> > WW News Service Digest #75 > > 1) Hundreds arrested in police sweep in Washington at IMF protests > by "Gary Wilson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > >Workers World Party >55 West 17th Street, 5th Floor >New York, NY 10011 >212-627-2994 >212-675-7869 fax >www.workers.org > >April 15, 2000 > >HUNDREDS ARRESTED IN POLICE SWEEP IN WASHINGTON AT IMF >PROTESTS > >WORKERS WORLD PARTY CANDIDATES AMONG FIRST ARRESTED > > >Police swept down on a legal demonstration April 15 to make >the first 600 arrests of what may be thousands of >arrests as tens of thousands of young people try to stop the >International Monetary Fund and World Bank from meeting in >Washington. > >The arrests came as over a thousand people marched through >downtown Washington from the Justice Department to the White >House in a demonstration called by the International Action >Center. The IAC had wanted to focus attention of the >anti-IMF protests on the prison-industrial complex and the >amount of repression within the United States. > >Among those picked up in the first sweep were Workers World >Party candidates for president and vice president, Monica >Moorehead and Gloria La Riva. The two are workers and women >of color, and had represented their party in the 1996 >election also. > >Larry Holmes, WWP's presidential candidate in 1984 and >1988, and Workers World managing editor Leslie >Feinberg--a leading spokesperson for the transgender >movement--were also arrested in the police sweep. > >Speaking at a rally just before the police, without warning >or any apparent reason, charged into the crowd, Moorehead >stated her party's "complete solidarity with the >thousands of youths who wanted to shut down the IMF and >World Bank. These organizations are instruments to enforce >Wall Street's rule over the poor of the world. They >facilitate the exploitation of the vast majority of the >human race. > >"But we also want to protest instruments of repression >that are at work right at home. There are now over 2 million >people in jail, most of them young people from the African >American, Latino and other communities of color. The prison >system is a concentration camp for oppressed communities in >this country. > >"Even worse, it is a profitable system, in that >federal, state and local governments spend close to $40 >billion a year to keep people incarcerated, much of the >prison system is privatized. In addition, over a >half-million of these prisoners are forced to work in >virtual slave-labor conditions for private companies. > >"That's why we call on the people to tear down >the prison walls and put an end to the prison-industrial >complex," said Moorehead. > >The WWP presidential candidate is also the national >coordinator of Millions for Mumia, the group organizing a >rally for Black political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal this >coming May 7 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New >York. > >"Mumia has been on death row 18 years for a crime he >didn't commit," said Moorehead. "And we >are fighting to win a new trial for him so he can stand >shoulder to shoulder with us at protests like these, against >the IMF and World Bank." > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
