Harlem grandmas hit the warpath over Iraq

In front of Harlem recruiting headquarters today.

BY STEPHEN STIRLING
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Fed up with a war they call "unjust," grandmothers in the city are taking to the streets.
Armed with canes and loudspeakers, a crowd of more than 40 grandmothers, great-grandmothers and even a few grandfathers gathered outside an Army recruiting station in Harlem yesterday to protest the war in Iraq.

The Harlem Grandmothers Against the War in Iraq chose tax day specifically to protest, citing that the war has already cost U.S. taxpayers more than $26 billion. That's money, they say, that could and should be used to fund community health care, housing and education programs.

"It is unconscionable that most of our tax money goes to killing people in other countries while our community in Harlem lacks the bare essentials of housing and medical care," said Vinie Burrows, a great-grandmother. "The war in Iraq translates itself into a war against the poor."

Several grandmothers spoke at the peaceful rally, which began outside the Harlem IRS office and culminated across the street in front of the Army recruiting station.

Former Harlem City Councilman Bill Perkins, one of the organizers of the event, had harsh words for the current presidential administration.

"Current policy is undermining both the safety of our country and the promise of America," said Perkins, himself a 57-year-old grandfather. "We need this money to help our children get a better education, to provide accessible health care and better services for our seniors."

Police stood watch while the group held up signs and chanted their own versions of popular protest sayings. Passersby were greeted with a chorus of grandparents belting out, "The grandmas, united, will never be defeated!" and "Listen to your grandmas, bring the troops home!"

The 150-member group is part of Grandmothers Against the War, a national organization that holds demonstrations around the country. The Harlem-based group has also held a vigil in support of the troops every Wednesday night outside Rockefeller Center since the war began in 2003.

Originally published on April 18, 2006

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