War Treads

"I don't know what to do anymore," said Eric Hulsey, marching down Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill carrying a hand-lettered sign: "Not Proud To Be An American." Hoping to reach the man-off-the-street, Hulsey was one of more than 100 people on Nov. 11 protesting the U.S. Army's second push into Fallujah, Iraq, to put down insurgents, following an aborted attempt in April. The anti-war march was part of an effort by Pittsburgh Organizing Group and others to increase protest against the Iraq War following the re-election of George W. Bush. The peaceful rally, which included POG organizer Alex Bradley (above, right) and a banner from peaceinunity.org, was met at its start by police and at least one police dog, who kept the group from assembling on the steps of Sixth Presbyterian Church on Forbes Avenue to hear speakers. "Fallujah is emblematic of the invasion as a whole," says organizer David Meieran: "a pretense to make Iraq safe for the January elections. What it signals is that things are getting worse."