Sacramentans Celebrate MLK Day Weekend With Protest Against War

Sacramentans Celebrate MLK Day Weekend With Protest Against War

By Dan Bacher

The year is only two weeks old, yet this has already been an eventful year of protests against the Bush regime and its war in the Sacramento area. The wildly successfully Out of Iraq Town Forum, featuring an appearance by Sean Penn and Cindy Sheehan at the SEIH Hall in Sacramento on January 7, was followed by the first big street protest of the year at 16th and Broadway on Saturday, January 14 from 3:30 to 6 p.m.

Saturday’s rally featured a lively performance of Capoirera, a Brazilian fusion of martial arts, drumming and dance, by the Sacramento Capoirera Academy. The event organizers, Steve and Virginia Pearcy, also brought their “Bush Died, I Lied,” display art of a soldier's uniform, as well as their coffin drapped with an American flag to represent the thousands killed by a war based on lies in Iraq.

The Pearcys announced the reasons for the protest in a widely circulated release. “If you're fed up with Bush's arrogance and want to express your views, you won't want to miss this demonstration,” they stated. “Not only have anti-war and civil rights folks gotten more frustrated with the Bush administration's flagrant disregard for human rights and the U.S. Constitution, but there are also significant issues pending before Congress that warrant public expression via direct action. There are many issues about which to speak and to protest.”

Diverse groups of activists held signs and elicited honks in support from the motorists driving by on the busy Saturday night. Groups showing in force included Sacramento for Democracy, the Zapatista Solidarity Coalition, Comite del Primero de Mayo, the October 29 Immigrant Rights Coalition, Sacramento Area Peace Action, Sacramento Not In Our Name Coalition, Sacramento Community Forum, Veterans for Peace and the Sacramento Coalition Against the War. Lots of people unaffiliated with any group also joined in the festive anti-war event. A total of 300 people participated in the demonstration.

Many parents also brought their children, the activists of the future. Fatima Castaneda, former staff member of the Freedom Bound Center, brought her daughter, Yolihuani, and her son, 10-year-old Andre to protest the war. “I’m here to stop the war with like-minded people in the hope of creating a better world,” said Fatima.

Andre added enthusiastically, “I don’t know how a crackhead who looks like a monkey got to be president!”

Georgia and Summer Main, the daughters of Sacramento Veterans for Peace president George Main, had urged their mother to get their dad take them to the demonstration.

Ten-year-old Summer explained, “I’m here to stop the war – this is my 10th protest. George Bush is a bad man and must be impeached!”

Laurie Loving, co-founder of Military Families Speak Out in Davis, brought good news to the demonstration from last week’s Davis City Council meeting – the Council passed an anti-war resolution similar to that passed by Sacramento in November. Of the 5-member council, 3 council members voted for the resolution, one abstained and one voted against the measure.

There was a big turnout in support of the resolution. 38 out of the 48 people that spoke before the council were in support of the measure. By passing this resolution, Davis became the second city in the Central Valley calling for U.S. troop and base withdrawal from Iraq.

Peter Lopez of Sacramento (AKA Peta de Sacra), the moderator for the October 29 Coalition email list and a long time social justice, indigenous rights and anti-war activist, said he was demonstrating to “fight the insanity in the oval office,” calling Bush a “psychotic president who needed recovery.”

Lopez is an advocate of “progressive recovery” from alcohol and drug addiction that involves getting recovering addicts involved in community organizing, rather than promoting AA” and traditional recovery groups that don’t reach out beyond the recovering addict community.

“Alcohol and drugs are symptoms of deeper issues on the local, national and global level,” said Lopez. “Progressive recovery means not getting addicted to AA and similar groups, but instead working in the community for social change. In fact, this whole country needs recovery now!”

Meanwhile, Sacramento activists continue to hold two weekly peace vigils. Every Tuesday you can attend the Call For Peace Vigil from 4 - 6pm, at 16th & J in Sacramento. Call 916-448-7157 for more information about this and vigils on Saturday. Then every Wednesday from 4 to 6 pm you can attend the Anti-War Vigil on 15th & L in Sacramento; call 916-446-5261.