Buddhist Peace Fellowship

When Salmon Springs Fountain opened in 1978, I never dreamed of a day when I would attend a rally as a member of Buddhist Peace Fellowship, gathering with others to meditate for climate justice, the rights of immigrants, access to healthcare, and against racism. I wouldn’t have imagined a police loud-speaker threatening citizen arrest, or that the police would have fenced areas to corral citizens exercising first amendment rights (the right to freedom of speech and assembly).  Today as we sat on the grass meditating, a phalanx of police on bicycles arrived. They approached us en masse and ordered us to move. It was a dissonant and confusing moment. We kept our seats, kept our silence, and they moved on around us to intimidate others…this time. (See extra)