I am having trouble figuring out how to embed pictures, so I will link to them on another blog. I want to give a shoutout to Josh Castle, one of the most amazing grassroots community organizers I have ever met. Read about him after the fold. Yes, he organized the visibility events below, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. I think this humble and dedicated man probably singlehandedly registered enough voters to swing a couple of close elections in 2004 and will be instrumental in 2008.
These are from yesterday, from Westlake Mall:
http://silencedmajority.blogs.com/...
These are from today, from Westlake Mall and the PIke Market:
http://silencedmajority.blogs.com/...
Our friend Josh Castle has done an amazing job over the last two elections! I would bet that he single-handedly swayed enough voters to make a difference in several close races, yet you couldn't meet a nicer, more modest guy. In 2004, I met him when he organized people to register voters outside gay bars and at public events such as Pride, Bumbershoot, Fremont Fair etc. He had endless enthusiasm and would also set up his own little booths at Green Lake and had at least two successful fundraisers in his home.
Now in 2008, I know that he went to PA for a week during the primaries and recently to CO. He had a booth again at Green Lake when the Children for Obama Event took place. He started Washingtonians for Obama. He organized people for visibility and Obama gear promotion for Bumbershoot, Hempfest, and the list is just endless. He also has a day job!
Yesterday was the third downtown event and it was so successful that it was held again today! Here are some photos from it. My husband and I then took a couple of signs and walked through the nearby Pike Market (the one famous from the Spike Lee commercial and Real World Seattle.)
We got probably 1000 thumbs ups and positive comments and met exactly three McCain supporters. We had horn honks, a woman from Sweden who wanted to be photographed with us, and lots of enthusiasm from busses and cabs.
We also had several questions about how to vote, how to find out where to vote, etc. When we tried this last time, I was able to register fourteen workers at the Pike Market! They were unanimously enthusiastic today, and the tourists were also quite energized!
Now the countdown! We need to keep up the energy for however many hours we have left and hope for a rocket ride and a smooth re-entry!
What I always like about this sort of "visibility" effort is meeting all the people from all walks of life - the diversity, the spirit, the opportunities to answer questions (and ask them.) It's a way to get off the internet and into the street. It's amazingly grassroots but also efficient.
Josh always has positive reports - people have thronged around the booths. I just can not say enough good things about how this has worked out!