Pre-World AIDS Day Demonstration against Bush in Washington, DC
FIGHT AIDS, NOT ENDLESS WAR STATE OF EMERGENCY: NOT ANOTHER YEAR OF DEADLY AIDS POLICIES
PROTEST:
Tuesday, November 26, 2002 in Washington, DC
Meet at NOON at McPherson Square, 15th & Eye Street NW. March on the White House.
(Free buses from New York City and Philadelphia).
DEMAND WHITE HOUSE ACTION AGAINST AIDS in the UNITED STATES & WORLDWIDE
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WE DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY
CODE RED: Not another year of deadly AIDS policies.
Code Red is the language the Bush Administration uses to portray a severe threat of terrorist attack in the US. We declare a "Code Red"--the Bush Administration's indifference to the global AIDS crisis is a severe threat to the lives of 40 million people with AIDS around the globe.
On November 13, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the HIV/AIDS pandemic is "the biggest problem that we have on the face of the earth today" and yet the priorities of the Bush Administration are clear: trillions more for the war effort, and trillions in tax cuts for the very rich. Meanwhile the figt against AIDS in the US and in developing countries is neglected, and over 3 million people, overwhelmingly people of color in poor countries, will die this year
alone because they lack access to appropriate care and treatment, including antiretroviral therapy. In the United States, there will
continue to be more than 40,000 new HIV infections each year, predominantly in communities of color, because basic public health
programs like safe-sex education and harm reduction programs including needle exchange programs are frozen, cut or blocked.
The policies of the Bush administration mean hundreds of millions of people will get infected with, and die from, HIV/AIDS.
We say: Not another year of federal AIDS policies that
--> refuses to commit significant funds to the global battle against HIV/AIDS in a time when treatment and prevention could stem the escalating worldwide epidemic
--> kick people off AIDS drug assistance rolls throughout the US
--> block funds for needle exchange
--> restrict AIDS education for youth to abstinence-only
--> flat-fund the Ryan White CARE Act and the Minority AIDS Initiative
despite growing numbers of people with HIV in need of care
--> force community organizations to cut services or to shut their doors
--> assault AIDS organizations serving communities of color, youth and gay men
with vicious audits and intimidation tactics
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On Tuesday, November 26, join us to declare CODE RED against the threat of the Bush Administration.
* With one million infections, there are more people with HIV in the US than ever before.
* The global epidemic is in its infancy, with today's 40 million infections expected to balloon to 100 million by 2010.
* Faced with a national and global disaster, President Bush is a man with no plan ... except to starve domestic and international AIDS programs of funds in order to pay for an endless war.
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BACKGROUND:
o Bush is dismantling the fight against AIDS in the US.
The victories that were fought and won by people with AIDS are facing a rollback under this administration.
o Bush has retreated from efforts to fight AIDS in poor countries.
Bush Administration officials claim they are leaders in the fight against AIDS in poor countries when in actuality, they sabotage,
underfund, and curtail poor countries' efforts to stem the pandemic abroad by bringing affordable AIDS treatment to the 36 million who do
not have sustainable access to medicines.
o Resources to keep people alive are going to war efforts that kill.
The National Intelligence Council reports HIV/AIDS will cause a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Russia, Nigeria, India and China, and is likely to result in dramatic upheavals across Africa. And yet, President Bush wants $396 billion for war in next year's federal budget. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the war against Iraq could cost anywhere from $9 to $13 billion dollars a MONTH. Other agencies estimate the first 60 days of war will cost
$60 billion.
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MORE INFORMATION:
Go to: http://www.healthgap.org/WAD.html
Email: pdavis@healthgap.org, salynch@healthgap.org
Call: 215-833-4102 or 212-674-9598
Sponsoring Organizations: ACT UP, Health Global Access Project (GAP),
African Services Committee, Housing Works, NYC AIDS Housing Network.
Over 300 organizations from every continent have endorsed the call to action imploring Bush to announce a global AIDS plan before the end
of January.
For more information on the demonstration and the proposal for the Presidential Global AIDS Initiative, go to:
http://www.healthgap.org/WAD.html
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NYC BUS INFO
Free Buses to DC leave at 6 AM from various locations. Meals provided. Donations welcome. To reserve your seat, call:
212-674-9598,
email:
salynch@healthgap.org
1) Midtown: Columbus Circle at 59th Street.
Take the A, B, C, D, 1, 9 to Columbus Circle. N, R, Q, W to 57th Street.
2) SoHo: Broadway & Houston.
Take the F, S, V to B'way-Lafayette, 6 to Spring St., or N, R to Prince St.
3) Harlem: 125th St at 7th Ave/Adam Clayton Powell Blvd by the Federal Plaza.
Take the A, B, C, D to 125th St.
4) Brooklyn: 1 Hanson Place, corner of Flatbush Ave.
Take the 2,3,4,5,Q. LIRR train to Atlantic or W,M,N,R train to Pacific or 2 blocks from C train to Lafayette St. right across from BAM.
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PHILADELPHIA BUS INFO
Free Buses to DC leave at 8 AM from Broad and Walnut.
To reserve your seat, call:
215-833-4102,
email:
pdavis@critpath.org
Sharonann Lynch
salynch@healthgap.org
ACT UP New York
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
Tel +1 212 674-9598
Mob +1 646 645-5225
http://www.healthgap.org