City Council Meeting - follow-up on Saturday's events
Monday evening the Raging Grannies and other movement activists attended the Albuquerque City Council meeting. The resolution calling on the United States Congress toRescind the Iraqu Resolution and calling for the orderly withdrawal of American troops from Iraq to commence immediately was on the agenda, in last place.
The public comment time was largely concerned with the police being out of control at Saturday's peace demonstration. The woman who had worn the burqua, or, as she called it, the chador (I don't know the difference) was one of those speaking, and reading a poem that she wrote for the occasion because she was so upset. She also stated that she had later been informed that there is NO law that says a person can't wear a mask at a political demonstration. The law in question refers to wearing a mask during an armed assault.
Chief of Police Ray Schultz was called on for a response. He said that no captain or senior officer was at the scene to conduct a briefing presenting the guidelanes (rules of engagement?) to the police, acknowledging that this was a mistake. He stated the they had heard that the number of demonstrators might be as much as 800 or even 2000, although Jeanne P. one of the coordinators of the demonstration, denied that she had ever told him that. Furthermore, the police were worried about the presence of outside agitators (remember hearing that one before?) And, they were worried about the possibility of counter-protesters being present because of other events at the base and one honoring returning veterans at Veterans Park. Chief Schultz agreed that mounted units shouldn't have been there.
The chief said he would have William W. Deaton, Independent Review Officer of the Police Oversight Committee, conduct an investigation of the events and prepare reports of the results. Also, there will be further training of the police for proper procedure and policies, e.g. instead of engaging an individual protester, asking the organizers to ask the masked individual to comply with their request to remove the mask (which should actually unnecessary). The police are concerned with identifying participants for "security purposes."
The Raging Grannies were also signed up for the public comment period. During each alloted two-minute period, they sang a song, and others in the audience joined them. The two songs are as follows:
OH,DEAR! WHERE DOES OUR MONEY GO?
Chorus: Oh, dear where does our money go? (3)
missiles, invasions, and war!
Our kids need new school
and a lot more good teachers;
We're needing a health plan
with national features;
A lovely green planet with peace for all creatures
NOT missiles, invasins, and war!
We all pay our taxes
we know that we gotta,
We'd gladly shell out
for some clean air and water,
But who wants to pay
for desctruction and slaughter?
For missiles, invasions, and war!
We need our police and our National Guardsmen
But they're overseas on a misguided mission
Let's bring them home safely,
get back to our wisdom
NOT missiles, invasions, and war!
Chorus: Oh, dear where does our money go? Etc.
FOR OUR GRANDCHILDREN'S SAKE
Tune: Sweet Betsy From Pike
Our nation has people in desperate straits
It's high time we care for the United States
For we are the people we must liberate
Let's rebuild at home,
for our grandchildren's sake.
Oh, for our grandchildren's sake
We're over-extended, we're stretched to the max
Expecting our grandkids to pay it all back.
To bankrupt our nation is a tragic mistake
Let's bring home our troops,
for our grandchildren's sake
Oh, for our grandchildren's sake
Our bridges and highways are falling apart
But leaders in Washington don't have a heart
They spend all our money on killing and hate
Let's rebuild at home
for our grandchildren's sake.
Oh, for our grandchildrens sake
Iraq is atrocities, driven by lies
At home we let job loss and poverty rise
What kind of a world do you want to create?
Get out of Iraq, for our grandchildren's sake!
Oh, for our grandchildren's sake.
The meeting went on for some time, and I had to leave for another activity. At 10:45pm they finally voted to pass the resolution for the orderly withdrawal of American troops from Iraq to commence immediately. The vote was 5 to 2, with two members out of the room at the time.
The public comment time was largely concerned with the police being out of control at Saturday's peace demonstration. The woman who had worn the burqua, or, as she called it, the chador (I don't know the difference) was one of those speaking, and reading a poem that she wrote for the occasion because she was so upset. She also stated that she had later been informed that there is NO law that says a person can't wear a mask at a political demonstration. The law in question refers to wearing a mask during an armed assault.
Chief of Police Ray Schultz was called on for a response. He said that no captain or senior officer was at the scene to conduct a briefing presenting the guidelanes (rules of engagement?) to the police, acknowledging that this was a mistake. He stated the they had heard that the number of demonstrators might be as much as 800 or even 2000, although Jeanne P. one of the coordinators of the demonstration, denied that she had ever told him that. Furthermore, the police were worried about the presence of outside agitators (remember hearing that one before?) And, they were worried about the possibility of counter-protesters being present because of other events at the base and one honoring returning veterans at Veterans Park. Chief Schultz agreed that mounted units shouldn't have been there.
The chief said he would have William W. Deaton, Independent Review Officer of the Police Oversight Committee, conduct an investigation of the events and prepare reports of the results. Also, there will be further training of the police for proper procedure and policies, e.g. instead of engaging an individual protester, asking the organizers to ask the masked individual to comply with their request to remove the mask (which should actually unnecessary). The police are concerned with identifying participants for "security purposes."
The Raging Grannies were also signed up for the public comment period. During each alloted two-minute period, they sang a song, and others in the audience joined them. The two songs are as follows:
OH,DEAR! WHERE DOES OUR MONEY GO?
Chorus: Oh, dear where does our money go? (3)
missiles, invasions, and war!
Our kids need new school
and a lot more good teachers;
We're needing a health plan
with national features;
A lovely green planet with peace for all creatures
NOT missiles, invasins, and war!
We all pay our taxes
we know that we gotta,
We'd gladly shell out
for some clean air and water,
But who wants to pay
for desctruction and slaughter?
For missiles, invasions, and war!
We need our police and our National Guardsmen
But they're overseas on a misguided mission
Let's bring them home safely,
get back to our wisdom
NOT missiles, invasions, and war!
Chorus: Oh, dear where does our money go? Etc.
FOR OUR GRANDCHILDREN'S SAKE
Tune: Sweet Betsy From Pike
Our nation has people in desperate straits
It's high time we care for the United States
For we are the people we must liberate
Let's rebuild at home,
for our grandchildren's sake.
Oh, for our grandchildren's sake
We're over-extended, we're stretched to the max
Expecting our grandkids to pay it all back.
To bankrupt our nation is a tragic mistake
Let's bring home our troops,
for our grandchildren's sake
Oh, for our grandchildren's sake
Our bridges and highways are falling apart
But leaders in Washington don't have a heart
They spend all our money on killing and hate
Let's rebuild at home
for our grandchildren's sake.
Oh, for our grandchildrens sake
Iraq is atrocities, driven by lies
At home we let job loss and poverty rise
What kind of a world do you want to create?
Get out of Iraq, for our grandchildren's sake!
Oh, for our grandchildren's sake.
The meeting went on for some time, and I had to leave for another activity. At 10:45pm they finally voted to pass the resolution for the orderly withdrawal of American troops from Iraq to commence immediately. The vote was 5 to 2, with two members out of the room at the time.
Labels: activists, Albuquerque, anti-war, city council, demonstration, police, politics, raging grannies
1 Comments:
Good words.
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