Rallies
continued from page 1
rally, and organizers announced a
count of 200,000 late in the day.
Protesters began gathering
along Market Street about 9 a.m.,
lining the sidewalks and quickly
filling the street. At the Ferry
Building, where the first stage was
located, music boomed and sever
al speakers rallied the crowd
before the official march.
The war “is a big waste of money,
and a lot of people will get killed,”
protester Joe Kriz said. “Why in the
hell, when our economy is trashed,
why in the hell should we be spend
ing all this money?”
Protesters started marching
slowly after a lengthy opening rally.
By noon, the crowd had grown so
massive that it extended several
blocks down Market Street — near
ly halfway to the Civic Center Plaza
where a second stage was set for
more speakers, including actor
Martin Sheen and singer-songwriter
Bonnie Raitt.
“We want to end our long and
shameful silence here today, and in
one strong, clear and unified voice,
say ‘no’ to death and war and ‘yes’
to life, so that we may be made
worthy of the long-promised bless
ings reserved for the peacemakers,”
Sheen said. “From this time forth,
may all our thoughts, words and
deeds be a non-violent resistant to
all violence, or be worthless.”
Washington, D.C.
Tens of thousands of people from
all over America braved bone-chill
ing temperatures in the nation’s
capital Saturday, participating in
the country’s largest anti-war
demonstration.
The rally and march attracted a
wide spectrum of demonstrators,
including sign-toting grandmothers,
college students, gay activists and
parents with babies in strollers. Or
ganizers estimated that more than
200,000 — and as many as 500,000
— people converged on the Nation
al Mall. Authorities would not con
firm that number, but said the
crowds were larger than the anti
war protest in the fall.
Many of the demonstrators and
most of the speakers — including
Revs. Jesse Jackson and A1 Sharp
ton, Vietnam War veteran Ron
Kovic and former U.S. Attorney
General Ramsey Clark — were
united in questioning Bush’s mo
tives for threatening a new war.
“This is a great day for America,”
said Kovic, who was carried up to
the open-air stage. “I lost three
fourths of my body (in Vietnam).
You will find strength. You were
born to take this country back! No
blood for oil.”
Portland
More than 15,000 people
marched peacefully in downtown
Portland on Saturday, and even
more gathered in the Park blocks
to rally against war and hear from
speakers. The Portland Police Bu
reau did not estimate the size
of the crowd, but The Associated
Press said 20,000 protesters
were present.
The mood rang jubilant and
friendly, and the march was led by
a colorful, energetic group called
the Radical Cheerleaders, whose
bright pompoms and playful chants
pumped up the crowd.
William Seaman, a volunteer for
the Portland Peaceful Response
Coalition and a member of the No
War Drum Corps, said the crowd
was taken aback by its own size.
“It was something quite historic
for Portland,” he said. “There was
an attitude of friendliness; it was a
spirit of justice and of community,
not just a rally.”
Portland Peaceful Response
Coalition was one of more than 140
organizations co-sponsoring Satur
Jessica Richelderfer Emerald
Radical Cheereaders lead the crowd in anti-war chant, marching to the cadence of the No War Drum Corps
day’s events.
Portland Police spokesman Hen
ry Groepper said the day went
smoothly, with no reports of van
dalism and no arrests.
"There was an attitude
of friendliness; it was
a spirit of justice
and of community,
not just a rally/'
William Seaman
volunteer
“We worked to make sure every
one’s rights were upheld, including
the right to assemble,” he said.
Eugene
More than 100 people lined the
Ferry Street Bridge on Saturday to
protest an impending war in Iraq.
University Honors College pro
fessor Henry Alley said he was
there to raise awareness and stim
ulate discussion.
“I’m trying to do what I can to
stop what I think is unnecessary,”
he said.
Retired librarian and new Eu
gene resident Sylvia Taylor said war
with Iraq is a bad idea.
“Peace-building is much better
than war,” she said.
Corvallis high school students
Kirsten Studley and Jessey Gress
well traveled to Eugene because
they could not find transportation
to Portland.
“We’re not mad at Iraq — we’re
mad at the terrorists, yet (Iraqis are
the ones who will be) killed,”
Gresswell said.
“I don’t like the thought of killing
innocent people,” Studley added.
Portland and Eugene saw
peaceful events, but the anti-war
rally in San Francisco was not
without incidents and counter
demonstrations.
Between 200 and 500 protesters
in the Bay area formed their own
rally in undesignated streets, block
ing the busy city traffic. Witnesses
to the splinter protest said a few
people broke windows at the Immi
gration and Naturalization Services
building, spray-painted slogans on
other buildings and knocked over
newsstands.
Police followed the crowd to a
nearby BART station before the
protesters dispersed into the sta
tion and among the gathering shop
ping crowd, witnesses said.
A group of about 100 counter
demonstrators, holding signs that
said “leftists hate America” and
“America’s enemies thank you for
your support,” also gathered on the
steps of City Hall.
Cinnamon Stillwell, a Web site
columnist, said she was there to
support American troops and Bush.
“Our view is reality,” she said.
“Mostly, we just wanted to show
that not everybody in the Bay Area
feels the same.”
Seaman, the Portland protester,
said organizers hope the visible op
position will make a difference.
“Will we succeed? It’s difficult to
tell. The Bush administration is
clearly intent on going to war. We
hope they will now look at (these)
political demonstrations,” he said.
“The international community,
as well, may think about the mean
ing of these demonstrations and be
come even stronger in their opposi
tion to the war.”
Contributing writers: Emerald senior
news reporter Jan Montry, from San
Francisco; Emerald editor in chief
Michael j. Kleckner and Emerald
managing editor Jessica Richelderfer,
from Portland; Emerald reporter Roman
Gokhman, from Eugene; Los Angeles
Times reporters David Willman and
Charles Piller, from Washington, D.C.
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