Brian
Administrator
Posts: 3,793
|
Post by Brian on Sept 3, 2021 23:22:34 GMT -8
Since the first week of August, we've been blessed with the presence of activists from local Democratic groups demonstrating alongside us against the recall of Governor Newsom. Nineteen anti-recall demonstrators occupied all four corners of the intersection of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue starting before 5 p.m. at this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil. By the time they left, they'd garnered almost unanimous honks, waves and thumbs up from the passing vehicles. A recent poll says that the No on the recall percentage has gone up. The gut I've grown from standing on the same corner for 16 years tells me that the opposition is gaining momentum, and that's also based on conversations with scared pro-recall Republican pedestrians who've stop to talk. Eleven vigil stalwarts participated this week, giving us a total of 30 sign holding demonstrators. Since October 2011, we have displayed every Defense Department news release announcing the deaths of soldiers, Marines, sailors and Airmen in our many ongoing military operations around the world. The Pentagon reported no uniformed U.S. casualties in the previous six days. Last Saturday, it released the names of the 13 service members who died in the suicide bombing at the airport in Kabul, which I wrote about in the Vigils in August 2021 thread. At this week's vigil, we taped a three-page, large type printout of this news release on the flagpole in front of the Vietnam War memorial: www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2756011/dod-identifies-marine-corps-navy-and-army-casualties/
|
|
Brian
Administrator
Posts: 3,793
|
Post by Brian on Sept 6, 2021 23:00:28 GMT -8
Here are some photos I took at the Montrose Peace Vigil on September 3, 2021: Many of the folks from local Democratic groups who had joined us to demonstrate against the recall of Governor Newsom gathered on the southeast corner for a photo. While they posed for the camera on the opposite side of the intersection, I took advantage of a lull in the holiday weekend traffic to snap one standing in the street. Vigil regulars Roberta and Jim are there too. We displayed the Defense Department announcement of the deaths of 13 service members in Afghanistan on the flagpole in front of the Vietnam War memorial. Tom and Korey played bluegrass throughout the vigil, gaining new fans and at least one enthusiastic young dancer. This is the link to the website of their band, Ikes Creek: www.ikescreek.com/
|
|
|
Post by Sharon W on Sept 10, 2021 18:36:36 GMT -8
Sorry we were only able to drive by the vigil tonight. Our new Stop Line 3 signs came and we parked and started to join the vigil when I realized I'd forgotten my face masks. We'll be more prepared next week!
|
|
Brian
Administrator
Posts: 3,793
|
Post by Brian on Sept 10, 2021 23:00:14 GMT -8
We were wondering what happened, Sharon -- thanks for posting! You and Bill brought signs to the corner and displayed your Stop Line 3 sign through the window, so both of you are included in the census below.
This Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil was the last one before the recall election. It's been a joy hanging out with activists like Suzanne, Gaby, John, Bonnie, Madeline, Carl, Stephanie, Annaliese, Marty and many others -- some of whom have participated in past vigils before demonstrating against the recall for the last six weeks. But I know we'll keep seeing them around, organizing for a better future for all of us.
I counted 17 anti-recall demonstrators this week plus 14 vigil regulars. We're always especially glad to see Yoshio -- who brought stacks of Change Links every month before the pandemic -- driving a long way to Montrose from Northridge in the Friday evening traffic.
In the previous seven days, the Department of Defense reported no military deaths in Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria or in any of the other named U.S. operations underway around the world.
|
|
Roberta
Member
Vigil founding member
Posts: 1,030
|
Post by Roberta on Sept 12, 2021 12:55:46 GMT -8
|
|
Brian
Administrator
Posts: 3,793
|
Post by Brian on Sept 17, 2021 23:00:31 GMT -8
It was only 75 degrees when I got to the corner for this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, the last vigil of summer. For the past six weeks, I had gotten used to being greeted by a crowd of anti-recall demonstrators when I arrived. This week I stood by myself for the first few minutes, though I got a couple of honks.
Throughout the vigil, other regulars kept showing up until we had a total of 14 participants. We lined up north of the crosswalk on Ocean View Boulevard, partly to be in the shade but mostly because of the busker with the loud amp in our usual spot in the middle dirt patch on the corner. The sun disappeared behind the Verdugo Hills well before quitting time at 7. No U. S. military deaths were reported in the previous seven days.
|
|
Brian
Administrator
Posts: 3,793
|
Post by Brian on Sept 24, 2021 23:00:36 GMT -8
The sunlight cast an orange hue over the foothills Thursday and Friday as the jet stream shifted south, bringing smoke from the fires in the southern Sierra up high in the atmosphere. When I looked east entering the freeway on my way to this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, I thought smoke was hugging the mountains to the east. I was wrong. The monsoonal moisture that was predicted to result in afternoon rain over Orange and San Bernardino counties sprinkled big drops our way. The rain, such as it was, fell for about 15 minutes but it wasn't enough to wet the sidewalks.
I'm happy to report that we were joined by our first spontaneous demonstrators in several months. Julian and Allison struck up a conversation with Roberta as they exited the crosswalk, asking about the vigil. Like so many others over the years before the pandemic, they stayed to talk and held a sign. We stood with the wonderful anti-recall activists for the first two weeks of the month before the election. If I only counted demonstrators holding peace and justice signs, the vigil would have averaged 13 people each week, one peacenik more than our pre-pandemic average. Here's my weekly headcount of the total participants:
- Sept. 3 - 30
- Sept. 10 - 31
- Sept. 17 - 14
- Sept. 24 - 11
This month's weekly average rounds up to 22 participants, after averaging 30 in August, 11 in July, 17 in June, 11 in May, 10 in April, 9 in March, 8 in February, 7 in January and December, 8 in November, 10 in October and 9 in September 2020. Twelve peaceniks had been our average attendance for many years before the pandemic. For the fourth week in a row, the Pentagon reported no U.S. casualties.
|
|