Brian
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Post by Brian on Dec 31, 2020 0:00:19 GMT -8
In January 2021, Montrose Peace Vigil will mark its 15th anniversary. We've gathered every Friday since January 2006 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the northwest corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue in Montrose, CA 91020. We have never skipped a week of standing for peace and justice -- not even when there's pouring rain, extreme temperatures or high winds.
But during 2020, like the rest of the world, we dealt with the pandemic. For many years, the vigil averaged a dozen participants per week. Last September, our weekly average dipped below double digits. Six of our greatest stalwarts have stayed safe at home since March. (Most regulars don't come every week.) The rest of us accept the small risk, showing up while wearing face coverings and keeping distant from each other. While the Covid positivity rate has soared to one in five people in Los Angeles County, almost all of the pedestrians -- and some drivers -- who pass by us are wearing masks too. During the current emergency, the traffic has diminished week by week. So we are grateful for all of the goodwill and expressions of support that we've received, probably more per capita than we used to get.
Will Biden become the fourth president to leave office with U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan and Iraq? We continue to stand for change.
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Jan 2, 2021 0:00:12 GMT -8
Can't say that traffic during this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil -- the third New Year's Day demonstration in our 15-year history -- was any greater than it was last Friday, Christmas Day. Maybe a few more vehicles, probably fewer pedestrians. Anni thought that traffic was lower overall. God forbid that I start counting passersby like I keep track of vigil participants every week just to make factual comparisons, but with so few people on the streets that wouldn't take much effort, frankly. Unlike last week, the frozen yogurt place and the Coffee Bean were open. Six stalwarts came to the corner this week: Roberta, Anni, me, Jeanne, Bruce and Nancy, in order of appearance. 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. The Pentagon reported no uniformed U.S. casualties in the previous seven days.
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anni
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Post by anni on Jan 3, 2021 8:14:15 GMT -8
Jim and Jeanne with the rose covered signs on December 31, 2010.
Ten years ago, Roberta and Jeanne created three beautiful signs for a protest by Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace on the Rose Parade route in the afternoon of New Year's Eve. The signs honored all of the U.S. troops who had died in Afghanistan with individual rose decals -- 1,445 at the time. And they kept updating them, adding stickers every year before their next appearance amid the throngs of people on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.
Thanks to Roberta for bringing the signs to last Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil -- on New Year's Day 2021, when there was no Rose Parade or Rose Bowl game. To date, 2,452 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan.
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Roberta
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Post by Roberta on Jan 3, 2021 12:14:24 GMT -8
Credit where credit is due, Jeanne’s most invaluable contribution was her amazing job of freehand drawing the underlying structure of the Tournament of Roses (I assume) trademarked rose so that when we added the stickers it looks just like it. Also, that was a fast 10 years!
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Jan 9, 2021 0:00:14 GMT -8
After the upsetting week we've all had, I'm keeping this report brief. Traffic increased a little during this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, and so did our attendance. Nine regulars came to the corner. 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 operations underway around the world.
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Jan 16, 2021 0:00:20 GMT -8
I was eager to see if the record high temperature close to 90 degrees would result in more traffic during this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil. I was there from 5:10 until nearly 7 p.m., and the answer was no. But then, this winter has been mild so far yet there seems to be as few people driving and walking by us as we saw during the initial weeks of the pandemic last spring.
When I got to the corner, Jim was already there hoisting a big American flag with one arm and his Impeach sign with the other -- which he had the good sense to save from last year -- alongside John the Realtor, back after a long absence. Eight regulars participated in the two hour vigil.
For the sixth week in a row, the Pentagon reported no U.S. military casualties.
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Post by Sharon W on Jan 16, 2021 7:15:19 GMT -8
Thank you for being visible. We participated from home again, watching the gorgeous sunset.
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Jan 23, 2021 0:00:21 GMT -8
Possible brief showers were forecast for this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil -- and Anni had the windshield wipers going as we left Tujunga -- yet the corner stayed dry throughout. Only five regulars participated, which might be our lowest attendance since I started posting my tallies in 2008. The stats are spewed all over this message board, but unlike the Elias Sports Bureau, I don't compile or aggregate my numbers. I think that six peaceniks was our previous low mark in 2011, when rain poured nonstop and the wind drove it sideways -- and drove us across the street, under the Coffee Bean's awning. It hasn't rained like that in the ten years since.
Every Friday, Anni talks on the phone to our mutual friend and longtime vigil stalwart Rosalind, who's doing great and staying healthy. She has been quarantining at home since March. Rosalind always says hello to every vigil regular -- Anni's been passing her good wishes to the folks on the corner, so I want to put them here for those who are staying home like her. This Friday, the Department of Defense announced the last U.S. military death of the Trump administration, a non-combat casualty on January 20 halfway across the world in Kuwait. Anni taped a printout of this news release on the utility pole during the vigil: www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2479542/dod-identifies-army-casualty/Staff Sgt. Timothy Luke Manchester
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Post by Sharon W on Jan 23, 2021 2:27:34 GMT -8
Thank you for continuing to demonstrate against war. And thank you for honoring another American lost.
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Jan 30, 2021 0:47:55 GMT -8
After seven weeks, the pandemic restrictions eased, allowing restaurants to reopen outdoor dining in time for this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil. The temperature was 47 degrees at vigil time with brief showers possible but not likely. Nonetheless, the tables were full in front of Pepe's, east of the intersection of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue in Montrose -- with the addition of canopies overhead -- while the sidewalks and streets on our side were as quiet as they've been for weeks. Which has been great for socially distanced conversations.
For the first time in a longer time than I can remember, we had a spontaneous participant join the vigil. Lillian lives in North Hollywood but decided to get a pizza after her dentist appointment in Montrose. While waiting, she struck up a conversation with Jim, who arrived at the corner first. Turns out that Lillian is a lifelong activist who drives around with signs in her car. I think we'll see her again.
Here are my tallies of vigil participants in January:
- Jan. 1 - 6
- Jan. 8 - 9
- Jan. 15 - 8
- Jan. 22 - 5
- Jan. 29 - 8
This month's weekly average rounds down to 7 participants, after averaging exactly 7 in December, 8 in November, 10 in October, 9 in September, 11 in August, 10 in July, 14 in June, 10 in May and April, and 12 in March, February and January 2020 -- one dozen had been our longtime average attendance for many years before the pandemic. No U. S. military deaths were reported in the previous seven days.
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