Following is a report by one of the event organizers:

Congratulations to all of you who contributed to building the Oct 17 Boston mobilization. Together, we made a loud and proud statement that the peace and justice movement is alive and well! We were joined by 40 peace actions throughout the United States yesterday and by Afghanistan-themed demonstrations and events on October 5 in Washington and on October 7 throughout the nation.

The Afghanistan war was in the forefront of everyone's minds, based on the signs, banners, tables, songs, and speeches. By calling for "Troops Out now" we registered beyond question that there is organized opposition to this war, a movement that is determined enough to dig in for the long haul.

The over 100 peace and justice organizations from all 6 New England states who sponsored and endorsed O17, the dozens of progressive organizations who set up tables and presented their projects and campaigns, and the 800 people who attended the rally and 1000 who marched, showed that our movement has the breadth and depth to say NO to endless wars and occupations and YES to redirect funding from the military budget to human needs. The many creative signs, banners, posters, costumes, and skits showed our ability to reach out and move people with our message of humanity.

Our appreciation goes to Bojah and the Insurrection, Above/Below with DJ Mayday, and Roy Zimmerman, whose challenging and joyful music kept us moving and dancing on a chilly day. The Constitution Brass Band of Vermont and Boston made the marchers (and many bystanders) strut, and the Bread and Puppet Theatre, whose bus was repaired just in time to make the trip, drew attention from all sides, complete with die-ins at street intersections.

Our featured speakers Zoya, Matthis Cheroux, and John Schuchardt, laid bare the disasters and roots of U.S. war policy. Sarah Fuhro, Peter Knowlton, Sarah Roche-Mahdi, Tito Meza, Sergio Reyes, Charlie Derber, Jim Brooks, and Angela Kelly drew together many of the strands of the peace and justice movement and showed the interconnection of the many issues and struggles which are gathering together to resist the corporate, militarist destruction of our people's lives and those of people throughout the world. Our thanks to them for their educational and moving presentations. (Catch the talks of Iraqi peace activist Abdulsattar Younus and Afghan parliamentarian Malalai Joya in the coming weeks)

Progressive and mainstream media groups captured the day in print, radio, photographs and video. We'll gather these presentations on our web site as they come in.

The event was planned by activists from different organizations and political tendencies who worked together, debated and compromised as they laid the plans for the event. Gathering regularly from throughout New England they worked together at in-person meetings, conference calls and on listservs and phone calls. The all-volunteer media, outreach, logistics, program, peacekeeping, and teams, and the coordinating committee, did terrific work behind the scenes preparing and staging the event. We think we are roughly on budget (a more complete financial report will come later).

An O17 evaluation meeting will be held Saturday, November 14, 1pm at Encuentro 5, 33 Harrison Ave, 5th floor, Chinatown, Boston. The CC asks each team and state to write and post a one-page summary of its work, and present it on the 14th, with an eye to doing even better work next time. Take time now while the lessons are fresh, to write the how-to manual for organizing protests, because we will be doing this again and again.

As everyone reading this message knows, our work has just begin. Regardless of how many additional troops President Obama decides to send to Afghanistan, ending the war there is not not even on the table as an option in Washington. A real withdrawal of U.S. troops and mercenaries from Iraq has not happened. US support for the occupation of Palestine continues unchecked. The health care reform is being gutted. Joblessness is getting worse. The housing crisis is worsening. The climate crisis is being met only by token gestures. And nothing is being done to cut back the military budget, rather it still continues to increase regardless whether Democrats or Republicans are in office.

We will go back to our communities and do the hard work of building our base, unifying our movements, challenging the lies, and creating hope by projecting the progressive alternative that we know a majority of the American people support and need. Forward together, backward never! For peace with justice!

October 18, 2009

The demands for the Boston action were: Bring All The Troops Home Now; End All Funding for the Iraq War Now; Support Our Communities, Fund Human Needs; No Attack on Iran; Stop the Attacks on Civil Liberties, Defend Human Rights.