Vigils in July 2020

[Roberta]

What I mentioned at the corner just now, and borrowed the signs for! Here’s the info I just emailed. I’m gonna be on the road with CodePink part of tomorrow, won’t have a lot of extra time, so if you think of anyone else to enlist to support this, please feel free!

Dear friends,

Below is the info on the contest. I’ll be mounting my display early tomorrow morning. (Don’t want it to get pilfered from overnight), and I will send you a picture then. You might want to drive by too! If you think it is worthy, I hope each of you will call and/or email the CV Chamber at the # and email address below, and let them know.

I thought it would be fun to have something without the war-mongering and hyper-jingoism of the 4th. Feel free to share with other simpatico locals too!

Peace,
Roberta

www.crescentavalleyweekly.com/business/07/02/2020/news-crescenta-valley-chamber-commerce-business-business/. :

“First, while unfortunately the Crescenta Valley Fireworks Association had to cancel this year’s show, our Chamber is sponsoring a 4th of July “Show Your Patriotism” home decoration contest. We will recognize the top eight home decoration displays. Drive around, find the homes with the best and most original displays and contact us at [phone] or [e-mail]. And for those of you decorating your home . . . be creative, unique and give us your best patriotic effort!”

[Brian]

Anni, Russell, Berit and Justeen at the Montrose Peace Vigil on June 26.

We began our fifth month of physical distancing and mask wearing at this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, the beginning of the holiday weekend with very light traffic.  Feel free to stand with us any Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the intersection of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue in Montrose, CA 91020.  Bring your own signs or choose one from our bag of signs addressing peace and justice issues.

In June, we averaged 14 demonstrators each week, but this week only nine regulars made it to the corner.

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.

[Brian]

Click on the graphic to enlarge it.

Jeanne sent me that flyer for a Community Teach-In Event planned on Friday, July 10, at the southwest corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue in Montrose, CA 91020, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., overlapping next Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil on our usual northwest corner by one hour.

According to the flyer, participants will stand with posters depicting events that led up to the historic worldwide protests that started in late May. Here's the link to the timeline that inspired this project:

www.theroot.com/a-timeline-of-events-that-led-to-the-2020-fed-up-rising-1843780800

[Jeanne]

Jul 7, 2020 23:00:37 GMT -8 Brian said:

View Attachment
Click on the graphic to enlarge it.

Jeanne sent me that flyer for a Community Teach-In Event planned on Friday, June 10, at the southwest corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue in Montrose, CA 91020, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., overlapping next Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil on our usual northwest corner by one hour.

According to the flyer, participants will stand with posters depicting events that led up to the historic worldwide protests that started in late May. Here's the link to the timeline that inspired this project:

www.theroot.com/a-timeline-of-events-that-led-to-the-2020-fed-up-rising-1843780800

Thanks for sharing this, Brian. I look forward to sharing the space with others who want to educate. I hope there will be some pedestrians interested in learning some history.

At this point, the timeline will have some gaps and plenty of space if anyone wants to make a poster. Let me know and I can connect you with an organizer to help you choose one that isn't taken.

[Brian]

Fourteen regulars came to the corner for this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil.

Throughout the vigil, we posted large type printouts of these Pentagon news releases identifying non-combat related casualties in Afghanistan on July 3 and in Kosovo on July 4 on the utility pole near the Vietnam War memorial:

www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2250751/dod-identifies-army-casualty/

www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2261512/dod-identifies-army-casualty/

The Community Teach-In Event was a tremendous success.  Concurrent with this week's Montrose Peace Vigil, it was the sixth demonstration in the greater Los Angeles area.  About three dozen people spaced out in the shade along the south sidewalk of Honolulu Avenue, stretching from the corner of Ocean View Boulevard westward.  They held signs outlining key events in the history of African Americans in the U.S. since 1619 -- attracting the attention of passing pedestrians and starting more than a few conversations.  I hope they return!  Anni will post a couple of representative photos in this thread.

[anni]

As promised, just a couple of the great signs from Community Teach In Vigil on 07/10/2020, in beautiful Montrose.

[anni]

Sharon and Bill vigiling from home, always with us in spirit!

[Brian]

Despite the below average temperature, foot and wheel traffic was light during this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil.  Traffic had been steadily increasing since stores started to reopen in May. Maybe fewer people are leaving home because of the latest and even scarier spread of Covid-19 that has us at the brink of another shutdown.  After three weeks, the city added several tables and two umbrellas to the dining area created by blocking parking spaces with concrete barricades, next to the Vietnam War memorial and our vigil on the corner.  But I saw very few people eating frozen yogurt there as others streamed out of the only other food establishment nearby, carrying pizza boxes to take home.

Twelve people participated in this week's vigil.  We enjoyed a lot of honks, waves, peace signs, raised fists and shout outs -- per capita -- from passing vehicles.

I printed the Defense Department news release linked below in a 18-point type and taped the page to the utility pole throughout the vigil.  The Army air defense artillery officer died Sunday in a "non-combat-related incident" in Afghanistan.

www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2272206/dod-identifies-army-casualty/

1st Lt. Joseph Trent Allbaugh

[Brian]

This Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil was accompanied again by mild weather and light traffic.  The dining area next to our corner remains mostly empty.  But not the tables in the new area blocking all of the parking spaces along Honolulu Avenue on the other side of Ocean View Boulevard.  They were occupied, thanks to the always popular Pepe's restaurant.

Nine regulars held signs this week.  That includes Jim, who comes to the corner early and often leaves before we start arriving at 5:30.  According to his e-mail, "Most walkers and people in cars liked my Vote Out Trump sign."

Throughout the vigil, we posted a printout of this Pentagon news release announcing the death of a soldier in a "vehicle rollover accident" in Syria, where U.S. and Russian patrols routinely cross paths:

www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2284885/dod-identifies-army-casualty/

Sgt. Bryan Cooper Mount

His family placed an obituary in the St. George (Utah) News on Friday: www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2020/07/24/bryan-cooper-mount/#.XxvRhLnsaM8

[Brian]

The summer heat finally arrived at this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, while foot and wheel traffic remained sparse.

As always, I counted the participants at each week's vigil:

• July 3 - 9
• July 10 - 14
• July 17 - 12
• July 24 - 9
• July 31 - 8

This month's weekly average rounds down to 10 participants after averaging 14 in June, 10 in May and April, 12 in March, February and January, 13 in December, 12 in November, 13 in October and 12 in September, August and July 2019.

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.