Tuesday, June 20th:
The official meeting of the two walks, on the road.
The south walk began in Marina del Rey, winding through colorful Venice Beach. We passed a soon-to-be-opened restaurant called Mao's Kitchen to pose for a picture in protest, when the shop owner, a Chinese expatriot, came out and gave an emotional testimony about his experience during the Cultural Revolution and his sympathy for the Tibetan people. It was a surprising and interesting experience -- his explanation for the restaurant's theme was that it was partly a joke and partly to show what China really is now -- Mao's Kitchen. Julie Crow promised to send him a book, Tibet through Chinese Dissident Eyes.
The north walk, meanwhile, was heading along the beach from Malibu toward Santa Monica.
The two walks met dramatically on the 3rd Street Promenade outdoor shopping mall, where Mike Stadler and other members of OC Friends of Tibet had built a stage. The members of the two groups were introduced to a crowd of over a hundred people. A south walk representative carried a picture of the Panchen Lama onto the stage, and a north walk representative held a photo of the Dalai Lama. Ani Pachen and Palden Gyatso, the monastic leaders of the two marches then placed katas (silk ceremonial scarves) onto the photos, and the joining was complete! Pema Lhundup, Palden-la and Ani Pachen-la each gave speeches, and in conclusion the entire crowd chanted slogans for at least an hour, for the benefit of passers-by and members of the press. The walk was featured in an article on the front page of the Metro section of the LA Times the following day.
But that would not be the end of the excitement for the day. Our next stop, as one very large group, was the home of actor Steven Seagal, who is a well-known Tibet supporter and Buddhist. This dinner was arranged by the Tibetan Alliance of Southern California at the invitation of Seagal, who gave a wonderful welcoming speech encouraging everyone to continue to struggle for Tibetan freedom though progress may be slow. He described it as a process of chipping away at a mountain.
International
Tibet Independence Movement
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e-mail: rangzen@aol.com
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