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Report back from "Democrats for Life"
This is a report back from one of the organizers/attendees from "The Walk for Life". Pay attention to the last sentance.
Report
West Coast Walk for Life, January 22, 2005
By Carol Crossed, Democrats for Life of America
The Walk for Life on the West Coast took place in San Francisco, January 22, 2005 (This is not to be confused with the March for Life in Washington, DC on January 24, 2005). While smaller gatherings are hosted in cities around the country, this was the first attempt by 12 young committed passionate adults to stage an event of this magnitude in the Bay area for commemoration of the anniversary of Roe v Wade.
An estimated 7500 pro-life walkers attended. The rally was held at the Justin Herman Plaza and the 2 ½ mile walk ended at the Marina Greens. Rally attendants held 1200 signs stating the rally’s theme: Women Deserve Better. Speakers were Sally Winn of Feminists for Life, myself of Democrats for Life, and Pastor Clenard Childress of LEARN, an African American pro-life organization. One of the most moving speakers was Georgette Forney, Founder of Silent No More. She stood on the stage with 6 women who held signs saying We Regret Our Abortion.
The crowd was a less conservative and republican one than the traditional east coast event in Washington DC. Applause erupted at every feminist and pro-democratic party theme expressed. DFLA literature was quickly passed out by members of the California Chapter of DFLA, visibly present with their banner. Special thanks go to Elizabeth Woo and Karen Wheeler who helped gather DFLA people. Special thanks goes to Lila Martinez who tabled an information booth for DFLA at the end of the Walk.
Before the event, the San Francisco Council of Supervisors proclaimed that the city was a City of Choice and that anti-choice people didn’t belong in their city. This, despite many of the organizers and an estimated ¼ of the pro-life Walkers lived in San Francisco. This proclamation fanned the flames of the media which covered the event weeks and days before the event and were heavily present at the Walk.
I was interviewed for the LA Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and on Channel 6 TV. Did I think I belonged in the City of Choice? “Pro-life democrats belonged here, in a blue state. The election proved pro-choice is no longer a litmus test in the Democratic Party and it is no longer a status quo in this city either. The City of Choice had to let pro-life democrats in San Franciscans have their choice too. We want our ‘big tent’ back.”
The pro-life organizers told the crowd of walkers at the beginning of the rally that we were not to respond in any way to the protesters. We were not to antagonize, only smile or look the other way. But despite the total peacefulness of the walkers, the city proclamation had fanned the flames of the protesters.
An estimated 1000 of them chanted obscenities, threw condoms at walkers, harassed catholic priests about molesting children. Rows of them gave walkers ‘half a peace sign’ chanting the f word that goes with it. In all my 38 years of activism in the civil rights movement, in the anti-war, human rights, and justice for jobs marches, never have I witnessed such hatred, such vitriolic and pornographic anger that was displayed to the Walkers. The hostility of the protesters’ signs spoke of every private body part and cannot be repeated in this report. Violence and animosity may not have been expressed by a few. In all due respect, most of my pro-choice friends would have been scandalized and horrified by this behavior. But if even one peaceful protester was there, he or she was no where to be found.
Pro-life walkers chanted “What do women want? Better! When do they want it? Now!” We sang Dona nobis pacem. But this seemed to incite the opposition. To prevent it escalating into a shouting match, our organizers exercised non-violence and advised silence and quiet prayer. Halfway through the march, twice protesters blocked the streets to prevent the parade to continue. On the second try, the police redirected us, blocking the side streets so that it was unable to happen again.
Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t march in Boston as much as he marched in Birmingham. He didn’t march in Philadelphia as much as he marched in Atlanta. He went into the belly of the beast. San Francisco is where pro-lifers need to be.
West Coast Walk for Life, January 22, 2005
By Carol Crossed, Democrats for Life of America
The Walk for Life on the West Coast took place in San Francisco, January 22, 2005 (This is not to be confused with the March for Life in Washington, DC on January 24, 2005). While smaller gatherings are hosted in cities around the country, this was the first attempt by 12 young committed passionate adults to stage an event of this magnitude in the Bay area for commemoration of the anniversary of Roe v Wade.
An estimated 7500 pro-life walkers attended. The rally was held at the Justin Herman Plaza and the 2 ½ mile walk ended at the Marina Greens. Rally attendants held 1200 signs stating the rally’s theme: Women Deserve Better. Speakers were Sally Winn of Feminists for Life, myself of Democrats for Life, and Pastor Clenard Childress of LEARN, an African American pro-life organization. One of the most moving speakers was Georgette Forney, Founder of Silent No More. She stood on the stage with 6 women who held signs saying We Regret Our Abortion.
The crowd was a less conservative and republican one than the traditional east coast event in Washington DC. Applause erupted at every feminist and pro-democratic party theme expressed. DFLA literature was quickly passed out by members of the California Chapter of DFLA, visibly present with their banner. Special thanks go to Elizabeth Woo and Karen Wheeler who helped gather DFLA people. Special thanks goes to Lila Martinez who tabled an information booth for DFLA at the end of the Walk.
Before the event, the San Francisco Council of Supervisors proclaimed that the city was a City of Choice and that anti-choice people didn’t belong in their city. This, despite many of the organizers and an estimated ¼ of the pro-life Walkers lived in San Francisco. This proclamation fanned the flames of the media which covered the event weeks and days before the event and were heavily present at the Walk.
I was interviewed for the LA Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and on Channel 6 TV. Did I think I belonged in the City of Choice? “Pro-life democrats belonged here, in a blue state. The election proved pro-choice is no longer a litmus test in the Democratic Party and it is no longer a status quo in this city either. The City of Choice had to let pro-life democrats in San Franciscans have their choice too. We want our ‘big tent’ back.”
The pro-life organizers told the crowd of walkers at the beginning of the rally that we were not to respond in any way to the protesters. We were not to antagonize, only smile or look the other way. But despite the total peacefulness of the walkers, the city proclamation had fanned the flames of the protesters.
An estimated 1000 of them chanted obscenities, threw condoms at walkers, harassed catholic priests about molesting children. Rows of them gave walkers ‘half a peace sign’ chanting the f word that goes with it. In all my 38 years of activism in the civil rights movement, in the anti-war, human rights, and justice for jobs marches, never have I witnessed such hatred, such vitriolic and pornographic anger that was displayed to the Walkers. The hostility of the protesters’ signs spoke of every private body part and cannot be repeated in this report. Violence and animosity may not have been expressed by a few. In all due respect, most of my pro-choice friends would have been scandalized and horrified by this behavior. But if even one peaceful protester was there, he or she was no where to be found.
Pro-life walkers chanted “What do women want? Better! When do they want it? Now!” We sang Dona nobis pacem. But this seemed to incite the opposition. To prevent it escalating into a shouting match, our organizers exercised non-violence and advised silence and quiet prayer. Halfway through the march, twice protesters blocked the streets to prevent the parade to continue. On the second try, the police redirected us, blocking the side streets so that it was unable to happen again.
Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t march in Boston as much as he marched in Birmingham. He didn’t march in Philadelphia as much as he marched in Atlanta. He went into the belly of the beast. San Francisco is where pro-lifers need to be.
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" if even one peaceful protester was there, he or she was no where to be found"
I was present, and you weren't looking for me. Yeah I was angry and I said my piece. Why? Just look at the picture again. This is Gerri Santoro. This is what you want for women who believe in choice. No. It will not happen. Ever again.
Your logic is flawed, the association is false. Pro-lifers have less in common with abortion clinic murderers than pro-choice has with Charlie Manson.
The election spoke strongly of where America is heading as far as ideals go. The Supreme Court will soon be stacked to guarantee two decades of future conservative reforms. Your vile hatred against the pro-lifers is irrelevant, it will only purge your anger and accomplish nothing (other than turn middle America further away from you).
Offer the threee month old fetus as much choice as you give the irresponsible female. Who is more "innocent"?
This viciously reactionary, by definition anti-Semitic, anti-women and anti-gay, superstitious gang of parasites (all religious institutions are superstitious gangs of parasites), is using abortion as a smokescreen to promote a fascist agenda in San Francisco.
While I did not see condoms thrown at these backward anti-science idiots, I certainly applaud the effort. Condoms should be available to any man who needs them, and should be dispensed in all male bathrooms, including high school men's rooms (for both students and every other male in the school). They are a good form of birth control and a means of preventing sexually transmitted diseases.
All forms of birth control, including abortion, should be available to anyone who wants them, with no restrictions whatsoever, and should be free, at government expense. There should be no parental or spousal consent required, age requirement or any restriction on the length of pregnancy.
Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures and is an excellent means of ending an unwanted pregnancy. The fetus in the early stages is just a clump of cells, and abortion should be available to any women who wants it, free of charge, with no restrictions, at any stage of pregnancy. Abortion saves women's lives and guarantees that every child is a wanted child, who will have the full material and emotional benefits the mother and this society can provide.
These fascist hate marches led by the Catholic Church are a means of kicking women out of the workplace by denying us full control over our bodies, making us dependent on men. This is part of the overall fascist agenda of the capitalist class in a decaying rotten society which wants more poor people to work at slave wages and to be cannon fodder in its endless wars, which barbarism must be replaced with socialism, which only an organized workingclass can do.
Should the Democratic Party be so stupid as to allow this hate march in San Francisco again, they can take their rotten party, their twin, the Republican Party, and get out of San Francisco. We will not tolerate fascism in San Francisco.
Ultimately this display of non-compassion has to do with your level of fear. You are afraid. Deeply, deeply afraid.
When I get to the point that I can read a comment like that and still feel some level of connection to you(simply by virtue of living on the same planet) than I'll know I have advanced. I can forgive you for being fearful. But not for your hate.
"Pro-lifers have less in common with abortion clinic murderers than pro-choice has with Charlie Manson."
"Offer the threee month old fetus as much choice as you give the irresponsible female. Who is more "innocent"?"
So, because the woman is getting the crap beaten out of her on a regular basis (as are her young daughters), and this same woman fears for her life, she is "irresponsible" for getting an abortion and trying to keep the bastard she's married to from killing her???
You're not pro-life for women that's for sure.
If anyone wants to know more about the exact circumstances so they can judge for themselves, here is a link with the film transcript of Gerri Santoro's story. Read it hater, for all the good it will do you.
http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/shr2004/components/childpoverty.html
Children in Poverty measures the percentage of related persons under age 18 living in a household that is below the poverty threshold. In 2004, the poverty threshold for a household of four people was approximately $18,850 in household income.
Table 25 displays the 2004 ranks, based on 2003 data (March 2004 Current Population Survey, Washington, D.C., U.S. Census Bureau). The percentage of children in poverty ranged from a low of 7.2 percent of persons under age 18 in New Hampshire to a high of more than 26 percent in New Mexico, Arkansas and West Virginia. The national average is 17.6 percent, up 1.3 percent from the 2003 Edition and down 3.0 percent from the 1990 Edition.
In the past year, the percentage of children in poverty increased in 33 states. Children in poverty increased by 5 percent or more in Oregon, Virginia, Washington, Nevada, Iowa, South Dakota, Rhode Island and North Carolina. It decreased by 5 percent or more in South Carolina and North Dakota. Since 1990, children in poverty has increased by 5 percent or more in Rhode Island, Washington and Oregon. It decreased by 10 percent or more in Mississippi, Louisiana, Minnesota and Tennessee.
"I heard my mom in their bedroom, and she was screaming and I went in to see if she was OK and that's when my father told me that they were playing a game and that it was all for fun. He was on top of her with his hands around her neck and my mom, um, she was, she was crying and she was screaming but as soon as she saw me the whole tone and the whole attitude of the crying and screaming changed. Often my father would say he was just playing with my mom, they were just having fun. And she went along with it. She would back him up. And I wanted to believe that. All kids want to believe that everything's OK. But I think we saw enough, both my sister and I, to know that it wasn't really fun for mommy. You know, it was just a game that daddy played and he liked it, but she didn't like it. And he did hurt her. And so, as much as we wanted to deny it, when she was leaving, it wasn't like we questioned what was happening. We just kind of went along with it. We came home from school, and the car was packed. There was no playing, there was no phone calls, no saying good-bye to daddy, no saying good-bye to friends. It was in the car and we're going on vacation, we're going back to Connecticut."