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On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, more than 400 people braved the stormy weather to attend a vigil and rally for the people of Haiti in front of the Federal Building in downtown Oakland.
People held candles and signs calling for the return of ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Others called for the removal of U.S. troops deployed to protect U.S. interests and suppress any political unrest among desperate Haitians fighting to survive.
Speakers included the well-known progressive Bay Area lawyer Walter Riley, who was in Haiti when the 7.0 earthquake hit the island nation. Riley spoke of the courage of the Haitian people despite having little equipment to dig out people trapped under the rubble from this catastrophic event. Speakers also included Haiti Action Committee leader Pierre Labossiere and Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
