Vigils in June 2020

[Roberta]

Yesterday Jeanne and I marched at noon with about 200 locals in support of Black Lives Matter, through Montrose to Montrose Park and back to the shopping area. The article in today’s (June 4th) CV Weekly covered and had a picture from the 10am march the same day and may have mentioned the 12 noon one, but perhaps their deadline did not allow time to include more.  On FB I posted a nice picture of us arriving at the park but can’t get it to copy here. (Although a photo from a CodePink site copied here recently without the dreaded Photobucket, go figure!)

She and I had the same reaction to walking by our regular vigil corner with a big group of protesters demanding justice in order to know peace — we both got emotional. I teared up a bit, moved at the thought of our many stands there, over so long, often feeling quite lonely, speaking for myself anyway. We were not alone yesterday!

[Brian]

Thank you, Roberta!  Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow its users to reproduce photos on its website elsewhere.

Here's the link to the Crescenta Valley Weekly's report about local protests in the past few days, including a photo taken in Montrose:

www.crescentavalleyweekly.com/news/06/04/2020/several-protests-vigil-throughout-cv-area/

Here's a photo Jeanne L. grabbed on Wednesday as protesters marched by our corner.

[Sharon W]

Thank all those who marched and protested. We are with you in spirit. I'm off most social media for a while, still grieving for an old friend and need a break.

[Brian]

Seven young advocates of Black Lives Matter stood with ten regulars at this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, the greatest number of demonstrators during a vigil since January 10.  We got more honks, shouts, waves, raised fists and peace signs from the passing vehicles than any of us older folks could remember witnessing in the past 14 years.

Everybody wore face coverings.  We spread out with our signs, covering the wide northwest corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue near the Vietnam War memorial along with the patch of grass on the southwest corner for some of the vigil.  Hope you'll join us any Friday between 5:30 and 7 p.m.

Since October 2011, we have printed and displayed every Defense Department news release announcing the deaths of soldiers, sailors and airmen in our many ongoing wars during the vigils. The Pentagon reported no uniformed casualties in the previous seven days.

[anni]

Pics from Friday's (06/05/2020) Vigil. We were joined by Black Lives Matter folks, as Brian mentions above.

[Brian]

Jim arrived about half an hour early for this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil.  When he drove by the corner around 5 p.m., he saw several Black Lives Matter demonstrators, but by the time he parked and walked back there, they had left.

Ten people participated in this week's vigil, including -- for the first time -- Justeen's friends Orrin and Russell.  Orrin came all the way from Simi Valley.

In the previous seven days, the Department of Defense reported no military deaths in Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan, Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria or in any of the many other U.S. operations underway around the world.

More about this vigil: montrosepeacevigil.proboards.com/thread/1081/paranoids-arming-protesters

[anni]

From strong hearts Sharon and Bill...vigiling while social distancing! Definitely good to see!

[Sharon W]

Thanks for posting these Anni! I didn't anticipate wearing the Fishbone t-shirt we got last year at the One Nation Under a Groove concert at the Greek Theatre last summer but I'm glad I have it now! Bill's comment on the photo album of the show:
We had an absolute blast at the Greek last night! The show started a little early at 7:20pm with opening acts Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf, Dumpstaphunk, and LA's own Fishbone. They all did a great job preparing the crowd to usher in that vehicle of funk deliverance, the PFunk Mothership. George Clinton and his many friends (over 2 dozen at some points) came onstage and gave back the funk until a few minutes after the 11pm curfew. We had more fun at this show than any other so far this year.

[Brian]

Sixteen demonstrators participated in this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, including three people who approached Jeanne, standing with her sign on the southeast corner, and stayed a good while to talk, eventually flashing peace signs and waving at the vehicles passing by.  The rest of us spread out on the three grass patches on the northwest corner, so we had the intersection of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue covered.

Traffic on the roads and sidewalks seems to pick up a little more every week, approaching the old normal.  Parking spaces that were empty two months ago are now routinely full.

The Pentagon announced no U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria or anywhere else in the previous seven days.

Jun 14, 2020 4:53:48 GMT -8 Sharon W said:

There have been pickup trucks emblazoned with T/P 2020 banners and American flags parking in the parking lot just west of the In-n-Out on Friday afternoons, the BLM and progressive minded demonstrators are going to the Albertson's lot on the south side of Foothill. So far, to the best of my knowledge, exchanges of screaming expletives are the worst that has happened.

Anni and I noticed those two small groups on Foothill Boulevard last week on our way from Tujunga to the Montrose Peace Vigil.  This week, the youthful Black Lives Matter contingent numbered between 30 to 40 tightly bunched protesters lining the road next to Albertson's when we drove by around 5:15 p.m.  The Trump group across the street was only one fifth that size, and outnumbered by their flags.  Someone who drove by an hour later told me that police officers were standing in the median between the groups but all parties were peaceful.  Everybody was gone when we drove home around 7:15.

[Roberta]

Once again. I will drop off donations on Saturday (6/27), here’s the announcement from CV United Methodist Church website. Montrose Peace Vigil via Jeanne received a really nice thank you letter from Bailey Center for our donations earlier this month, and they loved our *cash* donations (mostly Brian and Anni!), even though monetary donations not mentioned below.

27/JUN
Learning Works and Bailey Center Donations
Saturday, June 27th from 8am-1pm
We will be collecting donations for Learning Works and the Bailey Center in a bin outside Fellowship Hall between the Church and the Education Building. Please enter from the gate at the lower parking lot and continue going to leave by going up the stairs to the front of the church. Please wear a mask and gloves to drop off your items and maintain your six feet of social distancing. We want everyone to be safe. As many of you know, we have been giving to the Bailey Center in recent weeks and will continue to do so, but Learning Works really needs help right now so we hope that you can help them too. Learning Works needs diapers, baby wipes, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizers, cash, and gift cards (groceries, gas, Target, etc.). The Bailey Center needs Canned Goods, Tuna, Pasta, Peanut Butter, Cereal, and Soup. No Chocolate or other food that could melt. We will be collecting every other Saturday as needed.