Students to Oppose Afghanistan War and Mark 1-Year Anniversary of Police Crackdown on Antiwar Protest

Rochester, NY -- On October 7, 2010, Rochester Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) will host Funk the War 4, a mobile street dance party against the U.S. wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. October 7th marks the 9th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan and the 1st anniversary of the Rochester police attack on a peaceful antiwar march on Main Street that resulted in the hospitalization of 2 protesters and 12 arrests.

At 3:00pm protesters will gather at the park on the corner of Graves and West Main Street for an October 7th speak out against the wars and the repression of antiwar activism by local and federal law enforcement. At 4:00pm protesters will take the streets for Funk the War 4 and march to the Federal Building at 100 State St.

The students demand the following:

- US out of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq - We demand an immediate end to the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan and recognize them neither making US citizens safer, nor promoting democracy in the in the Middle East. We instead see these wars as an attempt by US elite to maintain hegemony in the region and to further gain control over its strategic resources.

- Money for education, not war - We demand an end to budget cuts that further damage our already broken school system, and the redirecting of federal funds away from war to be used for education, healthcare, and other vital social services.

- Demilitarization of local schools - We demand an end to military recruiting in our schools, and more specifically, the overturning of the recent Opt-Out legislation passed in the Rochester City School District that gives military recruiters further access to students.

-Police accountability for the October 7, 2009 violence– We demand a full independent investigation of the police violence against protesters at the antiwar protest October 7 a year ago. To date, the Rochester Police Department has not even made public the results its own investigation of October 7 and no one has been held accountable.

Media Contacts:

John Whelehan – 585-857-3417
Ryan Acuff – 585-455-0961
Amber James – 585-545-5269

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