THOUSANDS ATTEND ANTI-WAR RALLY IN L.A.Byline: Staff and Wire Reports With the U.S. government moving closer to war with Iraq, thousands of demonstrators, some pushing strollers and walking dogs, took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or on Saturday to voice their protest. ``Here, take a picture of my sons' first protest,'' Maria Negrete, 27, goaded goad n. 1. A long stick with a pointed end used for prodding animals. 2. An agent or means of prodding or urging; a stimulus. tr.v. relatives as waves of people streamed by in a festival-like atmosphere. A mother of three small children, Negrete echoed the views of many accidental activists who said although a war with Iraq might be inevitable, they weren't going to sit back without a nonviolent fight. ``There are going to be children like mine who will die for oil, which I think is crazy, stupid and dumb,'' Negrete said. ``So I brought my sons, who are just as beautiful as any in Iraq.'' Miles away in Topanga, hundreds gathered at a community center Saturday night to show solidarity against war in Iraq. ``A Roar for Peace'' presentations against the war came in the form of poetry, music and speech. ``A possible war is horrifying - the most frightening thing is how fast it's all moving. As activists, we need to move faster,'' said Ellen Geer, who runs the Geer Theater Company in Topanga. The peace events came a day after the Bush administration issued a massive deployment order A planning directive from the Secretary of Defense, issued by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that authorizes and directs the transfer of forces between combatant commands by reassignment or attachment. to send about 35,000 new troops to the Persian Gulf Persian Gulf, arm of the Arabian Sea, 90,000 sq mi (233,100 sq km), between the Arabian peninsula and Iran, extending c.600 mi (970 km) from the Shatt al Arab delta to the Strait of Hormuz, which links it with the Gulf of Oman. region. In the downtown L.A. march, famed Vietnam War Vietnam War, conflict in Southeast Asia, primarily fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and guerrilla forces aided by North Vietnam. veteran Ron Kovic, who uses a wheelchair, led the protesters. Others lending their celebrity to the cause included Martin Sheen, star of NBC's ``The West Wing,'' and pop singer Jackson Browne. Organizers put the turnout at 20,000, but police offered a much smaller estimate of 3,000. There were no reports of arrests or incidents, said Officer Grace Brady, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . . Kovic, whose autobiography, ``Born on the Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. ,'' was made into a movie, predicted the protest would mark the start of ``one of the greatest anti-war movements in the history of the United States “American history” redirects here. For the history of the continents, see History of the Americas. The United States of America is located in the middle of the North American continent, with Canada to the north and the United Mexican States to the south. .'' ``I and others are entering a deployment order for citizens of this country to go to the streets and to protest en masse,'' Kovic said. Standing nearby, retired school teacher Bill Payne, 65, said he had not participated in anti-war protests during the Vietnam era. But his feelings about activism changed over the years, prompting him to drive two hours from his home in Yucaipa. ``I don't want to see any kids killed. That's it. That's all there is to it,'' he said. ``No kids in Iraq killed, no kids anyplace killed.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Thousands of marchers head toward the Federal Building in Los Angeles on Saturday to protest war with Iraq. Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press |
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