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Seattle Vigil Turnout Largest In Nation Despite cold, rainy weather over 200 people came out and stayed out for three hours in the courtyard of the King County Jail (of recent WTO fame).
Our special Keynote Speaker was Michelle Miles (wife of POWD David Miles), and the event was emceed by Vivian McPeak (Regional Leader, November Coalition). Relations between vigil organizers and jail officials couldn't have been better. Crowd enthusiasm was terrific. Naturally, we expected a larger turnout due to the massive promotion we unleashed on Seattle before the vigil, but cold, wet weather is the mortal enemy of any outside action in February. The best part was the amount of information taken in, and many people put their names on 'volunteer' and 'petition' sheets.
We collected more than seven sheets of signatures supporting Renee Boje, and hundreds of 'action item memorandums' were taken. They list everything a layperson can do to support Renee Boje and David Miles, as well as ways to support The November Coalition and The Hemp Coalition, vigil co-sponsors.
We are ONE! Vivian McPeak TNC Regional Leader  |
The
final speakers' list developed as follows: Nora Callahan of the
November Coalition, Harriet Walden (Mothers For Police Accountability),
Matt McCauly (former probation officer and Chair of Washington
Libertarians), Omari Tahir of African Reparations 2000/African
Heritage Museum, Ron Mullins (Democratic Candidate for US Senate),
Robert Lunday (Hemp.Net), Joanna Mckee (Green Cross Patient co-op),
attorney Jeffrey Steinborn, Magic Black-Ferguson (Washington
Hemp Education Network), Fred Miller (Peace Action Of Washington
State), Justin Delacour (Seattle Columbia Committee), Chuck Armsbury
(Editor of The Razor Wire), Claude 'Breeze" Tower (Regional
Leader, November Coalition), Jeffrey Stonehill (Old School Hemp
Activist/Actor/Poet), Lyle Courtsal (Seattle Greens Network),
Wyconda Holcombe (African-American Activist).
The
'show was stolen' by the amazing "Raging Grannies', a chorus
of four elderly women who dress in a cross between Minnie Pearl
and Jimi Hendrix. They sang the most righteous and riotous songs.
Singing to the tune of "she'll be comin' round the mountain",
the Grannies version went like this, "You can smoke that
crack cocaine if you are white"
Local
media picked up on the two million 'angle', but though some television
news was present, there was a surprising lack of coverage for
a city of Seattle's size. We set up a lectern covered by an American
flag, and we used a medium-sized sound system. I contacted the
City for a permit to have amplified sound at the last minute
(Monday); we weren't thinking we would need it, but we did, and
the city said, "just do it". That's a first.