About 350 people showed up at Gadson Park in Tampa on Saturday, Jan. 19, to show their preference for peace over war. The Florida Alliance for Peace and Social Justice sponsored the rally, which featured speakers, puppet shows and that happy, peaceful vibe that emanates from events centered on loving one another. The primary focus of the rally was to protest the present military operation in Afghanistan — hence its location near MacDill Air Force base — but the message extended to the decline of civil liberties and increase in social injustice right here at home. Members of the Alliance include Student Farmworkers Alliance, American Indian Movement, International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement and Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
This article appears in Jan 24-30, 2002.
