Northsiders joined the Ride Against War RAW Gaza Cross Country Tour as organizer Bob Sanders passed through Chicago heading east to New Hampshire on a 4,000 mile trek. A number of Quaker Meetings across the country have endorsed the ride.
The purpose of the tour is to raise awareness of the horror of slaughter and the injustice of what is going on in Gaza and the West Bank and other Mideast countries, says Sanders. And to raise money for humanitarian aid for Gaza and local peace organizations, and to lobby Congress to end the war.
Sanders, 70, left San Francisco May 28, riding on a gravel bike and expects to arrive early September in Portsmouth, NH. Riding solo (though supporters are welcome to join the ride at any point along the way) Sanders is a Jewish 70-year-old former reporter who accomplished a similar feat when he was in college. To follow the ride you can go on to the RAW GAZA Facebook page or on Instagram.
Northsider Bill Esler joined the ride August 2 at the Peace School, 3125 N. Lincoln in Chicago. Sanders had ridden from an overnight stay in Evanston that morning, and stopped at the school where he spoke about his effort, and paused for lunch. About 12:30 the group of four riders headed downtown to Trump Tower for a 3:30 p.m. protest rally. Afterward Sanders headed south to Hyde Park, where he stayed overnight.
On Sunday morning Northsider Friend Daniel Lakemacher joined Sanders to escort him part of the way to Indiana, where Sanders planned his next stop.
RAW GAZA and its supporters are circulating a petition against the war in Gaza in each state he passes through, hand-delivering them to the local offices of U.S. Representatives and Senators in those states when it passes through. You can sign the petition online here.
On Sanders’ most recent previous RAW GAZA tours last summer in Northern New England and NH-DC, he rode more than 30 days, totaling about 1400 miles, raising more than $10,000.
A number of Quaker Meetings have sponsored the RAW Gaza Ride, which does not require any financial or material support, and allows RAW Gaza to list them as endorsing sponsors on its website and literature. RAW GAZA has been so far endorsed nationally by the American Friends Service Committee, Peace Action, and Veterans For Peace, as well as Jerry Greenfield, formerly of Ben and Jerry’s.
It has been endorsed and or sponsored locally by Not In My Name, NH, NH Veterans for Peace and NH Peace Action, Bay Area Friends of Standing Together, Jewish Peace Action of San Mateo, Cycles of Change in Oakland, Napa (CA) Friends Meeting, SacPeace, Sac Friends Meeting, Jewish Voice for Peace, Sacramento, Chico (CA) Peace Alliance, Chico Friends Meeting, Redding (CA) Resistance, (Boise) People’s Liberated University, Boise Valley Friends Meeting, Boise 50501, Boise Veterans For Peace, Friends of Peace and Justice–Milwaukee Friends Meeting, Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, Peace Action WI, Jewish Voices for Peace-Milwaukee, and Veterans for Peace-Milwaukee, Jewish Voice for Peace/Madison, Kessel Peace Institute (Mankato, MN) , MN Veterans For Peace, Woman Against Military Madness, Minnesota Boycott/Divest/Sanction, Veterans for Peace Chapter 115, Chicago Area Peace Action; Speak Up for Palestine Collective (Rochester, NY), Broadmead Friends Meeting of Toledo.
Individuals who wish to donate to RAW GAZA can do so at the NH Peace Action donation page or via a check to NH Peace Action Education Fund sent to 4 Park St. Suite 304, Concord, NH 03301.There is also a Givebutter page where the proceeds will also go to NH Peace Action Education Fund, a 501C3, organization and all the contributions are tax deductible. For more about the ride visit