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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!
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