[Oct. 17 Seattle] More on the route

[chr2eemail at comcast.net]

Comrades,
I don’t understand what is said on the maps, i.e., how is the route ending at Westlake only 2.5 miles, and the one ending at Pioneer Square 3.0 miles? Then you have an alternative route to Pioneer Square that’s longer, but it’s listed as only 2.6 miles! 
So you must mean that the route ending at Westlake is 3.0 miles, which I think is just right---maybe 1 hour 45 minutes at demonstration pace. Nothing. We say that we want to use demonstrations take our anti-war politics to the people, and this does it.
Some other points:
I think that ending at Westlake is better because it seems to be a little more of a public place than Pioneer Square. Moreover, it allows us to march by the crowded Market entrance, etc. Also, a lot of people will hike back up the hill to Broadway after the event is over, and this will give us the opportunity to walk with them. In fact, I was thinking that it would be good to give a call for people to march back up the hill together during the ending rally.
Besides Seattle May Days and the DNC, I could add more demonstrations that have been much longer than the one we all generally agreed on, i.e., three marches from the U.W. all the way downtown in 1970, or a MLK Day march that went all the way from Garfield High to Othello, or others. And every one of these marches was of thousands. But you write that: “We will have less people participating in the march if it is clearly too long,” when this is not clear at all!
Longer marches (and this one is really not that long) are a little more dramatic and memorable, and we want this to be a memorable event. Further, I’ve told some people that we wanted this to be a demonstration that was short on speech-making and long on marching, and had agreement that it should be. And if we continue our political mobilization I don’t think we need worry about turning out enough people to fill the street. Anger against Obama increases by the day, and we work to increase this anger. A three-mile anti-war demonstration is just the beginning. 
Since four people have now consensed against our original plan, I’ll add one last thing: How many times have we heard the cry to “keep marching!” sent up when the usual coalition leaders stopped marches in order to have an hour of reformist speeches? Maybe it’s because I’m older, but I’ve heard it a lot. 
Sorry to go on and on, but I just don’t get this objection…can’t fathom it, and it makes me angry. But I’m sure we’ll work it out.
Frank


I don't agree that the original proposed route is too long. For example, it's about half the length of the biggest march in Denver, and much shorter than the May Day marches from St. Mary's, downtown, and on to Seattle Center. More, when you're walking in a crowd, shouting slogans and chants, etc., time flies by in comparison to when you're walking alone.--Fk.

----- Original Message -----

From: Helen 
To: antiwar at lists.hcoop.net
Sent: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:44:54 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Re: [Oct. 17 Seattle] Fwd: Import your contacts and old email

Alex, Anton, Edwd and I walked variations of the proposed route tonight.

We concluded that SCCC via 12th or Broadway to Jackson, to First, and 
up Pine to Westlake is too far.

We will have less people participating in the march if it is clearly 
too long. People would likely decide to be there at the beginning 
and/or the end and the actual number marching would be lower than we 
want, possibly lower than we need to go into the street.

We can of course discuss this further, but this was the general 
consensus amongst of the four of us.

Here are proposed routes. (Folks will argue pro and con in 
subsequent emails.)
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