S.F. protest gains momentum
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SAN FRANCISCO-Organizing for the to End the U.S. War in Central America, called for March 24 in this city, is well on its way.
Participants will gather at 10:30 a.m. in Jefferson Sq. Park, Gough and Turk Streets here, and march to a rally at the Civic Center Plaza at 12:30 p.m., where entertainers and speakers will include Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Rosario Anaya, and Ying Lee Kelley.
As the march passes the Federal Building, coffins will be laid down, with the marchers covering them with wreaths and crosses commemorating the dead in the Central American struggles.
Building for the action has been quite encouraging. Meetings are being held to reach out to the community in both the East Bay and San Francisco. A recent San Francisco meeting showed students from area campuses starting to organize, with Sacramento State and Sonoma State represented.
Speakers from Central American refugee groups have been invited to speak before area high school and college classes. Student organizers at many area campuses, including UC Berkeley, are planning rallies and showings of the film Romero.
The coalition has also been able to reach out with some success to the labor movement. The Santa Clara County Central Labor Council and the San Benito County Central Labor Council have both endorsed the March 24 actions.
The International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union Locals Nos. 6 and 34 have also endorsed. Further labor endorsements are expected, as area religious leaders, representing a wide range of denominations, continue to speak before union gatherings.
The fact that the San Francisco coalition took a position early on of not calling any civil disobedience actions has made reaching out more possible in this area.
EPOCA, the Environmental Project on SOCIALIST AC Central America, has been reaching out to other environmental groups in the area. The Committees in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador in San Francisco and the East Bay are providing the main day-to-day organizational support for the action, lending staff support and tabling to help build it.
While the lack of any major national support from the labor movement, and the political climate engendered by the BushGorbachev deals, has made it unlikely the March 24 actions will be truly massive, they are an important demonstration by people in this country who want to respond to the American government by telling it "NO! to All U.S. Aid to El Salvador," — "NO! to the U.S. Invasion of Panama," and "NO! to U.S. War in Central America! "
All Out on March 24 in San Francisco! TION MARCH 1990