Calling all Cheerleaders!

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

About six weeks ago, I had a very odd dream that in a protest at Safeway's

headquarters, one activist removed his/her shirt to reveal " Shameway "

written on his/her back (you know you've been volunteering for PeTA far too

long when you have dreams like this!). In thinking about this dream, and in

thinking about the upcoming annual Safeway shareholder meeting at the San

Ramon Marriott on Thursday, May 16th (12:15 pm - 1:30 pm), I thought how

interesting it would be to have eight people, each with a letter from the

word " Shameway " painted onto his/her back. So, I began bringing up this idea

in casual conversation, and was met with an amusing assortment of shaking

heads, outright refusals, and unrestrained laughter.

 

Today, while riding the vanpool home, I was alternately reading my book and

thinking about the Safeway press conference when I began to envision

different possibilities for a clothing-not-optional version of my extended

dream. Cheerleaders! Eight male and female cheerleaders, in a diversity of

shapes, colors, and sizes - wearing white sweaters with the letters of

" Shameway " on their sweaters. Kelle Kacmarcik and I will be selecting fabric

to construct cheerleader-font letters which can then be safety-pinned onto

people's sweaters (and you said punk was dead!). Kelle, talented

streamstress trooper that she is, has even volunteered to sew

velcro-fastened wrap-around one-size-fits-all just-above-the-knee-length

skirts for the squad to wear. Since we are in the Bay Area, it would be so

perfect to have a couple of transvestites. As I recall, there had been a

precedent of male cross-dressing for an anti-fur protest from some years

back. Looked like a lot of fun! But, people can do what they feel

comfortable doing. If you are male and would prefer to wear trousers rather

than a skirt, that's fine. If you are female, and would rather wear

trousers, that's fine too. What is mandatory is the set of pom-poms that

goes with the uniform -- in Safeway red & white. I can imagine the cheers:

" Give me an S. S! Give me an H. H! ... What does it spell? " " Animal

cruelty!! " Etcetera. Lots of possibilities for a lot of interesting street

theater.

 

The cheerleader option is absolutely made-for-media, and it drives home the

message without cheapening it. I would love to hear feedback, suggestions,

and any other comments that people might have. And, it goes without saying

that I'm looking for eight volunteers ...

 

Thanks so much.

 

Best regards,

Alka

 

P.S. -- To find out more about the boycott of Safeway, please check out:

http://www.shameway.com