Antiwar demonstration in Oakland, Novelist Alice Walker will speak

OAKLAND, Calif. (BCN) - The Spring Action 2018 Coalition is holding an antiwar demonstration in Oakland this morning as part of a national effort, organizers said.

The event is slated to begin with a rally at the Lake Merritt Amphitheater at Lake Merritt Boulevard and Fallon Street at 11:30 a.m. The plan is for the protesters to then march from the amphitheater to Oscar Grant Plaza at Fourteenth Street and Broadway for a second rally.

Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker, author of the book "The Color Purple," which Steven Spielberg made into a film in 1985, is scheduled to speak at the second rally. Her speech is scheduled for 2 p.m., according to co-organizer Jeff Mackler.

The event is expected to wind up around 3 p.m., according to organizers.

The event is part of nationally coordinated regional mobilizations "to challenge the war makers and defend humanity," organizers said in a statement.

The demonstration is part of "End the Wars at Home and Abroad," a national event held by the Spring Action 2018 coalition. The coalition is advocating for the closure of all U.S. bases on foreign soil and the dismantling of nuclear weapons.