THE ARMY MEN PROJECT
  3.1.2006
Ready to Roll
 
 

The March First Action in Chicago
In mid-February, some artists/activists in Chicago decided to make use the Army Men Project as a way to protest the war. They began by putting out a call to get involved:

Are you feeling

• Angry with our current administration's War efforts?
• Frustrated without a way to take a stand?
• Motivated to make a difference in a fun and artistic way?

If you answered yes to any of these, we hope you will come to our
informational meeting to discuss "March First: A Review of Troops," a fun
and artistic peace activism project to take place on February 28, 2006 at
9:00 PM.  Come by the Bookcellar this Thursday and hear about how we plan to march 4,500 plastic army men 4.6 miles down the sidewalks of Lincoln Avenue, between Lawrence and Clark.  Have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and join us to hear about the various ways you can get involved!
By the end of February, they were ready to roll:

Dear friends,

The weather for Tuesday looks clear and relatively mild – high 42/low 32. Shannon's request to mother nature for a nice evening went through without any glitches!   Below are your block assignments.  We tried our hardest to meet everyone's request!  

With our current volunteer status, we have approximately 2 people assigned per block. We are still receiving RSVPs from volunteers wanting to help out, but if you have any friends who would also like to join in on the fun, please let them know that they are more than welcome to do so.   Bring them along with you to your block section or give us a call and we'll set them up at one of our "weaker" block sections.  Though  2 people per block is completely doable (it will take approximately 30 minutes of your time to set up the men), more people can always help out to make the process march even faster.

Here are the basic logistics for army men:

Each block group should report to either their block captain to pick up army men around 8:45 or to their assigned block at 9:00 if you already have picked up your army men. Each block will be given between 100 – 200 army men for their block. We decided that the men will be placed ONLY on the West side of the street.
Please place the men every couple of feet or so on the sidewalks about a foot away from the curb. Please do not place the army men in the street, crosswalks, driveways or anywhere else where you think they might cause a problem.   We want to minimize all safety concerns for pedestrians, bikes, cars, etc.   We also suggest bringing a small totebag or sack to carry your men in.   It just makes it easier to carry them around and distribute them that way.

After you set up your men, come on by the Lincoln Tap Room (on Lincoln just north of Wellington) to have a drink and meet all your fellow Marchers!
Afterwards, go home, get some good sleep, and wake up on March First knowing that you helped make a peaceful stand.  

Thank you again for all your help.  March First started out as 4 women sitting in a bar talking about what we could do to take a stand against the war, and it has now transformed into a mass peace movement involving approximately 100 people.The response that we received to this has been nothing short of amazing. We are all extremely grateful and overwhelmed by the amount of dedication and assistance we've received for the project.   We truly hope that March First will also inspire you to remain active in voicing your opinion about the War.  Your support and participation in March First means so much to all of us.   

Thank you and march on!

Shannon R., Chicago 3/01/2006

 
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