cardinale is the News Editor for Atlanta Progressive News. He may be reached at matthew@atlantaprogressivenews.com
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