5 years on…
Passing by the protest yesterday, held in the shadow of heavy rain — which is to say, light rain that will turn heavy any minute now — I look over the gathering crowds and what little booths have been put up. I see three political candidates — first I saw Steve Novick’s campaign, which meant to me that just around the bend, but never next to him, I would see Jeff Merkley’s. Before I saw Jeff Merkley’s, I saw Ron Paul supporters had set up their little shin-dig — a bit of ideological diversity, I suppose. I am a little bit annoyed — it seems a little tacky for politicians to set up shop in these things, crassly shifting about for votes.
A group of about a dozen O-PIRGers had gathered into what looked like a prayer circle. Maybe, in a way, it was. But they threw out a peppy slogan at the end, and I guess you can say were in good spirits. A smattering of Women in Pink — indicating Code Pink — were here and there.
A ways away there is a memorial, on the edge of PSU, several grassy knolls of white flags representing dead Iraqis, after a handful of rows of red flags representing American dead. If I find a photograph of it online, I will post it.
Walking around the bend, I see a man with a black handkerchief over his mouth, handing out fliers. Pretty interesting — this is the infamous “Black Blocks” of these marches. Or so you think. I take a flier, look down on it, and see that he was mildly co-opting the situation – and there was a large troupe of Scientology critics waving signs aimed at the downtown Scientology Center. A fat and well dressed man stood at the door-way of the Scientology Center, staring at the crowd, waving signs “Keep the Faith. Lose the Corporation”; “Remember Lisa McPhearson”; “I Like Science Fiction Too — But I wouldn’t–”, et al. It was … interesting.