The 110 individuals and representatives came out in response to the call reprinted at the bottom of this notice.

After a discussion of process, it was decided that all proposals would need to be ratified by a 3/5’s majority of those voting. After much time was spent discussing visions of the protest, those assembled agreed upon the following slogans:

The Midwest STILL Says No to War
Troops Out Now!
End the Occupations of Iraq, Palestine & Afghanistan!

The next general organizing meeting was set for Saturday, January 24th. Part of the purpose of this notice is to inform people that a venue has been secured for this next meeting. The January 24th meeting will be from 11 am to 2 pm at Agape House, 1046 W. Polk Street, Chicago. While the original call for the protest was widely circulated, many spoke in favor of continuing to work for as broad a participation as possible in the organizing of this protest. Therefore we urge everyone receiving this notice to use it to spread the word to those who may not seen the original call for the protest, and encourage their active participation in the January 24th meeting and the other meetings listed below.

Due to time limitations this past Saturday, we were unable to get to an important part of the meeting – the breaking out into working groups. When this past Saturday’s agenda was passed, we agreed that those working groups would include: 1) Logistics; 2) Outreach; and 3) Media/Propaganda. It was decided that a Program working group would begin meeting later. Of course, other working groups can be proposed if necessary. To make up for the fact that the working groups were unable to meet on Saturday, we have scheduled meetings of them as follows:

1) Logistics working group, 7 pm, Wednesday, January 21 at the University of Illinois (Chicago), Behavioral Sciences Building, 1001 W. Harrison Street, Room 117, Chicago.

2) Outreach working group, 7 pm, Thursday, January 22 at the University of Illinois (Chicago), Behavioral Sciences Building, 1001 W. Harrison Street, Room 117, Chicago.

3) Media/Propaganda working group, 7 pm, Thursday, January 22 at the University of Illinois (Chicago), Behavioral Sciences Building, 1001 W. Harrison Street, Room 119, Chicago.

To those who had hoped to participate in a particular working group but are unavailable for the particular meeting(s) listed above, we apologize. As was the plan with the orginal agenda, these working groups will begin work and formulate proposals for the larger Saturday, January 24th meeting listed above. Whether or not you were able to attend the January 10th meeting, we invite you participate in the January 21-22 working group meetings and/or the January 24th meeting. There is much that still needs to be decided, and much work that needs to be done in order to help the Midwest contribute as strong a voice as possible on March 20th.

Here is the original text of the original call for the protest:

Subject: Call for a March 20, 2004 Midwest Regional Anti-War Demonstration in Chicago

**** PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY **** PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY ****

Practically every day brings fresh evidence of the disaster that is the United States occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. From Palestine to Korea, Columbia to the Philippines, the United States increasingly is seen as the greatest threat to world peace and justice. While the lies used to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq have been denounced by some politicians--mostly after the invasion itself was a done deal--all leading politicians continue to support the occupation, some as a positive “good,” others as an unfortunate “necessity” to preserve American imperial “credibility.”

The peace and justice movement in the U.S. needs to speak with a clear voice, a voice which demands respect for the absolute right of the Iraqi people, and all other peoples of the world, to decide their own destinies, without occupying armies, without commercial schemes to rip off their national wealth, without puppets imposed on them from Washington. We need to give voice to the growing sentiment within Iraq, within the U.S. armed forces, and here at home for an immediate END to the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.

March 20th marks the anniversary of the first full day of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It also is the one-year anniversary of one of Chicago’s most memorable protests ever--the night over 10,000 people marched on Lake Shore Drive in protest against George Bush’s illegal and immoral war (cabn.org/press/040403reader_taken.htm, cabn.org/press/040403reader_boys.htm). In concert with the national initiatives of the ANSWER and the United For Peace & Justice Coalitions, the Chicago Coalition Against War & Racism (CCAWR) has chosen to commit its resources to help organize a midwest regional anti-war demonstration here in Chicago on March 20, 2004.

Aside from the date of the protest, nothing else has been decided. This is intentional. We have left the precise time and location of the protest and specifying its major theme(s) undetermined so that participating individuals and organizations can collectively create the most dynamic and influential event possible. To make these decisions, we call on peace, justice, and civil rights forces from around the region to send representatives to an organizing meeting in Chicago on the evening of Thursday, January 8th [date was later changed to Saturday, Jan. 10th—ed] to begin making the decisions necessary to organize a midwest regional demonstration demanding the end of the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. The meeting will take place at 6:30 pm in the lower level of the First Methodist Temple, 77 W. Washington Street, Chicago.

For more information, email CCAWR (at) aol.com or call 888.471.0874.