Around 11pm local time last night, as Angelenos filtered out of various election-results-viewing parties, something amazing happened. People couldn't contain themselves. People couldn't remain in their homes. The joy overflowed everywhere.
There was 82% turnout yesterday in Los Angeles County, an all-time record. And 70% of our vote went to Barack Obama.
We felt like we were retaking our city, retaking our country. After eight years, America belongs to us again.
I've never experienced anything like it, and I wanted to share the photos with you, the Daily Kos community, which has sustained me over these many months.
On a stretch of Sunset Blvd in my progressive Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, crowds start to gather in front of a favorite ice cream store
A diverse collection of characters...
Waving signs at passing cars... Drivers held down their horns in joyous support and sometimes pulled over, to get out and join the crowd on foot.
A happy couple of newlyweds, married this week!
People burst into spontaneous dancing
A gaggle of folks dressed in inexplicable furry outfits (we nicknamed them the "Obama Bears") gather
The Obama Bears (and a Santa Claus) run across the street every time the Walk signal changes, literally doing cartwheels because they can't contain themselves
In between chants and singing, nobody could wipe the smiles off their faces
Suspicious LAPD officers looked on as the joyous chaos grew
But they didn't intervene
The crowds moved in and out of nearby bars
Where people whooped and hollered; "Fired UP!" as they clinked glasses
Tearful renditions of "America the Beautiful" swept through the crowded bar
And everyone wanted their picture taken
As news of the awful Prop 8's passage filered through the crowd, some of the joy was tempered with disbelief and anguish
But overall, this was a night none of us will ever forget, as long as we live.