Vigils in August 2022

[Brian]

The northern portion of the Montrose Peace Vigil as seen on July 1, 2022.

It looked like National Night Out at this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil watching all of the young families strolling by, some stopping for frozen yogurt or a quick chat with us, on a not too warm, slightly breezy evening.   In contrast, vehicle traffic was very light.  So far this summer, we've been spared any excessive heat -- but it's only August.

As a reminder, we stand on the northwest corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue near the Vietnam War memorial in Montrose, CA 91020 every Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. without regard to the weather or holidays -- we haven't missed a vigil since January 2006.  Please stop by sometime if you can.

Only eight vigil regulars came to the corner this week, well below our average of 11 weekly demonstrators in July.  They were, in order of appearance:  Roberta, Anni, me, Dennis, Frannie, Bruce, Nancy and Jim.

Since October 2011, we have printed and 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 seven days.

[Brian]

A young mother pushing a baby stroller saw Jim's big Ukrainian flag at this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil and stopped to thank us.  She's been here for the past two months undergoing cancer treatment and she and her baby are about to return to her husband and the rest of her family in Ukraine.  With perfect English, she said it meant so much that Americans still recognized what her country was going through as the Russian invasion continues in its sixth month.

Although plenty of frozen yogurt eaters and pedestrians surrounded us at all times, road traffic was light -- there were moments when no vehicles could be seen traveling in all four directions at the intersection.  Vigil attendance was also sparse.  Anni, Roberta and I were the only demonstrators for the first 45 minutes.  We were glad that Jeanne, Nancy, Jim and John the Realtor joined us, and not just because they kept Montrose Peace Vigil from tying our lowest mark of six participants set in the pouring rain in February 2011 and more recently tied twice during the pandemic peak at the end of December 2021.

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.

[Brian]

Eleven regulars came to this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, last month's weekly average, as more people returned to the sidewalks and streets around us.  In order of appearance:  Anni, me, Roberta, Frannie, Jeanne, Terry, Bruce, Mary, Nancy, Jim and Dennis.

Most of us at the vigil tonight are going to Jeanne's art opening tomorrow from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Gallery at Creative Arts Group in Sierra Madre, joining Jeanne's many friends from the other parts of her life:  teaching high school, helping to lead the congregation of Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church and making ceramics for five full decades, to broadly name just a few things that she accomplishes every week.  Here's a link to another page on this message board with details of Jeanne's show, which continues through August 29:

montrosepeacevigil.proboards.com/thread/1342/celebration-50-years-clay

The Department of Defense reported no uniformed casualties in the previous seven days.

[Brian]

Road traffic wasn't as sparse at this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil as it was two weeks ago when there were moments we saw no vehicles traveling in all four directions at the intersection, but it was noticeably lighter than last week's vigil.  And so was the pedestrian traffic despite the relatively cool weather after a hot week.  Standing at that intersection virtually every Friday for the past 16 years has given me lots of time to observe patterns and theorize about the number of folks we see on the corner.  I attribute the lack of people this week to the beginning of the school year.

Yet vigil turnout was a dozen peaceniks, our average attendance for many years before the pandemic, after a slow start during the August travel season.  Anni, Roberta and I arrived at 5:30, followed by fellow regulars Frannie, Mary, Dennis, Bruce, Jeanne, Jim, John the Realtor, Terry and Nancy, in order of appearance.  We covered two patches of dirt and grass on the wide corner.  The total number of demonstrators each week this month:

• Aug. 5 - 8
• Aug. 12 - 7
• Aug. 19 - 11
• Aug. 26 - 12

This month's weekly average rounds up to 10 participants, after averaging 11 in July, 10 in June, 11 in May, 8 in April, 10 in March, 9 in February, 10 in January, 9 in December, 10 in November, 12 in October, and 22 in September and 30 in August 2021 (when we were joined by anti-recall demonstrators).

For the 26th week in a row, the Pentagon reported no U.S. casualties.  The last one was the death of an airman in an unexplained non-combat related incident in Niger -- where four soldiers died in an ambush in 2017 -- reminding us that U.S. combat operations continue in Africa.  Friday marked the first anniversary of the deaths of 13 service members at the Kabul airport who were there ironically to save the lives of civilians, tragically becoming the final casualties of our 20-year war and occupation of Afghanistan.

[anni]

I had a lovely visit with long time vigil regular Rosalind on Wednesday. She's moved to Burbank now. Doing so well. One of these days (when it cools off a bit) we'll bring her to the vigil, just to say hi to her peacenik friends.

Here's Rosalind front and center, with her favorite "Healthcare is a Human Right" sign.

Here she is without a mask, same sign, April, 2019.