Protesters hold
mock funeral in
" San Francisco
By NEIL CHASE
Special to the Daily Some demonstrators, in the spirit of
SAN FRANCISCO - The week of the mock funeral, refused to speak. The
protests and marches continued only noise from most of the group was
yesterday with probably the most the beating of drums and humming by
graphic and slowest of them all - a some of the marchers.
demonstration against violence and "What we have to do is provide Cen-
U.S. intervention in Central America. tral America with our civilized presen-
A group of almost 1,000 people mar- ce instead of our military," said Bob
ched yesterday around the downtown Dell of Lake Tahoe, Nev. He said the
area in a mock funeral procession near only way for the U.S. to help Central
the Democratic Convention carrying America would be for citizens to "exer-
banners, flowers, and cardboard cof- cise the power they have" by voting in-
fins to protest the deaths of 50,000 stead of "leaving government by
people in El Salvador over the past five default to conservative, upper-class.
years. white male Americans."
THE U.S. has been criticized for AS THE group neared the end of its
giving military and monetary aid to the procession, the group placed two of the
government of El Salvador to help caskets in a doorway beginning a mock
avert the spread of Communism. funeral. Marchers waved incense over
The protesters, all clothed in black the coffins and tossed flowers on them.
carried signs blaming President "I hope people will see us out here
Regean and Salvadoran President Jose opposing U.S. foreign policy and they
Napoleon Duarte for the deaths. At the they may start thinking out it," said a
front of the procession 20 protesters man who identified himself as "Body
walked single file with their hands Politic." He said he doubted the
behind their heads as if they were Democrats, even if elected, would do
Salvadoran prisoners. anything to ease the situation in Central
"I am here because I'm morally America.
outraged at what your government is "I don't think the Democratic Party
doing. It's symbolic to demonstrate offers any solution. I don't think their
more publicly what I do in private by foreign plolicy will be any different
resisting taxes and acting in civil from Reagan's," he said. "When people
disobedience," said protester Scott recognize that those parties represent
McCoy of Berkeley, Calif. the same social, political, and economic
"WE ARE HERE to protest the interests they will start developing an
killings and to show the complicity of independent movement," he said.
the Reagan government and the DEMOCRATIC presidential nominee
Democrats with the regime that has Walter Mondale was vice president un-
carried out the killings," McCoy said. der Jimmy Carter when the U.S. star-
The Michiaan Daily - Friday, July 20, 1984 -Page 9
Associated Press
Demonstrators at left simulate death squad members standing over fallen
demonstrators playing the role of victims during a rally about El Salvador
yesterday in San Francisco's Union Square.
ted sending money to the Salvadoran
regime, the man added. "There were
10,000 murders when Mondale was in
power. I don't think it will be any dif-
ferent if he gets elected now."
As the procession wound its way into
Halladie Plaza, the caskets were lined
up and the mock prisoners were mar-
ched into the center of the outdoor plaza
where other protesters made simulated
guns with their fingers and pretended to
execute the prisoners.
Speeches and songs followed the
theatrics as the demonstrators and a
crowd of several hundred looked on.
Police said there were no arrests or in-
cidents during the march.
Most of the protesters appeared to be
serious about the issue, but Leon, a man
with painted fingernails wearing only
black bikini shorts and a black cape,
said he wasn't really worried about
Central America. "I just came out here
for the fun. It's just a big circus," he
said.
I
11
We're up
on
everything!
News .........764-0552
Sports ........763-0376
Arts/Mag.....763-0379
Classifieds ....764-0557
Circulation ...764-0558
I
Mtjcbtgan
13tttl J