Reznet

Peace marchers meet a wall of San Francisco riot police. Reznet photo by April McGill

The War at Home

By April McGill

SAN FRANCISCO-As the first shots were fired in the Iraq war, protesters here chanted in front of Gap and Bank of America, "Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! No war for Texaco!"

People of all ethnicities and ages were at the rally to hear speakers such as Eyad Kishawei of the organization Free Palestine.

"We are not going to stand by and see you (Americans) kill our people in cold blood," Kishawei shouted over the crowded streets. "They (U.S.) are thirsty for the blood of Iraq."

Bobby Marango of San Francisco said he was at home watching the TV news when he decided to head downtown to the protest with his 4-year-old daughter.

"First time volunteering in protest," he said in halting English. Marango is from the Philippines but said he has lived in San Francisco for 15 years.

"I saw the war on TV and I come down because the TV started the war," he said. "I say to the government of the U.S., Stop war in Iraq. I am scared of the chemicals that can hurt my baby."

Penny Opal Plant, representing the International Indian Treaty Council, spoke of the destruction of Native people in the United States and urged the demonstrators never to stop loving one another.

"We must push for peace and love," Opal Plant said. "We need to love everyone on this Earth, not have war."

Actor and activist Danny Glover led the crowd of 2,000 protesters down Market Street in the rain after news reports that the first bombs had fallen on Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.

"We're all here to let our voice be heard, to say we are against this illegal, unilateral war against the people of Iraq," Glover said. "It is not just about Saddam Hussein. It is about the women and children, it is about the people."

The crowd of 2,000 peace marchers grew to more than 3,000 as they moved through the gay community of the Castro and into the Latino community of the Mission. There, they met police in riot gear.

The protesters of International Answer, Not In Our Name and other anti-war groups have promised they would make it more difficult for police to disperse them as the war continues.

San Francisco authorities reported that more than 1,500 protesters were arrested in the 24 hours after the start of the war in Iraq.

April McGill, Yuki, attends City College of San Francisco. She is a 2002 graduate of The Freedom Forum's American Indian Journalism Institute.