Mill Valley Seniors For Peace

Mill Valley Seniors for Peace is comprised of 100 active, articulate and passionate residents from The Redwoods Retirement Community, a non-denominational, nonprofit organization. Founded in January of 2003 by 7 residents, the group is best known for their weekly demonstrations from 4:00-5:00 on the busy corner of Miller Avenue & Camino Alto in Mill Valley. Concerned by the U. S. government’s pursuit of war in Iraq, they decided they needed to do something to show that war was not the answer and held their first demonstration that Friday. They have been holding their Friday demonstration every week since then. These activists, average age 87, have gained notoriety around the world after being featured in a documentary,Mill Valley Seniors for Peace, produced in the fall of 2003. Bill Usher, the current leader of the group, (and who recently celebrated his 89th birthday) says that is one of the organization’s greatest accomplishments, as it has inspired others to act. He believes that the demonstrations are “as important today as when we started. ”While they welcome any peace supporters to join them on Fridays, Bill suggests that the best ways to support what they are doing is “to contribute to an organization that represents your goals. Most importantly, be educated, so you can form your own organization. Real democracy requires an informed electorate. ”