October 14 2013
On October 13, 2013, endurance riders Amy Carlson-Cieri, Skip Kemerer, Pat Jones Oliva, Shelley Hylton Rahe, Sam Wilcox, and Sarah Wood, participated in a peaceful act of civil disobedience.
The Veterans March on Valley Forge National Park was organized to protest the closure of our National Parks due to the government shutdown. The march included veterans, people in wheelchairs, individuals walking barefoot to honor the soldiers who had died in Valley Forge and numerous everyday Americans who are nonpartisan and just fed up with useless government infringement upon our rights.
The horses led the march from the historic Valley Forge Chapel, one mile to the visitor’s center. The Sons of Liberty Motor Cycle Riders rode slowly next to the horses on the street, while the horses led the people along Valley Forge's grassy path.
When the entrance came into sight, the Sons of Liberty rode ahead and piled the temporary barriers off to the side so the horses could walk right in. Skip Kemerer and Pat Oliva, followed by the other riders and Patriots approached the locked gate to the park access road.
A park ranger stood in between them. Skip and Pat quietly walked to either side of the locked gate and entered the park with no opposition from the ranger. The Patriots cheered and someone shouted, "Valley Forge Park is now OPEN!" People started streaming into the park from all sides! We filed down to the Visitors center and the organizers raised the American flag on the center pole and a Gadsden flag on another. The rally was peaceful and the message clear!
Amy Carlson-Cieri
Photos from Chris Stevenson's post in Veterans March on Valley Forge National Park:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201436080962987&set=gm.529861513775307&type=1
No comments:
Post a Comment