Global Night Commute: Difference between revisions
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The GNC in [[Providence, Rhode Island]] was held at the Bank of America Skating Center, an outdoor public ice rink, in Kennedy Plaza. Most media coverage was diverted to a mill fire in nearby [[Woonsocket]]; the sole news clip erroneously claimed that the event supported children in Nigeria. |
The GNC in [[Providence, Rhode Island]] was held at the Bank of America Skating Center, an outdoor public ice rink, in Kennedy Plaza. Most media coverage was diverted to a mill fire in nearby [[Woonsocket]]; the sole news clip erroneously claimed that the event supported children in Nigeria. |
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The GNC in [[Lansing, Michigan]] was held at Hawk Island County Park. There were more than 400 people in attendance to support the Invisible Children cause. After many |
The GNC in [[Lansing, Michigan]] was held at Hawk Island County Park. There were more than 400 people in attendance to support the Invisible Children cause. After many attempts to contact the local media, it proved unsuccessful. The weather was cold and wet. |
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The GNC in Eugene, Oregon was held at Northwest Christian College in the courtyard. More than 200 people came. The media were not present. |
The GNC in Eugene, Oregon was held at Northwest Christian College in the courtyard. More than 200 people came. The media were not present. |
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Revision as of 02:00, 24 December 2006
The Global Night Commute (GNC) was a worldwide event organized by the makers of the film Invisible Children through the organization Invisible Children Inc. The GNC took place on April 29 2006. Youths from around the world walked to city centers and spent the night in parks to show support for Ugandan children who walk every night into city centers attempting to avoid capture by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
Overview
These children, between the ages of 3 and 17, from Acholiland in Northern Uganda, are referred to as "night commuters". They walk up to 20 km (12 mi) from internally displaced person camps to larger towns, notably Gulu, in search of safety from the LRA.
The GNC was similar to other initiatives raising awareness about the plight of the children in Acholiland like the Gulu Walk that took place in over 40 cities internationally in October of 2005; however, the Global Night Commute took place on a much larger scale. Over 58,000 people signed up to participate in the event; it took place in 130 cities in seven countries. [1]
The goal of the event was to raise awareness and ultimately end Africa's longest running conflict by facilitating a change in the policies of the United States government. The slogan for the event is "On April 29th, we gathered. To make a difference. To end a war."
The Chicago, Illinois, GNC centered in Grant Park at the base of the Lincoln Statue, with an estimated 2,000 people gathering. In compliance with Chicago law, the commuters were restricted from actually sleeping, made near impossible due to the downpour which lasted throughout the evening. The Chicago event gains increased significance as it hosted the sole Invisible Child featured in the film to its gathering, Jacob, as well as Invisible Children Inc. co-founder Jason Russell. Day-time talk-show host Oprah even lent the Chicago commute the use of one of her very expensive crane cameras to photograph the event.
The GNC in San Diego, California, was held in Balboa Park after it was relocated from Horton Plaza due to limited space considering the number of people expected to attend. The event was well attended, with over 6,000 people spending the night, the most out of all the host cities.
The GNC in Franklin, Tennessee had one of the largest attendances, with over 2,500 people. Later in the night, almost 500 more people walked from their senior prom to join the event.
The GNC in Phoenix, Arizona took place outside a parking garage at a plaza and consisted of 700 plus people from all over the valley.
The GNC in Seattle, Washington took place at a local park, was wet due to rain, and had an estimated 1,700 people attend.
The Toledo/Bowling Green GNC was held in the St. Aloysius church parking lot and hosted about 130 people. Media coverage was inaccurate.[citation needed]
The GNC in Durham, New Hampshire consisted of 200 people, and took place on the University of New Hampshire campus hosted by ChildVoice International. It was below freezing that night, and most of the "global night commuters" woke up with frost on their sleeping bags.
In Portland, Oregon, the GNC took place at Pioneer Courthouse Square, was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit at night, and hosted around 1,000 people. Media coverage was limited.
The GNC event in Knoxville, Tennessee had at least 250 commuters who were forced to sleep under a nearby bridge due to rain.
The GNC in Providence, Rhode Island was held at the Bank of America Skating Center, an outdoor public ice rink, in Kennedy Plaza. Most media coverage was diverted to a mill fire in nearby Woonsocket; the sole news clip erroneously claimed that the event supported children in Nigeria.
The GNC in Lansing, Michigan was held at Hawk Island County Park. There were more than 400 people in attendance to support the Invisible Children cause. After many attempts to contact the local media, it proved unsuccessful. The weather was cold and wet.
The GNC in Eugene, Oregon was held at Northwest Christian College in the courtyard. More than 200 people came. The media were not present.
The GNC in Orlando, Fla had about 800 people in attendance. There was little media coverage, if any.
See also
References
- ^ "Global Night Commute". Retrieved 2006-04-30.
External links
Event Photographs
- Flickr Collection
- Vancouver, Canada
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Portland, Oregon
- Washington DC
- Kansas City
Press