Back to In the News
Thank you, Norma & Carla, for the translation of the Japanese article about LMNOP that Yumi wrote for the Akahata newspaper when she was here in late November! According to the Akahata web-site their circulation in Japan is about one & a half million readers. For more information about Akahata try http://www.japan-press.co.jp/ Peace! - Steve
[Head lines]
A.
No to retaliation war
Citizens movement deeply rooted
Oakland, USA
B.
Every Sunday, march around the lake
C.
Hoisting message signs up high
[Body]
[San Francisco, 25th Kamatsuka, Yumi] One month has passed since the Bush administration started a retaliation war against Afghanistan. Even though the majority of public opinions in the United States still supports the military actions, citizens movements against the war are deep rooted and engaged. In the city of Oakland that is on the opposite shore of San Francisco, there is a group that unfolds one of a kind anti war action every week.
Start of the movement during the Gulf war
The name of this group is "Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace" (LMNOP). Residents around the lake Merritt, that is closely located to the downtown area of the city, play a central roll to continue a march around the lake every Sunday.
On the 25th, that is the 10th week, about 40 people joined the activity.
Number of people, who rush to the march after checking a "antiwar activity calendar" that can be viewed on the Internet, has recently seen sudden increase. The woman who drove from San Francisco this day was one of them.
She explained the reason of her first participation saying, "a possibility that the United States would attack outside Afghanistan is arising. I just couldn't help it."
The beginning of the group's movement was during the Gulf war, when one resident stood up with a "Against War" sign. Three people started the action when NATO, lead by the United States, bombed Yugoslavia. In the case of this particular action that started three weeks after the terrorists' incidents, 40 to 100 people have been joining the march every Sunday, while on the very day the aerial bombing started 200 people gathered by the lake.
It's appealing that anybody can join
"Honk for peace!," "Killing innocent people is a problem. It's not a solution." Participants holding up signs with those messages above their heads marched for about an hour along a walk that is about 6 km around the lake.
Passing cars, one after another, honked and each time the participants waved to respond.
Beth Wagner who is organizing this peace walk said the attractiveness of this antiwar movement is the fact "anybody can join." She said "Visible responses come back just by walking with the signs up. That is very encouraging to those who participate for the first time." She added "Regardless of the ideology and beliefs, we act together sharing those thoughts, 'a war is not the answer' and 'legal judgement not a retaliation'."
