The plan was to go to San Jose for the womens march. After we got to the Mountain View train station I realized I'd left my camera at home. Virginia volunteered to take over taking pictures.

     

We got there a little late. The crowd was already wall to wall on Santa Clara St. We were trapped on the light rail we'd gotten on an hour previously, when the march was still asssembling. We began to regret that we hadn't gotten off at St. James Park and walked the rest of the way. The march proceeded past us for quite a while before the train began to move forward.

You can't see them in the picture, but there are a row of transit police holding a caution tape keeping people off the tracks for the trains. After a lot of us got off our train we saw this other train moving into the station to do the same thing. They must have gotten backed up waiting for a hole in the traffic. After that one came and went they gave the street back to the march. We had joined in by then.

There was lots of random conversation, along with occasional chants like "This is what democracy looks like!"

     

     

     

        

        

     

        

        

     

        

     

I was happy Virginia managed to take so many good pictures.

        

     

     

     

     

     

We got separated in the confusion. Didn't line up as customers at the food trucks until near the end. By that time they were sold out of vegetarian food. The lady we talked to said "One after another, everybody wanted the vegetarian choices." That gave me a "This crowd is very enlightened about treading lightly on the earth." feeling.

     

        

           

     

        

     

Closer to the screen there was lots of listening going on, but I spent my time at the other end of the park where people were talking. Didn't listen so I can't report on what they said. The general impression I got was "Thank you everybody for being here." and "We are going to change things for the better!"

           

        

Virginia said a lot of the speakers were from local nonprofits, talking about what they did and inviting people to participate in their missions. One she remembered vividly was all about preventing sexual violence in the workplace. She also said the video screen and sound system were a lot better than the one they'd had last year.

     

           

        

           

     

        

      

        

           

     

            

           

           

The talks were punctuated regularly by big, low flying jets going by headed for SJC.

        

        

        

        

        

     

        

        

     

  

     

The "CLO$E THE GAP" lady was giving out 79 cent bills that were about 79% the size of real money to dramatize the difference between what men and women make.