On July 31 members of CodePink NYC, the Granny Peace Brigade and the American Friends Service Committee held a tripartite demonstration in Foley Square, NYC. The AFSC brought material on the cost of war. The Granny Peace Brigade brought the Phone-A-Thon kit with flyers about H. Con. Res. 362* – the resolution gearing up for war on Iran. (Does anyone know who wrote H. CON. RES. 362? Not who sponsored it, but who wrote it which might not be the same person.)
CodePink brought shoes. Children’s shoes. My grandchildren’s outgrown shoes are in this “Walk in Their Shoes” display. Although it was a grim donation to make, my daughter gave the shoes with an open heart.
I can’t find my grandson’s shoes in the display but my granddaughter’s stand out. They are pink and very beat up after many trips to the playground, but the sparkles woven into the cloth still shine. There is a paper tag tied to them. On the tag is the name of a three-year-old Iraqi girl who was killed in the war. There is a tag with the name and age of an Iraqi victim on every pair of shoes in the display
Stepping away from the phone-a-thon table from time to time to look at the “Walk in Their Shoes” display I pointed out my granddaughter’s shoes to passersby. I wondered aloud if the grandmother survived the event that took the child. I don’t have to wonder very much about a surviving grandmother’s agony.
Foley Square is a hurried place, not the best for a phone-a-thon, but the shoes caused busy people to stop in their tracks.
People took the time talk about the issues and some also made calls to their Representatives right then and there.
Tapping into hidden reserves of compassion and inspiring people to act – “Walk in Their Shoes” does that.
– Eva-Lee Baird, text and photos
* On August 1, 2008 261 Representatives were co-sponsoring H. Con. Res. 362 “Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the threat posed to international peace, stability in the Middle East…” Who wrote this dreadful piece of work? The four below have withdrawn.
Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] – 6/3/2008(withdrawn – 7/30/2008)
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] – 6/10/2008(withdrawn – 7/22/2008)
Rep Allen, Thomas H. [ME-1] – 6/11/2008(withdrawn – 7/22/2008)
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] – 6/17/2008(withdrawn – 7/9/2008)
Granny Peace Brigade 