Art About Town...Foster City, California

"Much violence is based on the illusion that life is a property to be defended and not to be shared."

-Henri Nouwen

This sculpture and gazebo are part of the 20 acres that make up the, Leo J Ryan Memorial Park, in Foster City, California. The park is dedicated to the memory of U.S. Congressman Leo J. Ryan who was murdered, in 1978, on an airstrip just outside the Jonestown compound near Georgetown, Guyana, by members of the People's Temple, which was led by Rev. Jim Jones. Before he became a congressman, Mr. Ryan served as the mayor of South San Francisco. This park, and the memorials to him, are a poignant reminder of the peaceful man that Congressman Ryan was.

An environmentalist, animal rights advocate and an investigator of religious cults, Ryan had an impressive record for his time in office. In 1970, he used a pseudonym for his name and had himself arrested, in order to investigate conditions inside the California prison system. He was awarded posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal for his service in congress. He is the only member of congress, to date, to have been killed in the line of duty.

"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."

-Thomas Elva Edison

-OndineMonet
Leo J. Ryan Memorial Park
Foster City, California
February 1st, 2006
Early Evening