Alhambra Vigil Grows : LA IMC

All the "regulars" showed up, and a few irregulars, and a lot of people who sometimes come by to say "hi" or just to hang out decided to pick up a sign, and express their position.

The scene was amazing, and I bet Alhambra hasn't had anything like this, ever. People were shouting, but, conservatives willing to discuss politics found what many find at this vigil: a place to debate with other political junkies. It was also like a reunion of sorts, to see a lot of local activists and others who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

Because F911 was also opening this night, the crowds thinned out a little early. I tried to see it, but, the film was sold out at all the local screens.

There were no incidents or arrests, as far as I know.

WC supports the Alhambra vigil consistently, and does their own thing. Their event on June 30th should be excellent.

This was my favorite sign.

Another good one. I am uploading this one for Sheepdog.

This is a cool shirt she got at the big antiwar march downtown.

These kids on the corner have supported the vigil regularly, and came out in big numbers to support. Right on!

Linda's a teacher in LA Unified, and engaged this guy (who's name I don't know) in a debate about the utility of voting. He argued that corporations control everything, while she argued that it's still important to participate at all levels. Keep hope alive :-)

The C is a hammer and sickle. Someone in the counter-protest believes that the ACLU are an enemy of the state. Yet... at the same time... the hammer and sickle represent communism, and implies that the state shall own all natural resources and guide industrial production. What the ACLU really is, is a defender of the Bill of Rights, which sought to restrict federal power; they defend individual rights against state incursions.

Ignoring all convention, some signs are long.

The usual corner, but not just the usual suspects. A lot of new people participated in this demonstration.

This corner was established as the "base" for al-Buscha. It was invaded by anti-war demonstrators.

They brought their protest to the corner. I think they could have been more assertive and stepped out to the curb, but, they are new to this.

She made this shirt for her husband, who is a Smiths fan, and participated in the Louder Than Bombs anti-war group.

Two of the counter-protesters brough a huge "Bush" sign, professionally printed and mounted on some corrugated plastic material. The anti-war folks got in front of and behind this mammoth sign to counter it with their hand-made signs. It was almost like a "street theater of signs", a battle between the society of artisans, and the society of mechanical printing. At some level, I was jealous of their gigantic plastic computer-printed sign. Maybe in the future, I'll be immune to this machine-seduction.

Juan is a hard-core KPFK listener and fount of knowledge about, it seems, anything. And, he's the nicest person in the world. He can talk to absolutely anyone about politics.

Not only that, he can have discussions about politics with people who disagree with him, and they'll come back for more. I'm in awe of this man.

Yup, some of us are still wating. (Others have given up.)

This sign wasn't used by the opposition. It could be interpreted as racist. Had they used it, odds are, some people would have switched sides to us.

This was strange. I couldn't tell if it was for or against the war. Maybe it was created as agitprop to discredit the conservatives. The conservatives were waving American, Israeli, and British flags. The British one was unexpected, as 80% of the public there do not support the war. Maybe they were old Def Leppard fans.