On Saturday, Oct. 26, students from all five Claremont colleges joined tens of thousands of other demonstrators in San Francisco to protest a potential war against Iraq.
After an opening rally at Justin Herman Plaza, the peace activists trekked nearly two miles down Market Street, one of the city's main arteries, until they reached the United Nations Plaza. Once there, participants of all ages crowded onto the lawn in front of City Hall and heard speakers including Barbara Lee and US representative Dolores Huerta. The ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) coalition responsible for organizing the protest estimated that the crowd numbered between 80,000 and 100,000, although a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department claimed the figure was only half that.
Considering the size of the event, both police and organizers expressed surprise and relief at its smooth and peaceful conclusion.
"There were no arrests," said Dewayne Tully, a San Francisco Police Department spokesperson. "After the rally ended, a splinter group of about 200 proceeded down Market Street and blocked traffic. It grew to about 600, but then it dissipated on its own. It was generally a well-behaved crowd."
Police presence at the event was heavy but reserved. Officers from all ten of San Francisco's police precincts lined the entrances to City Hall and parked themselves on every street corner. Officers did not interfere in the rally as it unfolded, and ANSWER organizers seemed quite satisfied with the conduct of both demonstrators and police officers.
The lack of tension between the police and protesters contributed to the event's relaxed atmosphere. At many points, the rally felt more like a festival than a demonstration. Alongside the tables distributing leaflets and propaganda were food booths offering everything from Mexican to Ghanian to Cajun cuisine. Requisite bongo drummers competed with musicians toting harmonicas, banjos, and even a trombone. Sharply-dressed, middle-aged parents pushed baby strollers alongside grizzled old '60s vets sporting ponytails.
A significant number of high school and college students attended the rally as well. According to Leilani Dowell, an ANSWER student organizer and Cal State SF senior, the crowd included students from 48 different colleges and eight high schools. Along with Claremont students, there were contingents from Occidental, USC, UC-San Diego, UC-Santa Barbara, UCLA, Berkeley, Stanford, USF, and many others.
"I think a lot of students are really fed up with all the garbage in the media; they're looking for something to plug in to," Dowell said. "This war just doesn't make sense. And I think students are aware of that."
Diana Ming Yin SC '04, who organized buses to transport students from Claremont to San Francisco, was surprised at the volume of response to her flyers.
"I thought there were going to be about 30, but 80, maybe 100 people contacted me for more info," she said. "I started getting flooded with e-mail." Ultimately, Yin said, 52 people squeezed onto the bus, and at least 45 others drove up to the event on their own. For those who snagged a spot on the bus, it proved a worthwhile experience. At least, it did for Andrea Lui HMC '06, who relished the opportunity to socialize with anti-war activists from other colleges.
"I was the only person from Harvey Mudd to go," she said. "But then a couple of Pomona people formed a solidarity group... and that was a good experience. I got to bond with people who are also anti-war."
Among those who attended, there seems to be a general consensus on two matters: the surprising size of the crowd, and the overwhelming sense of harmony among its members.
"It was amazing, empowering," said Cyrus Dionn '05. "Everyone was really unified... You see that you really aren't isolated, there are a lot of people like you-free-thinking individuals."
Ilana Blankman '04, has been to protests and rallies before. But even for a seasoned protester, it was an impressive event.
"It was one of the best protests that I've been to," Blankman said. "I felt a really really strong sense of solidarity."
Blankman seemed cheered by how many of her fellow students had showed an interest in the anti-war movement. "I was impressed that we had a bus full of people that were willing to take a whole day to go speak out against the war," she said.
Some 5-C students wound up in San Francisco through their involvement in various off-campus activist groups. Anna Kim CMC '04, was at the rally as part of Mindullae, a Korean social justice organization in Los Angeles reunification and labor rights. Mindullae incorporates traditional Korean drumming into its activism, and Kim wore a "really big" drum strapped to her body for two and a half hours as she marched along Market Street to the rally.
While there, Kim-who has attended every anti-war rally in the L.A. area in the past couple months-said she was pleased to note some familiar faces in the crowd. "I think it's really cool that a lot of Claremont students went up [to San Francisco]," she declared.
Kara Sigler SC '03, agreed, "I saw a lot of people there that I knew," she said.
Sigler, however, said that her personal political beliefs, rather than social ties, motivated her to make the drive north. "I felt like I needed to be there in San Francisco to be one more number counted." she said. "I feel helpless and I feel like coming together in a mass of people. It's creating solidarity, creating a community."
Lin hopes sentiments like these can be harnessed to strengthen the community of anti-war activists in Claremont. "With so many people interested in this cause, I think we can really get the Claremont colleges to be more politically active," she predicted.
