Cantabs Protest Contra Aid

About 200 protesters gathered at Cambridge City Hall yesterday evening to rally against U.S. aid to Nicaragua and a rash of break-ins in the offices of local liberal political organizations.

After marching to Central Square and through Harvard Square, the group stopped at Old Cambridge Baptist Church (OCBC) where they were addressed by the former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples, a sanctuary defense attorney, and a local reverend.

Five organizations whose offices are located in the basement of the OCBC sponsored the rally. The offices have been broken into seven times in the past 19 months, the last incident occurring during the night of June 8.

No valuables have been stolen, but each time the offices have been turned upside time, said Ann Salmeron, a full-time staff member of the Central America Solidarity Association (CASA). "It's hard to take seriously as burglary," she said. "It appears to us to be clear political harassment. It could be the FBI."

The June incident marked the second time that CASA's offices were broken into a week before a congressional debate on sending aid to the Contras, Salmeron said. The incident before this one, the per-pretrators left a note attacking the organization's politics, said Salmeron.

Salmeron said that the group has been receiving support from the community as evidenced by the numbers that showed up for the rally. In addition, she said, she thought that Wednesday's House vote to support aid to the Contras also convinced people to participate.

Foss Tighe, a CASA member and Somerville resident, said, "A lot of people have joined us today just because of the house vote and a lot of those people wanted to get out and to voice their opposition."

Referring to the House vote, Salmeron said, "It's a sort of regrettable way to bolster the rally." She added, "People are starting to feel it's time to get out on the street and have our voices be heard."