Diane Brenum held up a sign that stated, “Thou shalt not kill – no wars!” as she watched community members gather for a rally against military action in Iran on Saturday afternoon, February 28, at Alameda City Hall.
Brenum, an Oakland resident, said she made the mistake of looking at her phone when she awoke early on Saturday morning, and was “mortified” to read the news that U.S. and Israeli forces had launched a coordinated military assault on Iran.
“I am a strong disapprover of extra-constitutional action,” she said, adding that she is not surprised by the Trump Administration’s decision to escalate in Iran without congressional approval, especially after its recent actions in Venezuela.
The small rally was cobbled together in just a matter of hours by Shalom Bruhn, who has helped organize numerous Alameda events in the past, including the recent “No Kings” and “Hands Off” protests. In communications publicizing the demonstration, Bruhn called it a “rapid response” and invited the community to “bring your signs” and “stand in solidarity.”
Just after 5 p.m., speakers and performers of varying ages and backgrounds took to a microphone in front of City Hall to voice their truths. Among them was former Alameda Poet Laureate Cathy Dana, who read a poem she wrote, entitled “What the World Needs Now.” The poem’s opening words are, “What the world needs now is a love so pure, that your heart would burst open like a thousand pearlescent petals, singing ‘welcome, welcome, welcome.’”…