I had the opportunity to attend a portion of the Unity rally held on the capital steps in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania last weekend (February 26, 2011) and was able to snap a few photos, so I thought I'd share for those who are interested. I would've had these up several days ago, but was having computer issues and camera issues; I think I lost around a third of the photos that I did take, so these ones will have to do.
The photos and my thoughts below the fold...
As I said previously, I lost about a third of the photos I snapped during the rally, but what I present here are probably the best of the remaining photos.
A view of the pro-labor crowd (still gathering) on the capital steps. I'd estimate almost 1,000 folks showed up to profess their solidarity.
A couple of views of our Tea Party friends across the street. I counted about 30 of these dour, mopey individuals. The nice thing was that the positive folks on our side kept telling them to "Come into the light!" (Get it? they were standing in the shadows across the street from the capital building!)
This nice lady was getting a lot of camera time with her and her furry friend's Wisconsin theme!
This lady was the only Tea Partier brave enough to cross the street and come into the light. No one really bothered her, of course, but she did get into a mild argument with another lady. Wish I had a photo of that!
Of course, a few hangers on were out. These two were attempting to counsel people on finding God. I think most people were more interested in the speakers at the rally, though.
A photo that sums up the spirit of the rally. A lot of support was being voiced for our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin, because we know Pennsylvania will be the next battleground.
The gentleman on the left was trying to have a civil discussion about the righteousness of our cause with the older gentleman in front of him. He didn't seem convinced...
View of a few of the more few humorous signs...
And one less humorous sign from our friends across the street.
Shots of some of the signs in the crowd. Unions represented were SEIU, AFL-CIO, and AFSCME (far fewer Big Green AFSCME folks there than you usually see at this sort of thing. I guess they worry more about the campaigns.)
This scene occurred near the end of the rally. A similar photo ended up in the local paper.
Another crowd shot, near the end of the rally. Lotta red being worn!
I almost ran into this gentleman when the crowd started to disperse. Luckily I got a shot of his sign!
A shot I snapped while leaving. The local news crews were clamoring to get shots of these folks waving their signs and chanting "We are one!" Our fiends across the street could only meekly yell something like "We are USA!". I forgot the rest of us came from Kenya or something...
My random thoughts from the event:
- The overall mood of the rally was positive, and one or more of the speakers touched on the themes of labor rights for all and solidarity with our fellow Americans in Wisconsin and throughout the country.
- The TPers around here talk a good game, but rarely show up in significant numbers. I even think my estimate of 30 counter-demonstrators was a bit high (the local paper estimated 50 of them; no way!). They were very quiet during and after the rally; it almost seemed like they didn't really believe what they supposedly demonstrating against. The pro-labor crowd was really respectful and even tried to convince them here and there that we were all in this together.
- Our crowd was pretty mixed, lots of people from across the spectrum: young, old, middle-aged, white, Latino, African American, even some with American Indian heritage. A lot of people had their pets with them too.
- I would have liked to see more folks there honestly, but it was a pretty good crowd for a Saturday in February in a sometimes awfully conservative part of the state. I think there will be a lot more people standing up for labor in PA once our newly elected governor (Tom "Corporate" Corbett) puts out his proposed budget in the next couple of weeks. Also, July is the end of the latest state employee labor contract, so that'll be fun...
Hope y'all enjoy this!
-