Grannies arrested in peace rally!
Jun. 27th, 2007 08:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deborahjrossYesterday, I joined my Quaker friend, Ellie Foster, and about 100 other people in demonstrating against the Iraq war in front of the military recruitment offices in Capitola CA. Ellie and her husband, Herb, are elderly and a bit frail, but inspired by the inner Light to speak out. Since they don't drive any longer, I gave them a ride and planned to stay as long as they needed me. Ellie was to join the Raging Grannies http://www.peninsularaginggrannies.org/ in entering the recruitment offices, speaking with the recruiters there, and requesting that they take some of the money now being used to send young men to Iraq to kill people, to send them -- the Grannies -- to make peace instead. They were anticipating being arrested in an act of civil disobedience.
The demonstration took me back to the 60s and 70, when I was active in the Viet Nam War protest movement. I sang songs, waved peace flags, waved at passing motorists (the site is close to the Capitola Mall). Several people from the local Quaker meeting were also there, and members of the "Women in Black" movement. After a formal rally, Ellie and the others went up to the one office that didn't close down, read their statements, spoke gently with the poor young officer who was barring the door, were asked to leave by the police, politely refused, and were arrested and conducted, smiling, to the police station. Here's a picture of Ellie: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/June/27/local/stories/04local.htm I drove Herb home; Ellie and the others were cited and released, while other supporters, who had followed them to the police station, sang to cheer them on.
I had a nice moment of contact with one of the police officers while the Grannies were talking to the recruiters. We smiled at each other, I thanked him for his respectful presence. He confided in me that he agreed with what we were doing and he had a brother in Iraq. Then his cellphone summoned him back to his duties.
There was very little shouting or acrimony, except for a couple of business women in the building complex, who thought the demonstration was not right. The military people were, by and large, befuddled but polite. One of the most harmonious, friendly demonstrations I've been in. I think we've all learned something since Kent State.
The demonstration took me back to the 60s and 70, when I was active in the Viet Nam War protest movement. I sang songs, waved peace flags, waved at passing motorists (the site is close to the Capitola Mall). Several people from the local Quaker meeting were also there, and members of the "Women in Black" movement. After a formal rally, Ellie and the others went up to the one office that didn't close down, read their statements, spoke gently with the poor young officer who was barring the door, were asked to leave by the police, politely refused, and were arrested and conducted, smiling, to the police station. Here's a picture of Ellie: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/June/27/local/stories/04local.htm I drove Herb home; Ellie and the others were cited and released, while other supporters, who had followed them to the police station, sang to cheer them on.
I had a nice moment of contact with one of the police officers while the Grannies were talking to the recruiters. We smiled at each other, I thanked him for his respectful presence. He confided in me that he agreed with what we were doing and he had a brother in Iraq. Then his cellphone summoned him back to his duties.
There was very little shouting or acrimony, except for a couple of business women in the building complex, who thought the demonstration was not right. The military people were, by and large, befuddled but polite. One of the most harmonious, friendly demonstrations I've been in. I think we've all learned something since Kent State.
