Saturday, November 15, 2008
2008 The Seattle Masses
Posted by Eli Sanders on Sat, Nov 15, 2008 at 4:50 PM
I don't know exactly how massive they were. The police told Dominic that there were about 6,000 marchers. It seemed larger than that to me, but I was in the middle of it for most of the time so maybe my perspective was warped. In any case, here's what I saw, crowd-wise, starting with the absolutely packed amphitheater lawn at Volunteer Park...
...from which people marched past the reservoir and out into the streets...
...down Broadway, down Pine, over Interstate 5...
...and toward Westlake Plaza...
...where it was nothing but people, people everywhere:
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2
6,000 seems quite low to me; that march stretched for blocks and blocks. If they were only counting the people in Westlake, they missed more than half of them; a lot of people finished the march, couldn't squeeze into Westlake, and took off. We only stayed at Westlake for about 10 minutes ourselves - long enough for one of the rent-a-cops at the mall to bitch at me for stepping over the line onto their "private property" with my sign. Um, losing battle there, buddy, but whatEVER.
3
When the Seattle Storm celebrated their championship at Westlake in 2004, crowds were estimated at 15,000. This crowd is much bigger than that crowd - in 2004 there was still elbow room.
4
Agreed, 6K is way low. Keep in mind that if they measured the crowd at Volunteer Park, a lot of people joined the march along the way or met up with it at Westlake Center. The amazing thing is how many people I knew that were there that I didn't bump into, and I walked around a lot at the start and end.
13
I was marshaling at the front of the march; when it turned down Pine I called a friend at the back of the march and there were still 3 blocks of people on Prospect. The march rule of thumb is that for every block of people on a 2 lane road, you've got about 500 people. From Pine back up 3 blocks of Prospect, that's 14 blocks--7,000 by my estimate. If you count the people standing on sidewalks, joining in as the march went down Pine and the massive crowd greeting us at Westlake, I'd say 9,000-10,000, easy.
10,000 in a week of organizing! Incredible. Absolutely incredible!
10,000 in a week of organizing! Incredible. Absolutely incredible!
14
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelfish/s… - My pictures here. :)
I'm really pleased with how many people turned out today. :)
I'm really pleased with how many people turned out today. :)
15
That was really fun. And definitely way more than 6000. Anybody else see the naked lady on the balcony in that tall 60s building on Pine? So good!
17
All this turnout in the country and abroad. Its making me cry. Oh and Wanda Sykes came out today too. Yaaa Wanda!
18
I'm so tired I don't know which way is up...but I feel good. And not just because I saw the naked lady too.
19
pictures http://flickr.com/photos/you_rocks/
and a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dehf7YDcj…
for those that want to look for themselves :)
and a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dehf7YDcj…
for those that want to look for themselves :)
20
Could somebody from Seattle with some organizing skills come help us out in Portland next time we have a demonstration? Our turnout here was fucking pathetic in comparison.
21
There had to be at least 10k, at a minimum. When I was standing by Seattle Central at the turn the line seemed to go on forever both ways. Also, pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rootology/s…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rootology/s…
24
you have a lot of reason to be proud of yrself seattle!! way to go!
i am proud to live in this city today!
i am proud to live in this city today!
25
I think this picture, while a little small, does the best job of illustrating the sheer scale of today.
As in - holy fuck, that's a lot of queers. Amazing.
As in - holy fuck, that's a lot of queers. Amazing.
28
The Seattle fuzz ALWAYS underestimates the number of marchers. EVERY FUCKING TIME. I'm sure they've got some cop-clever rationale for doing so, but the only real tangible upshot of their myopia is that NOBODY trusts a pig or their stooges in the press to tell them the truth about numbers.
29
14 blocks of people, no cars, no floats just people.
at least 13,000 and more.... organizers were too coy, should have announced their count. Cops are indeed game players when it comes to queer crowds, a 25 year tradition getting in their licks .... I used to work on Pride.
Count includes: folks at Westlake who did not march, lookers on Bwy, and on and on - a Peak crown count was at the arrival at Westlake, mass confusion, people everywhere. All there for a half hour, then leaving for food, jobs, water, Saturday stuff.
It was amazing, historic, grand, re invented the Queer movement, marching is in, rubber chicken dinners out.
Likely 13 to 15 thousand at a min.
at least 13,000 and more.... organizers were too coy, should have announced their count. Cops are indeed game players when it comes to queer crowds, a 25 year tradition getting in their licks .... I used to work on Pride.
Count includes: folks at Westlake who did not march, lookers on Bwy, and on and on - a Peak crown count was at the arrival at Westlake, mass confusion, people everywhere. All there for a half hour, then leaving for food, jobs, water, Saturday stuff.
It was amazing, historic, grand, re invented the Queer movement, marching is in, rubber chicken dinners out.
Likely 13 to 15 thousand at a min.
30
I remember when everyone said they'd show and it would just be a few of us ... didn't even run into anyone it was so big!
31
13-15k? I make it 18-20,000 more likely....I mean 1500 a block, 14 blocks thats 18 w/o the people just passing by. We have a lot of Pride, signs, balloons, and emnity gdmit give us our f'ing due.
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