I wasn't sure I was going to make it back. Ten years ago biking 8 miles in the sun up hill wouldn't have hurt so much but the trip back from the Baldwin Park anti-race hatred rally was difficult and painful.
But at least the bad guys' day was a bad one, and that counts for much. I'll be posting photographs on Monday,
The score:
Total racist protesters: Less than 30.
Total anti-race hatred counter protesters: About 2300 including the Mayor of Baldwin Park who offered a very brief speech about hatred and bigotry, diversity and tolerance -- and about nameless racists that in from out of State and out of town to foment bigotry in the great City of Baldwin Park.
When I post the photographs, I'll also comment about what the protest (if one can call it that) and the counter protest was about, who was there, what literature was handed out, and what not.
It was a good day for America and diversity. Two large radio stations -- including KFI AM 640's "John and Ken Show" -- were trying to whip up racists to show up, knowing that the anti-racism counter rally was going to be much more populace.
Yet even with hate spew from at least two radio stations, the best the racists could come up with was less than 30 people.
Also very telling: Our anti-hate counter rally had music, singing, drumming, Native American and not-so-ancient Mexican "traditional" dancing, short speeched with an open microphone, the support of the Mayor and other city officials, and the MASSIVE support of the community who honked, waved, and shouted as they drove past.
The bad guys? I'll have to check the photographs I took to make sure but as I slowly walked past them taking photographs, every last one of them wore white faces like mine.
In the counter rally, racial diversity was wide and a variety of the spectrum of ethnic Native Americans was represented by family members.
It's funny. A hand full of racists came into town to try to foment hatred and bigotry in the community and the result was a community that turned out and spoke out against racism.
I'm damn proud to have been a part of it.