Page One

In a lot of ways, it was just one more Berkeley peace march. Some 50 or so anti-war activists chanted “peace, not war” and carried their “No fighting” protest signs proudly through city streets Tuesday afternoon. 

Unique to this march, though, was that most of the demonstrators were pint-size preschoolers accompanied by somewhat older after-school kids from New School, a day care center at Cedar Street and Bonita Avenue. 

The procession marched up Milvia Street toward City Hall. Drivers honked and flashed peace signs. Folks stopped their bicycles to cheer. 

“I don’t want people to die,” one child said. 

At Martin Luther King Jr. Park, the New School children were joined by about 150 more children who came from the Berkeley-Richmond Jewish Community Center, Berkwood Hedge School, Chabot School in Oakland and the North Oakland Charter School.  

Even New School organizers said they were surprised by the large turnout. From the park, the children and their parents and teachers trooped up to the little plaza behind City Hall, where the children were able to speak out about war and peace. 

“Peace is everything,” said a child named Tina, speaking into a microphone 

“Why can’t George Bush and Saddam Hussein go fight a dual instead of making a whole bunch of others fight,” said another. 

“If you hurt people, it’s not nice if you hurt them,” said another. 

Mayor Shirley Dean and councilmembers Linda Maio and Dona Spring listened to the speakers, spoke briefly and were asked by organizers to take the children’s pro-peace message to higher government officials. 

On the outskirts of the demonstration, Berkeley High sophomores Mat Ott and Sam Romick questioned the children’s motivations. “Do they know what they’re protesting against?” Ott asked. “They’re just following what they’ve been told by adults; it’s just something they’ve been told to do,” Romick said. 

But Susan Hagan, New School director and march organizer argued that the children do understand. The march is just an extension of the pro-peace curriculum taught at the school, she said. 

“We teach them not to fight,” she said. “We teach them to talk out their problems. Our heads of government should do the same thing.” 

A sign carried by one parent pushing a stroller summed up the sentiments expressed by the kids: “Bush needs a time out – permanently.”  

Drivers honked and flashed peace signs. Folks stopped their bicycles to cheer on the procession as it marched up Milvia Street toward City Hall. Children leaned out the windows of their after-school program at the Calvary Presbyterian Church to wave.