March Against Prop 8 Draws More Than 3,000 • Long Beach Post News

Tonight’s march against this week’s passing of Proposition 8 drew more than 3,000 people (according to organizers) in a demonstration larger than those in Los Angeles and West Hollywood.

Send us your photos! Tell us your stories! We can be reached at [email protected]. The world’s eyes were on Long Beach tonight and the thousands that took to the streets in the name of protest.

“I thought it went great, there is so much enthusiasm,” said Kim Woods, Executive Director of The Center Long Beach, which helped organize the rally. “We knew there was going to be over one thousand [people], but we’ve heard there are between three and five.”

The march began at Redondo and Broadway at 7:00pm, proceeding down Broadway until reaching the Alamitos intersection where the demonstrators were stopped and gathered to hear speakers. So many people were crammed into the intersection that at least three different spots became rally centrals: the parking lot of Mary’s, the middle of the Alamitos & Broadway intersection, and a Chevron on the intersection’s southeast corner.

Demonstrators heard from Woods, City Councilmember Suja Lowenthal, Democratic Party Regional Director Sergio Carillo and Tom Crowe, who sparked the demonstration with a flurry of text messages and e-mails.

“Tom is an individual who believes it only takes one person to make a difference,” Woods told a cheering crowd.

“Well,” Crowe said, “Look what a little text message can do.”

After the rallies ended, marchers were still crowded with nowhere to go, and continued on Broadway toward downtown. Police – at times, videotaping the crowd – lined the streets, directing the flow of the marchers. When the marchers reached Long Beach Boulevard, inreased authorities in riot gear met the marchers and blasted loudspeakers declaring the march “an unlawful assembly” and threatening arrest for those who did not disperse.

The marchers headed left down Long Beach Boulevard and were funnelled left again on 1st Street, eventually heading back down Broadway and re-gathering at the Redondo intersection where many remained for up to an hour. Fifteen arrests were made at Redondo & Broadway for refusing to disperse.

The fight for Prop 8 is over. But demonstrators in Long Beach tonight showed that their fight will continue beyond Prop 8, and there will be other propositions and other decisions and other battles. The fight for Prop 8 is over, but their fight is not.

Photo by Russell Conroy