Nearly 200 students and others demonstrated yesterday in downtown LA against the war.
Watch out, Mom and Dad – Pippi Longstocking has joined the movement.
At yesterday’s anti war demonstration in downtown L.A., Moonbug carried a stencil reading “Pippi for the Revolution.” Pippi is against patriarchy and monoculture, and is all about “gurl power,” Moonbug explained.
Moonbug was one of nearly 200 people, most of them students, who turned out yesterday to march against the war, against hate crimes and in defense of civil liberties. The demonstration was organized by Southern California Schools Against the War (SC-SAW), a coalition of three high schools and 15 colleges (see below for a full list of current member schools). The number of schools in the coalition is growing daily, explained Bill Neal, a student at Cal State L.A. and one of the organizers of yesterday’s march.
“It’s really remarkable that this early in a war that there is this level of organizing,” Neal said, referring to the number of schools and anti-war activities going on right now.
Yesterday’s march began at the corner of Broadway and Olympic downtown. Chanting “When Bush lies, people die” and “Money for moms, not bombs. Money for healthcare, not for warfare,” demonstrators marched up Broadway and over to Pershing Square where they held a rally as the sun set.
Moonbug was in New York City on September 11 when the World Trade Towers were hit. As she rode her bicycle around town that afternoon, she watched people wandering through the streets in shock, sometimes stepping right into her path without being aware of it. She was struck by how vulnerable they seemed.
Prior to 9-11, Moonbug said, most Americans had an illusion of being safe. Suddenly that day they learned just how vulnerable we really are. Her concern is that people have also been made vulnerable to whatever the government and mainstream media are telling them about the causes of the attack.
Empires come and go, Moonbug said. She sees the American empire as one that is “holding onto power by their fingernails.”
Neal is concerned that Americans are still being shielded from international public opinion today. “People in the U.S. have been somewhat insulated from the level of opposition to the war elsewhere.” One of his goals yesterday was to help Americans learn about that opposition to the war, both in the U.S. and abroad.
One arrest is known to have taken place during yesterday’s events. During the Pershing Square rally, at about 5:40 p.m., police grabbed a young woman and whisked her across the street into a police car and drove away. Police allege she was painting graffiti, but would not disclose any other information at the scene. A collection was taken up almost immediately to help out with bail, if needed.
Another anti-war and anti-racism rally is scheduled for Saturday, November 17 at 1 p.m. at the Westwood Federal Building (Veteran and Wilshire). This one is organized by the L.A./Orange County Coalition to Stop the War. Everyone is also invited to join the weekly anti-war march in Venice, every Sunday at 2 p.m., starting from Rose Ave. on the boardwalk.
For more information about SC-SAW and other student-related events, call 626-235-8489 or email wagepeace2001@yahoo.com.
SC-SAW currently includes members from all of the following campuses:
Cal State L.A.
Cal State Long Beach
Cal State Northridge
Cal Tech
Crescenta Valley High School
Glendale Community College
L.A. County School of the Arts
Occidental College
Pasadena City College
Saddleback College
Santa Monica City College
UC Irvine
UCLA
UC Riverside
University of the Redlands
USC
Valley View High School
Verdugo Hills High School
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Original: Student anti-war rally in downtown LA