8.24, NYC: UFPJ in state court for Central Park permit

Dear friend of UFPJ:

You may have already heard that a federal judge today denied the use of Central Park
for a protest at the Republican Convention.

This ruling concerns a different organization, seeking to hold a protest on a
different day. United for Peace and Justice will have a hearing in state court
tomorrow, Tuesday, August 24, seeking a court order to rally in Central Park on
Sunday, August 29. The outcome of today’s federal case has no direct bearing on our
case in New York State Supreme Court.

We expect a ruling in our case on Wednesday or Thursday, and remain optimistic that
the judge in our case will recognize our right to hold a rally in Central Park.

No matter what the judge rules, we already have an agreement with the City for a
legal, peaceful march past Madison Square Garden, the site of the Republican
Convention. If we win our court case, we will march to Central Park for an exuberant
rally. If we lose in court, we will negotiate with the City for a safe, peaceful,
and orderly closure of the day's events. (We will NOT go to the West Side Highway.)

The Bush and Bloomberg Administrations are hoping that the uncertainty about our
protest will keep people away … we know their efforts to squelch our protest make it
all the more important that we have a massive turnout in the streets, to say NO to
the Bush agenda of war, greed, hate and lies!

Please forward this email to your friends, family and colleagues, and post it on any
appropriate email lists.

If you live in the New York City area, please join us at the hearing before the New
York Supreme Court tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 24 at 9:00 am at 60 Centre Street. The
judge has moved the hearing to a larger room, to allow more people to attend; we
will also hold a peaceful picket outside the courthouse.