Two thousand attend memorial for Father Bill, radical priest

Arrested nearly 230 times for civil disobedience, walking picket lines, and protesting injustice near and far, Father Bill O’Donnell was memorialized this evening by friends (and probably a few foes). Those who addressed the two thousand people who gathered in the Berkeley Community Theater this evening included Martin Sheen (actor), Father Roy Bourgeouis (School of the Americas Watch), Dolores Huerta (United Farm Workers), and Congresswomen Barbara Lee and Nancy Pelosi. Afterwards, the procession made its way to Father Bill’s church St. Joseph the Worker. Father Bill’s black pickup led the way carrying his UFW flag-draped pine coffin.