Running Down The Walls 2013 Report

BY LA-ABCF
abcf.net/la

Southern California’s transition to Autumn seems to come later and later each year, this year was no different. On the morning of September 8th the sun was strong and the temperatures were in the high eighties at eight AM.  Despite the heat, people from all over Los Angeles and even Riverside came to MacArthur Park to show their support for LA-ABCF and RAC.

Revolutionary Autonomous Communities (RAC) has been organizing the neighborhood around MacArthur Park for years and has built strong ties in downtown Los Angeles and today the community would show up.  People of all ages would filter in throughout the morning, we had elders and children ready to run and walk.  Solidarity Statements were read to set the tone for the day, with over a hundred people now gathered, the words of solidarity from all over the country resonated with us all, our purpose for being there was clear.

With the temperature now into the nineties, the run was blessed and around forty participants dashed down the sidewalk and around the park for three long laps. There was a medic on site and a few people handed out water to the runners along the path. There was a lot of sweat and a few sunburns but that bothered no one as we raised around $1200, half of which goes straight to the ABCF warchest and the other half to RAC.

The run was just the beginning for us, now it was lunch.  Some RAC members spent the morning cooking, there were tamales, noodles, and salads galore. After the feast the food program became the priority, all the boxes were filled with donated vegetables, fruit, beans, and rice. A couple hundred locals came out to participate in the food program as the sun sunk behind the skyscrapers.

The party ran all day, kids were playing soccer and throwing the football back and forth. There was an exercise bike connected to a blender to make smoothies and group of musicians playing indigenous music from South America. AK Press and PM Press donated books and prizes to be given to the runners and after a presentation ceremony the day finally concluded with hugs and smiles on everyone’s faces.