For Immediate Release: July 13, 2004
Contact: Samantha Heller: (407) 497-4318
Cheri Honkala: (215) 668-8228
www.marchforourlives.org

POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN TO REPORT ON RNC PERMIT MEETING WITH POLICE AND WHAT THEY
INTEND TO DO ABOUT IT

When: 12:00 PM, Thursday, July 15th
Where: Behind Madison Square Garden (8th Ave. on steps between 30th and 33rd St.)

New York, NY – Members of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign met with the NYPD last Friday to discuss a permit for their “March For Our Lives” on Opening Day of the Republican National Convention. The group will report on the outcome of this meeting as well what they intend to do about it. PPERHC will also outline their plans for a Mobile “Bushville” tent city that will begin July 19th and travel through New Jersey into New York City in time for the Republican National Convention.

The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC), a national organization representing over fifty poor people’s groups from around the country, will stage a major protest at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in August, targeting the devastating economic polices they have experienced over the last four years.

The Campaign garnered attention at the 2000 RNC where 10,000 people participated in their protest despite the fact that they were the only group denied a permit that decided to march anyway. PPEHRC has indicated they will march again this year, regardless of whether they are granted a permit.

According to Cheri Honkala, the group’s founder stated, “I will march because both the Republicans and Democrats have ignored the plight of poor and I will march to highlight the war at here at home: An economic war in which the casualties are massive unemployment, increasing homelessness, and inadequate or non-existent healthcare.”


Speakers:
Cheri Honkala, National Spokesperson for PPEHRC, will be joined by representatives from the Immokalee Farmworkers (Florida), the Coalition to Protect Public Housing (Chicago), the United Workers Association (Baltimore), and the Kensington Welfare Rights Union (Pennsylvania).



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