At 9 p.m. June 21 — hours after it became widely known that the United States had bombed Iranian nuclear facilities — Chico’s LeAnn Jenswold got to work.
As a founder and leader of the Re-Sisters — a group that has emerged in recent months to participate in and organize anti-Trump Administration protests — she knew what to do. It was the moment to organize a pop-up anti-war protest.
About 30 protesters gathered today at Mangrove and Vallombrosa avenues, many to protest the direct military action taken the previous day against Iran.
“I’m concerned that Trump is acting unilaterally,” said Jenswold, who was carrying a hand-scrawled sign that said: “Where’s Congress? Trump’s unchecked power/attack on Iran.”
“This is a coalescing of power, a militaristic move,” she added.
Jenswold seemed undaunted by the challenge of organizing protests quickly, even if they’re small. “It makes a huge difference to us to be able to do something,” she said of her 20-person group. “We’ve come together and we’re providing visibility for current events.”
An 8-year-old Paradise girl attended the protest with her mom, who identified herself as Doni Z. and had seen the event announced on social media. The girl said she wanted to come with her mother today because “World War III happened and I don’t want war to happen.”
News reports said activist groups were “organizing ‘No More War’ protests across the country on Sunday following the United States’ strike on Iran last night.”
In Chico, a protest is planned for the same location on June 23 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Leslie Layton is editor of ChicoSol.
The U.S. Budget has so much for war and so little for housing, medical care and the environment. What kind of a country are we?