Bay Area Day of Action for Whistleblowers

CODEPINK Bay Area activists along with Co-Founder Jodie Evans, CODEPINK’s Nancy Mancias, Judge Julie Tang from Pivot to Peace, Michael Wong from Veterans for Peace and more gathered on Sunday July, 11th to demonstrate for the rights of Whistleblowers on the Golden Gate Bridge and at the house of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Read our recap below!

By Toby Blome, CODEPINK Bay Area

It was an amazing day of solidarity for justice & peace!  People came from as far away as Thousand Oaks, CA (John Jerpe) and Tuscon, Arizona (Pete Peterson)! In spite of a foggy and windy summer day, a great crowd turned out on the Golden Gate Bridge to support Drone Whistleblower Daniel Hale and Journalist/Publisher Julian Assange, demanding their freedom as political prisoners. ABC, Channel 7 showed up for both the bridge rally and walk.

After a very successful action on the bridge, most of the peace walkers hustled over to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s SF home to express our demands. We were met there by a strong group of Asian American activists and others who collaborated with us in creative ways.

Our Demands to Speaker Pelosi:

• NO to The Eagle Act!  NO WAR ON CHINA!  Stop Asian Hate, NO MORE WARS!
• Free Julian Assange, Protect Press Freedom
• Free Daniel Hale, Protect Whistleblowers
• Prosecute the war criminals, not the truth-tellers!

An enthusiastic group of about 3 dozen people were gathered for a common cause. The police were waiting for us when we arrived, just to make sure we “behaved ourselves.”  That meant we couldn’t attach our GIANT LETTERS to Pelosi’s garage door, as planned, so we settled on the sidewalk and Cynthia Papermaster’s car!  The letters urged Pelosi to influence President Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland to drop all the trumped up charges on Hale and Assange, and to release them from wrongful imprisonment. Wonderful speeches from many who came, including a very moving one by San Francisco’s Veterans For Peace, Mike Wong on China vs. the USA, a reading of a letter from prison from Daniel Hale to Susan Witka, a heartfelt speech by Jodie Evans calling for the world we want to see (co-founder of CODEPINK), and many others.

Ultimately Nancy Mancias, Cynthia Papermaster, and myself made a quick dash to Pelosi’s front door to hand deliver 3 petitions, signed by thousands of Americans, each petition addressing one of the top three demands listed above. We call on Speaker Pelosi to NOT be silent and take action to better represent her constituency.

Wonderful songs by Francis Collins and John Jerpe both at the bridge and at Pelosi’s home. Thanks to Jeanie Schmidt of Half Moon Bay, who couldn’t join us, but entrusted us with her beautiful signs and banners supporting Julian Assange.  Check out her Assange support effort: https://bayaction2freeassange.org/

Laura’s homemade chocolate chip cookies and Cynthia’s cupcakes (with attached “calls to action” flags) sustained us.  It was an invigorating and empowering day of unity. As activists we could do so much more if we collaborate more as we did today….helping to build a more diverse and mutually supportive community fighting together for the world we all want to see.

And, of course, a day at Pelosi’s would not be complete without a proper chalking out!

Special thanks to Cynthia Papermaster who put in tons of hours preparing for the day, (she way outdid me) and to Nancy Mancias, who always brings tremendous grace and style to any action, creating a welcoming place for all!

• Check out more photo’s from these events on CODEPINK’s Flickr!
• Sign our Petition to Judge O’Grady asking to for no jail time for Daniel Hale!
• Send a letter to Judge O’Grady in support of Daniel Hale!
• Share this video of Daniel Hale speaking at CODEPINK’s Drone Summit, 2013!
• Share this article on Social Media: “Key Witness in Assange Case Admits to Lies in Indictment“, ProgressiveResistance.org
• Leave a message about Assange’s case on the Justice Department comment line at 202-353-1555
• Send a message to Attorney General Merrick Garland on the Department of Justice website.
• Mail letters to Merrick Garland at the DOJ.
• Sign the CODEPINK Free Assange Petition!
• Visit StandwithDanielHale.org