Tens of Thousands at 3/22/03 SF Peace March

The weather was with us once again as the threatened rain became partly sunny before our enormous peace march started in San Francisco on March 22, 2003, the third of our monthly peace marches and the third consecutive day of peace demonstrations in San Francisco.

There were tens of thousands, and hopefully 100,000 peace marchers on our main street, Market Street, of all ages and colors, marching from the Civic Center to Third Street, down Third Street to Mission and on Mission back to the Civic Center. The organizers had obtained a permit for this march, but the police did not close Market Street to cross-traffic, as they had with the previous Market Street peace marches. In fact, there were no police doing traffic duty. They were, however,standing around by skid row stores on Market Street, and standing in Union Square and sitting on horses by Union Square where there was no peace march and practically no people. All of this standing around on a Saturday costs the taxpayers $70 per hour, overtime pay, and we do not have the money for this outrage. The Board of Supervisors must be told that when there is no money for police, the police should be kept off the streets.

To make matters worse, a car did try to cross Market Street at Fifth Street around 3 p.m., nearly running peace marchers down. He was stopped by some peace marchers until the police, who were behind the march arrived, too late to be helpful.

The day before the peace march, on Friday, March 21, the police became very violent, and now the city faces hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits, which will certainly, as always, result in large settlements as San Francisco juries have no sympathy for the police, and the city is liable for the police brutality.

I can only wonder what the commitments of this permit were. We received no traffic protection whatsoever.

As to the peace marchers, most had a political frame of mind. One person I heard complaining to a group with excellent chants that they were making too much noise! Everyone is herewith notified that demonstrations are for noise-making. If you want peace and quiet, stay home and sleep!

We had better speeches than usual at the Civic Center rally before the peace march. We had precisely one Democrat, which is one too many. He is supervisor Tom Ammiano, who is currently running for mayor. This is the same Tom Ammiano who supported both the baseball and football stadium swindles, who supports Israel, who supports the entire Democratic Party ticket, including Gore, Lieberman, Feinstein, Boxer, Burton, ad nauseum, and who supported the illegal cross on Mt. Davidson, for a short list. Ammiano's role is the usual Democratic Party's role: Play to the Left to keep the Reds out of office and then while in office, carry out the usual capitalist agenda to the extent possible. His speech was that of a comedian; he had nothing of substance to say or teach. He is just another Democrat, a capitalist politician.

There were a wide variety of chants, and my favorite are as follows:

We remember Hiroshima;
we remember Vietnam;
Democratic Party,
We know which side you're on.

Imperialist war--we say no!
The capitalist system's got to go!

Asian, Latino, black and white!
Workers of the world unite!

National unity is a lie!
Bosses profit , workers die!

Democrats, Republicans starve the poor!
For a workers party to wage class war!

Pressure politics-no solution!
We need workers revolution!

Liberal pacifism-no solution!
We need workers revolution!

Capitalism means racism and war!
Workers revolution is what we're for!

Defend Iraq! This is the hour!
Near East workers fight for power!

Down with US imperalist attack!
Workers must defend Iraq!