HOME IN THE STREETS

 

 
 

Many good signs were observed: A parody of the Uncle Sam military recruitment "I Want You" poster said "Hey, Soldier--I Want You Home Now!" Among other messages were: "The Workers Struggle has no borders!" "The Cost of Iraq is the loss of our Liberty & Ideals" "San Diego needs our National Guard!", and most poignantly, "Bring my brother home!"


 
  Gandhi, icon of non-violence, wheeling through the streets of San Francisco. A Code Pink T-shirt said "Gandhi is My Homeboy."

 
  SEIU UHW members from Kaiser, Santa Clara. Among other unions represented were the ILWU, Iron Workers & Roofers, Glaziers, Architectural Metal & Glass workers, Communication Workers of America, Painters & Tapers, AFSME, CWA, IBEW, and Local 1000. "An injury to one is an injury to all!"

 
  Listening to speeches in Dolores Park at the finish of the march.

 
 

The American Friends Service presented "Eyes Wide Open," in memory of the soldiers from California killed in Iraq. As of 10-27-07, 3,835 Americans have been killed in Iraq and at least 76,000 Iraqi civilians have died from the conflict.

I started to walk through these boots, thinking I would stop at a random few and read the names, ages, and home towns of the soldiers who had worn them. Very soon I realized I could not pass by any of the boots---they each represented someone who had given their life for this misbegotten war. Was I in such a hurry that I couldn't give a few minutes to contemplate each one?


   
  "When this march is over, go back to your union or whatever organization you come from and ask what we're going to do to up the ante on bringing this war to an end!!!!--Clarence Thomas, ILWU, event speaker.
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