‘The government has lied to me so many times on reasons to go to war," Lepo said, citing official explanations for the invasions of Grenada and Panama in the 1980s, and the initiation of the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s. "Each reason the (Bush) administration has given has been a lie.’
San Francisco protesters join anti-war chorus](http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/6132062p-7087637c.html) The Sacramento Bee
February 17, 2003
SAN FRANCISCO – A day after millions of people in the United States and around the world protested a possible war against Iraq, tens of thousands more marched and rallied here in hopes of prodding the Bush Administration away from hostilities. The demonstration, in numbers and tone, mirrored a similar event nearly a month ago. Police released an estimate of 150,000, but organizers later in the afternoon set the attendance between 250,000 and 300,000. As with last month’s protest, participants jammed Market Street, the city’s main downtown thoroughfare, from the Embarcadero to the plaza that fronts City Hall two miles away.
Many held signs that pressed the point – in ways that were humorous, provocative or angry – that war on Iraq would be wrong – and signaled unhappiness with President Bush. Debra Akins, a San Leandro woman whose son is in Kuwait with his Marine Corps unit, was one of them.
**“There shouldn’t be a war,” she said, holding a blowup picture of her 20-year-old son, Omari Taylor, in uniform. “Bush has none of his relatives at the front line at all. He doesn’t care about mothers and sons.”**Her co-worker, Linda Fortino, said she would not march if she thought there was no chance of averting war. But she voiced frustration that the worldwide rallies had no apparent impact on the Bush administration’s plans.
“I don’t see how they can ignore what’s happening around the world,” said Fortino, 48, of San Francisco. “With Vietnam, it took a long time and a lot of protests” before the war ended. Nearby, other protestors walked with signs that read “Go solar, not ballistic,” “Thank you, France” and “How many lives per gallon?” Another sign on the back of a wheelchair said, “Build ramps, not bombs.”
At the afternoon rally in Civic Center Plaza, a string of political and entertainment celebrities denounced Bush’s plans, including singers Joan Baez and Bonnie Raitt, United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, actor Danny Glover, author Alice Walker, San Francisco Supervisor and mayoral aspirant Tom Ammiano, and state Senate President Pro Tem John Burton.** “If we go to war, there will be a ruination that we have never seen before – environmental, economic, human,” Raitt said before launching into two pro-peace songs.**
The crowd applauded most for U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, the lone member of Congress to oppose a 2001 resolution authorizing the use of military force in Afghanistan.“We need to let President Bush understand that he woke us up,” Lee said. “No to military action. Yes to disarmament and inspections. That’s how we will achieve peace and security in the world.”
An anti-war member of the British House of Commons also spoke, a day after an estimated 750,000 protesters demonstrated in London. Not far from the stage, a small band of counter-protesters expressed support for Bush’s policy by holding up signs that read: “Liberate Iraq” and “Bomb Saddam, Free Iraq.”
“It’s our patriotic duty to demonstrate for freedom and America,” said David Chu, 37, of Santa Rosa. "Are the Afghan people better off now or before the Taliban? That’s the question."In Denver, about 300 people waving American flags and holding signs proclaiming “War is bad, evil is worse,” also gathered Sunday to support the use of force against Iraq.
Several San Francisco peace marchers said they had heard nothing from the Bush administration that convinced them war was necessary. “I keep waiting for proof and I keep getting promised proof,” said Bret Battistelli, 44, a carpenter from Sebastapol, in Sonoma County. “But I don’t see anything hard.”
John Lepo, a 53-year-old state employee, traveled to San Francisco from Alhambra after participating in the Los Angeles rally Saturday. “The government has lied to me so many times on reasons to go to war,” Lepo said, citing official explanations for the invasions of Grenada and Panama in the 1980s, and the initiation of the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s. “Each reason the (Bush) administration has given has been a lie.”
A statement from U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., was read to the crowd. She said she still believes that U.N. inspections of Iraq can work and remains opposed to a war without U.N. approval. Jane Morrison, chairwoman of the San Francisco Democratic Party, which three months ago passed a resolution opposing a war in Iraq, said she has submitted a resolution to the state Democratic Party for consideration at its conference next month.
The weekend’s anti-war rallies in San Francisco and in New York, Los Angeles, Sacramento and other U.S. cities, were organized by a coalition of groups led by International ANSWER, the Vanguard Foundation and United for Peace and Justice. Dozens of other groups lent their assistance.
Organizers agreed to hold the San Francisco rally on Sunday because of the city’s huge Chinese New Year’s celebration Saturday.Late in the afternoon, a splinter group of protesters pelted police with objects on Market Street and at Union Square, and there were reports of vandalism. Officers in riot gear closed some store entrances and made about 20 arrests.
. Despite all of this suffering, the war mongers want to wage another devastating war against Iraq.