100,000 March for Peace in SF on 10/26/02

At least 100,000 marched in San Francisco for peace on October 26. This is both my estimate and Larry Bensky's estimate on KPFA, so that's two of us. We marched shoulder to shoulder the width of Market Street and people were leaving the foot of Market as we arrived at the Civic Center. It took hours for the peace demonstration to completely arrive at the Civic Center, about a mile from the foot of Market.

For the first time in my 50-plus years of marching for peace in my hometown of San Francisco, including but not limited to Ban the Bomb marches and peace in Korea marches during the Fascist Fifties, the Vietnam War peace marches and the anti-Persian Gulf Massacre peace marches, we were SURROUNDED BY THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY POLICE AT THE CIVIC CENTER.

Democratic Gov Gray Davis had the Democratic Party's state police, some 25 on each side of the old state office building at 455 Golden Gate/350 McAllister at the entrances, which borders one side of the Civic Center.

Democrat Gray Davis had a state cop sniper, supposedly just armed with a camera, which is a sufficiently outrageous waste of our tax dollars and contempt for us, on top of the state court building at 400 McAllister, on the small rotunda on the roof, facing the Civic Center.

Democratic "mayor" Willie Brown had the San Francisco Democratic Party's police on the second floor balcony overlooking the Civic Center.

It was also reported that the Democratic Party of San Francisco had armed police on the second floor of the Civic Center Auditorium facing the Civic Center.

This level of fascist terrorism presence at this very peaceful peace picnic, which terrorism was perpetrated by the capitalist party, the Democratic Party, just as fascist as the Republican Party, is a new low in contempt for the taxpayers and was an example for all to see as to why we must never, ever vote for any Democrats or Republicans.

From the stage, hopefully for the last time, we had to listen to Democratic Party politicians claiming to be for peace, when they belong to a warmongering party and when they all support the entire Democratic Party ticket. Hopefully, also for the last time, our peace organizations will never again ask for any progressive resolution, whether it be a peace resolution or one supporting a political prisoner, from the Democratic Party's Board of Supervisors of San Francisco.

In particular, we had to hear from State Senator John Burton , Rep. Barbara Lee, and Supervisor Mark Leno, all of whom proudly support Willie Brown, the fascist illegal "mayor" of san Francisco, Al Gore, Gray Davis, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and ALL THE REST OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TICKET.

Supervisor Mark Leno, against his own party which opposes Prop N, supports the anti-homeless Proposition N and claims to be "neutral" which is in effect support, of the repeal of rent control, Prop. R. Someone apparently ran to him for an anti-war resolution, which of course, being the opportunist Democrat that he is, presented it to the Board of Supervisors and had it passed 9 to 2 (2 Democrats opposed the peace resolution).

We also had to hear praise of the recently assassinated Paul Wellstone, whose death was terrible and tragic, but he was not a progressive. Paul Wellstone voted for the Fascist "Patriot" Act of 10/26/01, which we demonstrated against TODAY. He has also voted for an anti-immigrant bill, for bombing Iraq in 1998, against gay marriage, for a resolution praising Israel's Ariel Sharon and for a resolution condemning the 9th Circuit's good decision tossing the illegal pledge of allegiance which violated the Constitutionally-mandated separation of church and state.

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S GAME is to give a few progressive votes and mouth a few progressive phrases so you vote for them in every election, so they can carry out the same reactionary agenda as the Republican Party because the DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS A CAPITALIST PARTY THE SAME AS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

YOU MUST LOOK AT THE ENTIRE VOTING RECORD OF ANY GIVEN CANDIDATE. You will find Barbara Lee, John Burton, Mark Leno and Paul Wellstone are or were just good Democrats, usually voting the same as the Republicans.

The DEMOCRACTIC PARTY SHOWED THEIR CONTEMPT FOR OUR PEACE MARCH WITH THEIR RIDICULOUS AND CONTEMPTUOUS POLICE PRESENCE. We were a crowd of peaceful people of all ages and colors including babies and old people, who, at the Civic Center, enjoyed food, conversation and browsing the literature table. That was how it was advertised and that is what materialized. The police presence MUST BE A REMINDER TO NEVER VOTE FOR ANY DEMOCRATIC OR REPUBLICAN PARTY CANDIDATE AT ANY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT.

We need a million people at the next peace march and we need a general strike for peace if Bush invades Iraq.