OntheWilderSide

REPORT: Day One, Granny Trek,
from Saturday, June 24, 2006

Peace-a-Loo-YAH,
the Granny Trek Begins

The day began in rain; we were matted down and drenched by the time we clustered in front of the Times Square Recruitment Station. Wet but cheery we had marched to the ³scene of the crime² but this time with the permission of the Police. Joan Wile conducted and exciting Press Conference.. Charlie Rangel (with a generous check), Bill Perkins and
our own attorney were on hand to wish us luck. The Billionaires for Bush conducted their counter-protest insisting that they have the right to profit from the war. Rev. Billy and the choir director from the Church of Stop Shopping were on hand to ³bless² the journey. Getting in touch with his ³inner Grandmother² the Reverend chanted ³Peace-a-Loo-YAH!² The ³Raging Grannies² crooned their melodious dissent and we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. Accompanied by camera crew, our local support and a woman, who made her way from Minnesota to join us.

The bus docked in front of J&R [ed note: a music store by City Hall.] an hour early for the Bridge crossing. It rained so hard that we clustered under the scaffolding and visited with tourists who also ended up joining us. At 2PM the skies cleared and we made the crossing to Brooklyn where the ³Greens² greeted us and walked us though the Fulton Mall to the Bed-stuy recruiting station. Marie [ed note: one of the grannies]walked right in and insisted that she be allowed to enlist. The crisp and courteous Marines pushed their commander forward, and he was totally diplomatic and respectful, saying at last that he was glad to see us out protesting since this is still America. The deft handling prompted Norman Siegel to say ² If the Marines in Times Square had handled this as well we would never have gotten arrested.²

Our last stop was the most touching and real. We stood with Staten Island Peace Action at Borough Hall near the ferry and read the names of the 117 Dead from NY State ringing bells as the names of the fallen were recalled.

Then we went to the homes of our generous hosts.. My ³Family² was three generations of sweethearts. It was like a home coming for me to be among the committed.

Peace-a-Loo-YAH.

Diane Dreyfus, M.S. Arch.

Filed under: activism, reform, social & economic justice, To Study Up On Nonviolence, US Politics Tagged: | book of the month, Uncategorized