500 at Westwood anti-war rally

Some 500 people participated at the April 9th, Westwood demonstration against the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The demonstrators lined Wilshire Blvd. with signs and banners, receiving enormous positive response from those driving by the scene. The crowd was made up of Asians, Latinos, African Americans, Anglos... basically every community was represented. Favorite signs read: "So many things to protest, so little sign.", "U.S. out of everywhere!", and "Stop the 9/11 cover up." There was no violence and no right wing hecklers, but a protestor was arrested when he placed an anti war sign on the war memorial stature on the corner of Wilshire and Veteran.

At around 7:30 p.m., the crowd had dwindled to around 70, but it was decided to hold a march through the Westwood Village area. Chanting "Hey Bush - what do you say - how many kids have you killed today?!", and "U.S. out of Iraq!", the marchers snaked their way through the Village, disrupting the Friday evening complacent scene of movies, cafes, and cheap entertainment.