Aug 27, 2008 8:59 pm US/Pacific
Thousands Stage Anti-War Protest After Rage Show
By Catherine Tsai and Colleen Slevin, AP Writers
DENVER (AP) ―
Thousands of anti-war demonstrators converged near security gates outside the Democratic National Convention hall on Wednesday, chanting slogans and seeking a meeting with the Barack Obama campaign to talk about getting U.S. troops out of Iraq.
Former Marine Jeff Key, 42, of Salt Lake City, who was acting as a spokesman for the Iraq Veterans Against the War, was escorted by police to meet with Phil Carter, head of veterans affairs for the Obama campaign.
Key said the meeting lasted about 10 minutes. The Obama campaign confirmed the meeting but would provide no details, and Carter did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Key gave Carter a copy of a letter the veterans group had sent to Obama on Monday. It asks for an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, full health care benefits for returning troops and veterans and reparations to the Iraqi people for damage caused by the war.
Key wants the letter read at the convention, but he said he got no answer. He's hoping for a call.
"My phone won't be turned off from now 'til the end of the convention," Key said. "If they don't want to hear us maybe the Republicans will."
The protest began with an anti-war concert by a reunited Rage Against the Machine and other groups, which drew about 9,000 people to the Denver Coliseum. Afterward, throngs began the four-mile march toward the Pepsi Center.
Police estimated the number of marchers at 3,500 to 4,000, though the numbers were fluid as some dropped out and others joined in. The crowd included about 40 members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War. No permit had been obtained for the march, said police Lt. Ron Saunier said.
The veterans, some in uniform, began the march in formation, chanting "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," a marching song.
Jan Critchfield, 24, of Seattle said he served in Iraq in 2004, and after returning home, came to believe that the war was an "unlawful, immoral occupation."
He said now that he's back in the U.S., he thinks about what it's like for Iraqis living with U.S. forces in their country.
"I just can't imagine driving through my neighborhood at home and seeing a security checkpoint."
Critchfield said he joined the Army at 17 without much thought about the implications.
Jonny 5, Brer Rabbit and Andy Guerrero of the Denver group Flobots were with the marchers, as was Raymond "Boots" Riley of political hip-hop group The Coup.
Employees of businesses along the march route looked on.
"It was scary at first, but they're just marching. They're trying to be Americans, I guess," said Vietnam Navy veteran Sylvester Williams. "I was part of Vietnam and that was a hoax. This Iraq (expletive) is even worse."
Jack Scott watched the marchers quietly. "It's pretty neat, we can still do this in this country," he said.
There were tense moments when police ordered the crowd near the Pepsi Center to disperse. Some of the anti-war vets and about 400 protesters moved a few blocks away but still within sight of the convention hall. At least 100 police in riot gear looked on but took no action. No arrests were reported as of 10 p.m.
Once it was announced that Key had met with a member of the Obama organization, the mood turned festive. A group of about 100 people gathered around anti-war activist Ron Kovic who in his wheelchair had been among those leading the march. Kovic is a paralyzed Vietnam veteran whose story was chronicled in the book and movie "Born on the Fourth of July."
Several in the group held up their arms and gave the peace sign. There was a brief silence for war dead.
"I had tears in my eyes," Kovic said. "It was a healing moment for me. It was a joining of Vietnam and Iraq."
About 8,000 free tickets were handed out by lottery for the Rage Against the Machine concert, which was sponsored by Tent State University and Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Rage Against the Machine also plans a concert Sept. 3 in Minneapolis during the Republican National Convention, which takes place just across the Mississippi River in St. Paul.
Associated Press writers Mary Hudetz and Ivan Moreno contributed to this report.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
