by Diane J. Peterson
On Sunday, January 27, at Rondo Library in St. Paul, a free showing of Michael Moore's two-hour documentary on the woeful state of health care in America, "Sicko" was shown to an audience of library patrons under the sponsorship of the St. Paul Greens. I and three other St. Paul Greens served free buttered popcorn and lemonade (both organic), provided literature on the universal single-payer bill in the Legislature, and provided a forum for audience members to dialog informally after the movie. We obtained six signatures on the declaration form in favor of health care reform conforming to prnciples of universal access. The form came from the Minnesota Universal Health Care Coaltiion (of which the Green Party of Minnesota is a member). The audience was almost entirely people of color, not more than 35. One woman, a Wellstone Action supporter, told me she had received our flyer advertising the free movie at the Martin Luther King rally on Marshall Avenue on Monday, January 21. So, at least one person came as a result of our 300 flyers distributed at that Monday event. Most viewers only saw part of the movie, including the on-duty St. Paul police officer. I also showed the extra short-take videos on the "Sicko" DVD, and I think those were well-received. They expanded on the themes of the movie, including the national health-care bill, HR 676.
A successful GPSP outreach event! Everyone could see our big local Party banner near the screen, and I made a point of introducing and wrapping up the event by tying it to the Green Party of St. Paul.
