Peace in the Park 2017 – Summer of Love Edition!

The fifth annual Peace in the Park, held in Golden Gate Park, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Present were people who were around and active in the late '60s/early '70s (some introduced themselves publicly, others I spoke to individually) as well as younger people who seemed passionate about creating a better world.

Turnout was decent, although my companion and I wondered why there wasn't a more massive crowd considering how busy the Summer of Love Experience had been at the nearby De Young Museum when we went in the middle of a weekday. Did people have too many conflicting events on a Saturday?

The day began with an Ohlone blessing by Jorge Molina, who could recall the Summer of Love of 1967. (Diamond Dave was also to participate but was being hospitalized. However, he vehemently wanted Molina to proceed.)

Also present were the inspiring prayer dancers from the Temple of Isis.There was a meditation for peace around the world. Banners in the stage area reflected values such as Love, Courage, Respect, Tolerance...

Meanwhile a parade made its way in and around the stage and audience, which while visually loud was audibly very quiet.

There was no shortage activities throughout the day. Ongoing ones included meditation, tai chi, yoga, and art. There were talks about institutions at Haight-Ashbury like the pioneering work of the Huckleberry house for runaway teens (places like that didn't exist prior to 1967; being a runaway was illegal until 1974; Huckleberry has served as a model for facilities across the country), the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic (which like Huckleberry has been in operation 50 years), and the San Francisco Oracle.

By far two of the most well-attended talks I watched included “Why are Merry Pranksters Necessary?” whose large panel included Wavy Gravy, and “The Biology of Belief” with Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D. Topics discussed in the former included the importance of continuing the Merry Pranksters—and one of the new-generation Pranksters was introduced. Bruce Lipton talked about the toxicity of society affecting the formation of our subconscious from shortly before birth to age seven and how this affects us the rest of our lives.

Other talks included “Hemp Solutions for the Planet” by Linda Delair.

There was live music throughout the day, and the event closed with a sing-along of Imagine by John Lennon.

Peace in the Park is organized by Brahma Kumaris Foundations with help (this year, at least) from groups including Code Pink (who had a tent there), Vegan Outreach, and Earthdance.