Long Beach City Council shows appreciation for proper thoughts only
The L.A. chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War was recently denied permission to march in the Long Beach Veterans Day Parade on the grounds that they do not “represent the spirit of the parade.” On November 7 members of IVAW, Veterans For Peace and Military Families Speak Out (whose local contingents were also denied permission to march) spoke before a meeting of the Long Beach City Council and asked the Council to overturn the Parade Committee’s decision to ban them from the march. The Council denied their request.
IVAW-LA and their MFSO and VFP counterparts are conducting a phone campaign to convince the Parade Commissioners and the Long Beach City Council to recognize IVAW’s status as a veteran’s organization due the same respect as all others. If you’d like to help support IVAW’s right to the free speech that our members served to protect, please call the following people and ask that the decision to bar IVAW, MFSO and VFP be overturned:
Martha Thuente, Parade Committee Chairperson: 562-422-6669
Debbie Harn of Pageantry Productions, the company producing the parade: 310-537-4240
Mayor Bob Foster: (562) 570-6801
Long Beach City Council members:
Val Lurch: 562-570-6137 (The parade is in his district.)
Tonia Reyes Uranga: 562-570-6596
Gary DeLong: 562-570-6186
Bonnie Lowenthal: (562) 570-6919
Suja Lowenthal: (562) 570-6684
Patrick O’Donnell: 562.570.6918
Gerrie Schipske: (562) 570-6932
Dee Andrews: (562) 570-6816
Rae Gabelich: (562) 570-6685
Read the story in the Long Beach Press Telegram here: http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_7400588
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