Santa Cruz Protests Iraq War Escalation

The number of cars honking also seemed like it had increased significantly since previous times. I had the feeling that we made an important shift .. becoming the majority.. that I'm just starting to recognize.

Check out all the medals that one guy has.

MoveOn folks were present.. but most people didn't have signs like these printed out.. so I wouldn't necessarily say that it was a 'MoveOn rally,' as was the case in some other cities.

The two ladies that helped organize the protest: Deirdre in the blue, Sherry in the white (w/ purple hat).

You've also got some cute little kids singing songs by the mic.

I have to say that it was a little odd hearing parts of the crowd singing Vietnam-era peace songs. I think it can be slightly alienating for younger generations (how 'bout some hip-hop, eh ;)), while enjoyed by relatively older folks at the same time. Not a criticism, per se, just an observation that I (and others) have had for a long time.

This double sided sign was carried around by its maker (with balloons attached at top). Everyone seemed like they were in a good mood and cheered every time the woman walked by.

There were also a fair amount of impeachment signs in the protest. I noticed this in photos from other actions this night as well - so maybe the impeachment movement has been given a big boost by the Dems new control of Congress?

A frequent (and fun) substitute teacher - Mr. X - that I remember from my SC High days :) In retrospect, he was probably one of the best subs we had.

It's hard to take a pic that really shows how many people were present. But there was a thick line of folks on this side, a line of folks on the other side of the street, always a few people in the middle seperation, and some folks by the clock tower looking towards N. Pacific Ave as well.

The Sentinel put the crowd at 300. Some organizers said 500 (way over in my opinion), while some other organizers said 250-300. I think playing the numbers game is problemmatic, which is why I put 'hundreds' in my summary.

The ex-City Council member is still coming out for the community. Did anyone see Lynn Robinson at the protest? Me neither. I guess she's too busy with NIMBY.. I mean.. 'local' issues. Last time I checked, our kids coming back in body bags is a 'local issue.'

For the record, I didn't see any other current city councilmember either...

After a while, a group of youngstas decided to march down Pacific and back. A few other folks went along, but I don't think most people at the clock tower knew what was going on.

There was also one older guy that kept telling everyone that they needed to get on the sidewalk and was getting visibly angry. Eventually, an activist with a big banner started talking to him about the need to not tell people what to do, and the angry guy seemed to cool off a bit.

All in all it went well.. although when we got back to the clock tower there wasn't many people left - at about 7:15pm - a littler more than an hour into the protest.

These two were some of the last to go home.. fun folks :)