SAN FRANCISCO'S SECOND LAMENT WALK -- ON "NO KINGS DAY.2" WITH DEEP FEELING IN THE GLEN PARK NEIGHBORHOOD!

From a pedestrian: "What a wonderful protest: organized, costumed, heartfelt!"

From a Walker:  "It was my honor to participate in the Lament Walk and do my own small part in the day’s protest...clearly, people on the street and in passing cars were so supportive and moved—that was in their faces, voices and gestures. Do keep me informed of future Lament Walks; I’ll dress in my blacks and be there with you, wherever, wherever."

From a Walker: "Thank you for providing a safe way to demonstrate our opposition to the horrors that are going on today."

From a blog reader: "Positively inspirational. I hope your efforts are getting some media attention because what you're doing is a thing that could happen nationwide."

Eight of ten total Walkers pause their Walk at the BART underground entrance.

(All photos courtesy of Bonnee Waldstein)

As Hannibal said in the "A Team," TV show: "I love it when a plan comes together!"

The plan was to bring to Glen Park in San Francisco, a creative voice of protest against the inhumanity of the present political regime. No Kings Day No. 2 was the perfect occasion to implement that vision in our small but mighty neighborhood!

Glen Park consists of about 4000 residences or buildings, but the heart of our Village is along Diamond, Chenery, and Bosworth Streets. Thus, it was that bustling corridor where we decided to concentrate our Lament Walk for Lost Justice.

As I planned our Walk (the second one in San Francisco), some people felt it was more important to join the huge crowd (estimated at150,000 people) that marched down Market Street to the Civic Center, there to be encouraged by inspirational speakers and long-admired protestors like Joan Baez and Angela Davis. I'm sorry I missed seeing and hearing them; perhaps it will be my only chance in life to do so?

No matter!

It was critical to my partner Ron and to me to expand No Kings Day protests outward from the mass center into our neighborhood.

A Lament Walk for Lost Justice is street theater akin to a flash mob. It is ceremonial, costumed, and more disciplined and participatory than protests in huge crowds. It is characterized by a pre-set path of slow walking to music, and earnest soberness regarding the issue being lamented. Here was our music Playlist:  https://app.box.com/s/l23y5j8s4s8vbl4gjlza6828vpznisma

A Walk also involves an action element. I stepped out of line at one stop to hand our informational flyers connecting to local and national activist groups, defining critical legal concepts such as "Rule of Law"* and "Justice"**, and listing independent, fact-based and reliable (non legacy media) sources of news. (If you would like a copy, please write me. We also walked silently and respectfully through our local library - the music was not played, but I could not resist including a bit from this gorgeous Mahler tract which is part of our Playlist).

A Walk incorporates a calm, focused manner of expressing our outrage at the suffering of others and how we suffer, too, as we see our former democracy crumble. Each Walker carries a consistent sign expressing some element of that theme (the theme can be changed for differing Walks).

Underlying our Walk for Lost Justice was the advent of intentional cruelty and vengeance fomented by No. 47 and his regime. That cruelty is new for many of us; we cringe at the horror of realizing so many citizens of the US have been harboring these vile urges to hurt others. Accordingly, so many have been hurt: our friends, neighbors, immigrants, seniors, low income, and those choosing to live values in opposition to the imperatives of a surging evangelical Christian Nationalism.

True, our democracy was always imperfect in this and other ways. However, in my long lifetime we were making progress in realizing the liberty and justice memorialized in our nation's founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We were maintaining the keen desires of our Founding Fathers to live in a secular government with freedom of thought, speech, and religion for all.

Of course, our Founding Fathers were less than perfect human beings. Only later, with growing national maturity and despite ardent strife, we coupled liberty with a consciousness of our joint community responsibility to offer a leg up to those needing it. Over time many democrats and humanists accepted the responsibility to promote the common good and the public welfare by relying on science, common sense, and human decency. We became not only tolerant of diversity, but we welcomed, valued, and respected it.

Our Lament Walk sought to build on and enact that very sense of common good and community through performance art. "What are we performing?" I asked before we started the Walk.

We performed (1) resistance, and (2) empathy for and with others who suffer, and for ourselves.

We will perform the Walk again!

If you are interested in joining us in another location in San Francisco, please email me: anngrogan.romantasy@gmail.com.

Share this blog or tell your friends about it, and if you wish help to set up such a Walk in your city or neighborhood, please inquire. I am eager to pay forward the help I received from Mike Davis in Auburn CA; this spring he initiated the second ever Walk in the US, held by now three times in that small NorCal town.

Plans are only ideas. They need a community to implement them. Thanks to all eight creative, caring people whose imaginations were fired to help realize Glen Park's first Lament Walk.

We love and appreciate

you all!

***

*"Rule of Law" - characterized most simply by four elements:

1. public laws publicly made

(Ed. this includes the Sup. Ct not relying on the "Shadow Docket" and articulating their reasons in decisions so decisions are open and accessible to be understood by judges, lawyers and the public. Following precedent and stare decisis is critical cause it ensures predictability, leading to stability and a sense of fairness. We make decisions in this country by lawyers/judges and not by the military or kings.)

2. equally enforced

3. independently interpreted by the judiciary and

4. reflecting international human rights and values.

Some add two more features:

5. obeyed willingly by a majority of citizens and

6. also incorporating property and contractual rights.

**"Justice" - an idea of accountability and fairness in the protection and vindication of rights plus the prevention and punishment of wrongs. Implies regard for the rights of the accused, interest of victims, and well-being of society at large. A concept rooted in all national cultures and traditions.

Definitions (minus nos. 5 and 6) are from the significant report by the UN Secretary General report to the Security Council, 2004; see also Robert Stein, Rule of Law: What Does It Mean? 18 MINN. J. INT’L L. 293 (09);  https://worldjusticeproject.org/about-us/overview/what-rule-law

An experienced lawyer David Boies defines the "Rule of Law" on Speak up for Justice and points to this wrongly-decided Bush v Gore as the beginning of the downfall of this key US legal principle.

Lament Walkers ended our event with an ice cream social at Cuppa, a local

Glen Park business along our route.

Thank you Abdul for having us!

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LATE NOTICE: WE HAD A COMPATRIOT LAMENT WALK IN FT WORTH TEXAS!

1. IN SOLIDARITY FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO FT. WORTH!