Nearly 500 people turned out last Saturday for a march
protesting the third anniversary of Shock and Awe and the start of
the Iraq war. Onlookers crowded the sidewalks as the colorful sea
of people – banging drums, waving signs, ringing bells, and
chanting – made its way up State Street. Bellows of “Hey Bush,
whaddya say? How many kids did you kill today?” rang out as
black-hooded demonstrators rushed to kneel on each corner in a
haunting reminder of the Abu Ghraib torture atrocities. The
police-escorted party continued on to the Federal Bankruptcy Court
where demonstrators “officially” declared the Bush regime morally
and ethically bankrupt. The day – which was co-sponsored by the
People’s Coalition and Veterans for Peace – concluded in the early
afternoon sunshine at the Sunken Gardens of the Santa Barbara
Courthouse with several speeches from an assortment of prominent
local anti-war advocates such as Hannah-Beth Jackson and VFP’s
Steve Sherrill. – Lindsey Wallace
