DALLAS – MoveOn.org called public demonstrations again for Aug. 10, the third MoveOn action in two weeks. Dallasites turned out for all of them.
“Jobs not cuts” the theme as demonstrators gathered on the curb by the famous “x” painted on Elm Street. President John F. Kennedy was shot there, and it has become a gathering place for public protests of all sorts.
Fifty-five people gathered at 6 p.m. For the most part, the crowd stood quietly on the grassy knoll as the evening traffic sped by. Many cars honked their support. TV cameras caught the exuberant mood of people ready to start fighting. “They say take back, we say fight back,” went the old but never tiresome chant.
A surprising number of seniors were in the group, especially considering that the temperature was 106 degrees. Several ladies had to be helped as they stepped up on the curb. Two seniors, one in a wheelchair and the other with some kind of medical brace on her leg, couldn’t make it over the curb and had to stay at the lower level. The police stayed well behind.
The main organizer used a bullhorn to explain MoveOn’s ten demands. He only lasted about 20 minutes and covered through number five, then had to let others talk. He wound it up and thanked everyone for coming after about 50 minutes, but hardly anybody left as passersby were reading the group’s signs.
Photo: Jim Lane/PW
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