From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
WEST FRESNO PEACE MARCH
Peace Fresno marches in West Fresno
Saturday, April 12, 2003
Saturday, April 12, 2003
WEST FRESNO PEACE MARCH
By Mike Rhodes
April 12, 2003
Fresno is a divided city! West Fresno is on the “other side” of the railroad tracks and highway 99. If we had a more physically visible system of apartheid in Fresno, there would be a wall with barbed wire on top that divided the African- Americans, Latinos, and South East Asians on the West Side from the rest of Fresno. The unemployment rate in Fresno County is 18%. It is probably double that in West Fresno.
It was in West Fresno that Peace Fresno organized a march for peace today. Carrying signs that said NO BLOOD FOR OIL and NO WAR about 100 anti-war marchers took their message of peace to this community. Peace Fresno purposely selected West Fresno as the starting point of today’s march which wound through Chinatown and ended at the Free Speech site on the Fulton Mall. Peace Fresno held this march in downtown Fresno to draw attention on the local costs of the war. They wanted to make sure that people got the connection between budget cuts which hurt the poor and the cost of war. Many of the youth that have been “drafted” into the military out of economic necessity come from West Fresno.
While Peace Fresno was not successful in getting very many West Fresno residents to participate in the march, it was a sincere effort to bring the antiwar message to those most affected by the war. The march concluded at the Free Speech site (see http://www.fresnoalliance.com/IWW/ for more information about the historic significance of this site) where speakers from several community groups spoke.
###
By Mike Rhodes
April 12, 2003
Fresno is a divided city! West Fresno is on the “other side” of the railroad tracks and highway 99. If we had a more physically visible system of apartheid in Fresno, there would be a wall with barbed wire on top that divided the African- Americans, Latinos, and South East Asians on the West Side from the rest of Fresno. The unemployment rate in Fresno County is 18%. It is probably double that in West Fresno.
It was in West Fresno that Peace Fresno organized a march for peace today. Carrying signs that said NO BLOOD FOR OIL and NO WAR about 100 anti-war marchers took their message of peace to this community. Peace Fresno purposely selected West Fresno as the starting point of today’s march which wound through Chinatown and ended at the Free Speech site on the Fulton Mall. Peace Fresno held this march in downtown Fresno to draw attention on the local costs of the war. They wanted to make sure that people got the connection between budget cuts which hurt the poor and the cost of war. Many of the youth that have been “drafted” into the military out of economic necessity come from West Fresno.
While Peace Fresno was not successful in getting very many West Fresno residents to participate in the march, it was a sincere effort to bring the antiwar message to those most affected by the war. The march concluded at the Free Speech site (see http://www.fresnoalliance.com/IWW/ for more information about the historic significance of this site) where speakers from several community groups spoke.
###
For more information:
http://www.peacefresno.org
Add Your Comments
Latest Comments
Listed below are the latest comments about this post.
These comments are submitted anonymously by website visitors.
TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
Seeking Broad Based Involvement
Sun, Apr 13, 2003 4:10PM
African American's Needed
Sun, Apr 13, 2003 8:05AM
Looking really good!!!
Sun, Apr 13, 2003 6:56AM
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network