Cohousing-L Mailing List: Cohousing folks at SF Peace Rally!

[Fred H Olson (fholson]

Marty Roberts <MartyR [at] sonic.net> is the author of the message below. 
It was posted by Fred the Cohousing-L list manager <fholson [at] cohousing.org> 

This message is close to being off topic as have a number of recent
messages related to the big Anti Iraq war demonstrations in San Francisco
and Washington DC on Sat Jan 18, 2003 .  I hope most follow-ups occur off
list tho a report from DC Cohousing folks about their demonstration
related event is encouraged.   

Fred, cohousing-L list manager (who marched with 2500 folks in Mpls 1/11)

---------------  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS --------------------


At a friend's request, here are some impressions of the wonderful 
Peace/environmental march/rally yesterday in San Francisco.  I drove a 
hybrid vehicle in the environmental procession from Grace Cathedral.  
After a number of speakers on the church steps making the obvious 
connection between our gobbling foreign oil and WAR, we assembled 
walkers, bikers and alternatively fueled vehicles for a procession to 
the rally.  It was a thrill!  A mass of walkers could be seen ahead as 
we slowly progressed down the steep hills (more than 100 vehicles).  We 
all had bright green signs saying things like:
Go Solar not Ballistic
My hybrid sips gas, your SUV sucks gas
If war is unavoidable, draft SUV drivers first
Environmentalists Against the War
Walking for Peace
Etc.

We were driving three abreast through the busy streets of SF and 
talking out our windows to each other in the SILENCE of electric cars!  
No smelly exhaust fumes as we were idling on our slow way.  It was 
really fun.  I rented a hybrid for the occasion, but now I WANT ONE!!  
(actually, I hope that "fossil fuel free" vehicles will be more 
practical when I am ready for me next car).  I hated to take it back.  
One guy had a sign on his red VW convertible that said "powered by 
solar".  I asked him how that worked and he said he plugs it in at home 
where his house runs on photovoltaics.  It felt like we were all old 
friends as we slowly drove along on the wonderfully sunny day.  We were 
escorted by a whole gang of uniformed police on bicycles.  It felt like 
they were with us - it was wonderful!

I am really sorry that I have seen no media coverage at all of this 
environmental contingent and we also got lost in the masses when we 
merged into the enormous rally at the Civic Center.  But lots of people 
along our parade route were cheering us on.  And it was great fun - I 
wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Once at the big rally, we were absolutely overcome by the number of 
people - all ages, races, etc. thousands of different signs, banners, 
costumes, contingents singing, cheering, strollers, dogs, wheelchairs, 
skaters.  We got caught in the middle of a "die-in" at one point and 
fell to the ground with everyone else.  We left the totally full civic 
center area and walked against the flow through the thousands of 
walkers that were still flowing in.  It seemed endless.  Everyone was 
smiling, kind and polite.  We did not know where they would fit but it 
was a thrill traveling through these masses of peace loving people of 
all stripes.  Every now and then, some smallish group would start a 
yell and the whole crowd would pick it up and there would be a roar 
that must have rocked the whole city.  Unbelievable!

Here are some pictures that a cohousing associate posted:

http://www.gregdunn.com/SfAntiWarMarch2003-01-18.htm

My friend and I took pictures of the environmental rally and procession 
which I will try to make available later.

Marty Roberts
Two Acre Wood, Sebastopol


Marty Roberts Productions
Video and Web Site Production
http://www.martyrobertsproductions.com
(707) 829-9191


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