PAST ACTIONS
	5th ANNIVERSARY OF THE IRAQ WAR · March & Rally in Walnut Creek Saturday, March 15, 2008 A Surge for Peace 11:00 AM – March from Walnut Creek BART 12:00 Noon – Rally at Civic Park A group of Grandmothers Against the War marched to Civic Park and participated in the rally. INCOME TAX DAY April 13-16, 2007 No Taxes for the War A few days before and on Income Tax Day, GAW set up ironing boards, banners and posters in various locations and got passers-by to sign “Put our tax dollars to better use” postcards which GAW then mailed to our Congressional reps, Speaker of the House Pelosi, Senators Reid and Feinstein and the presidential hopefuls. Asking our reps to "STOP funding the Iraq war! NO funds for an attack on Iran! Bring our troops home NOW!" GAW collected and mailed about 1000 postcards and distibuted 1,500 leaflets. Downloads: Postcard Leaflet 4th ANNIVERSARY OF THE IRAQ WAR March & Rally in Walnut Creek Saturday, March 17, 2007 “Starve War Feed Peace” The march in Walnut Creek was about 1500 marchers/protesters, good speakers, good music, about 20 tables of different groups, 15 Grandmothers against the war. Goal was to encourage people to call and write postcards to Senators, Congressional reps and presidential hopefuls. We collected 150 postcards evenly devided between Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, Senator Dianne Feinstein and speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (and a few others) and handed out about 300 leaflets with phone numbers and addresses of congresspeople. The Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center did a great job of organization. There was a good age spread (but not a good racial spread), the speeches were excellent (too many, of course), there was a terrific folk-ish ensemble (The Shellridge Ramblers, members of the Shellridge Community Church-American Baptists) that sang. There was a substantial religious representation, Unitarians (huge), Friends, Baptists, and probably others. Several card tables were set up under a white tent structure and there was a great deal of traffic there. The Sunday SF Chronicle - in the main news section page 10 had a story and a photo with us Grandmothers front and center and lots of photos on its website. Photos Leaflets March & Rally in San Francisco Sunday, March 18, 2007 ”U.S. Out of Iraq Now!” Sunday in San Francisco: About 20 Grandmothers showed up (along with many thousands of other folk). We set up the small banner first and leafleted steadily, and then, as crowds developed, held up the large banner as well. We attracted a LOT of attention, all of it positive. It seemed as if everyone wanted to take a picture of us (we were pleased to pose!). We passed out all the leaflets we had (about 500), urging people to use the phone numbers, make the calls, and consider joining GAW (to younger folk we said, "tell your grandma.") We concentrated on grandma-types and persons of color but gave leaflets to anyone interested in phoning. After a while we joined the march and went several blocks, then realized we actually attracted more attention and could pass out leaflets better when we were on the side, so we did that again, and rejoined the march only at its very end. Tthe interest in our leaflets was great - people really appreciated having that toll free number. People also wanted to buy buttons from those of us who were wearing our Grandma buttons and we were sorry not to have any in our pockets to sell. Final point: this was a tremendously diverse march. We were able to make contact with many persons of color. The grandma image is a great unifier: everyone has family. We were part of a wonderful family today. Photos Leaflets VALENTINE'S DAY 2007 A few days before Valentine's Day, GAW set up ironing boards, balloons, banners and posters in various locations and got passers-by to sign Valentine postcards which GAW then mailed to our Congressional reps, Speaker of the House Pelosi, Senator Reid and the presidential hopefuls. Asking our reps to "Be My Valentine! Bring the Troops Home Now!" GAW collected and mailed about 1800 postcards. Sadly, no one has responded yet, either to thank us for our cards or to consent to being our valentine and bringing the troops home now. Of course, there are members of Congress who want to bring the troops home now, but they didn't get our valentines; they just get our gratitude and thanks! Photos Adddresses of Senators and Congresspeople VISITS TO CONGRESSPEOPLE Intent upon having our voices heard, we also visited the San Francisco offices of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and Senators Boxer and Feinstein. GAW GOES TO WASHINGTON, DC with the Granny Peace Brigade, January 2007 From January 17-January 19, 2007, four GAW members joined the Granny Peace Brigade to lobby the Congress to end the occupation of Iraq and to bring the troops home. Joan Levinson aptly captures our experience in DC in an article published in the Berkeley Daily Planet. Photos Letter to Senators and Congresspeople VIGIL WITH THE NEW YORK GRANDMOTHERS, 2006 On Oct. 4, 2006, one of us joined the New York Grandmothers Against the War at their weekly Wednesday vigil on Fifth Avenue, in front of Rockefeller Center. Most impressive was the number of tourists that the group reaches through their action. The linked photo shows the indefatigable Joan Wile, New York organizer extraordinaire, holding the numerical sign. INCOME TAX DAY, APRIL 2006 GAW protested the continuing and rising costs of the Iraq war paid for by our income taxes at the Oakland, CA Federal Building, the site of an IRS office and a post office. The demonstrators then marched through downtown Oakland to another post office. Several support groups, including Singing for Peace and the Threshold Choir joined the protest. And again, GAW reached out nationwide so that coordinated “grandmothers’” actions on April 17 took place in other U.S. cities including New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Bellingham WA. That evening members of GAW also protested and leafleted at a post office which was open for late returns. Approximately 75-100 protestors turned out for the noontime demonstration and more than 1000 leaflets were distributed. However, aside from the local Pacifica radio station and a Chinese-language newspaper, the event attracted little media coverage—one photo of the group did appear in the Oakland Tribune. We concluded that tax day protests are a relatively common phenomenon in the San Francisco Bay Area. “TAKE US INSTEAD” 2006 Grandmothers Against the War has held two demonstrations at military recruitment centers, one in Oakland, California on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2006 and the other in the suburban city of Pleasant Hill, California on July 24, 2006. In both actions, the grandmothers attempted to replace the young people currently serving in Iraq by enlisting in the military. For both demonstrations, GAW recruited support from existing organizations, circulated fliers to announce the actions, contacted media sources, informed the local police and recruiters about the intended actions, and leafleted during the demonstrations. However, the two actions differed substantially. VALENTINE'S DAY IN OAKLAND CALIFORNIA 2006 Hoping to coordinate actions across the U.S., GAW contacted grandmothers’ and other peace organizations prior to Valentine’s Day. Eventually, 13 grandmothers’ groups across the nation held actions on Feb. 14. Not all tried to enlist, but everyone focused on ending the conflict in Iraq. GAW’s demonstration in Oakland was a smashing success. Over 300 “grandmothers” were present, as were singers, chanters, the “Mourning Mothers,” and many other groups, plus the media: print, radio, TV. However, the recruiters weren’t present! After meeting with the grandmothers prior to the action, the Oakland police doubted that the grandmothers had been straightforward about their plans Therefore the police persuaded the recruiters to close the center. (Afterwards, the police apologized profusely for acting hastily and stated that the grandmothers could return to the recruitment center at any time). Reports about the action appeared in the Oakland Tribune, a local newspaper and on TV and radio. Leaflets Photos Links to media coverage: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0216-01.htm http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=02-17-06&storyID=23439 http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=2946 http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/02/14/18024141.php http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/006870.php July 24 in Pleasant Hill, CA Determined not to “preach to the choir,” GAW decided to have its next action at a large recruiting center in a Bay Area suburb. Oakland has only one recruiting center that anti-war activists frequently besiege. Pleasant Hill has recruiting offices for the army, navy, and marines—none of which had ever faced an anti-war group. Working with Mount Diablo Peace and Justice Center, a local peace center, GAW prepared for the action as they had in Oakland. This time, however, the army and navy closed their offices — only the marines remained open. The crowd was much smaller than at the Oakland demonstration, the media coverage much less and the weather much hotter! However, the police issued citations for trespassing to 5 “grandmothers” who wouldn’t leave the office when the marines requested they do so. Despite the fact that the 5 grandmothers wanted their day in court, it was not to be, since the police failed to file charges with the district attorney. Photos << ACTIONS