Party like it’s 1773: Raleigh
Posted By Russ Emerson on April 15, 2009 at 9:33 pm
I’m back from the Raleigh Tea Party, and have posted my photos with brief commentary below the fold.
Quite a crowd there today, which I would characterize as “politely rowdy.” I would estimate there were 2500, perhaps 3000 people there, but that’s just a guess on my part, using the “count 100 people and estimate how many hundreds are present” method. I could not see the entire crowd, which was composed of young and old alike.
It was a terrific turnout, hosted by Bill LuMaye of WPTF, opened by a stirring rendition of the national anthem and followed by a number of good speakers. I was, sadly, unable to get close enough to the rostrum to get any decent photos. Heck, I could hardly hear, what with all the passing vehicles honking and the crowd hollering in return.
[Update: here’s a post (with video) from the Raleigh organizer, Melodye Aben. The police told her the attendance was 5-7000. Wow, was I way off.
So, apparently, was the Raleigh News & Observer… by a factor of at least 10. Typical.]
Lots of American flags. Not a single kaffiyeh in sight.
I saw exactly one identifiable loon, wearing a 911 Truther t-shirt. I guess the rest of the moonbats had already met their fascism quota for the day.
Photos and links below the fold.
All photos, click to enlarge.
I arrived a bit after 5:30, well before the scheduled 6:30 start time. The crowd had already begun to form.
The media were in fact present. This satellite truck was pretty much the only media presence I saw while I was there.
These kind folks actually wanted to know where this website is.
There were a lot of kids present. I figure a Tea Party is as good a way to introduce kids to the idea of citizenship as any… but I’ll bet their folks have been doing a fine job all along.
More signs.
Still more signs… and I hadn’t even made it off the sidewalk onto the Capitol grounds yet.
My personal favorite sign of the day. Sorry about the blur.
There was some pre-speaker entertainment provided by some youngsters playing bluegrass… and playing it well.
Aaaand… more signs.
This poor kid looks so forlorn. I think he was just told how much $$$ he’s on the hook for.
By a bit after 7:30 my legs decided they’d had enough, crutches or no, so I reluctantly made my way back to my vehicle and headed home. I only barely beat the rush.
If I’d thought about it, I would have spent more time taking “hot protest babe” pics. As a public service, you understand.
Michelle Malkin has collected reports from around the country: Tax Day Tea Party USA.
See also Ace’s Tea Party threads, Part I and Part II, plus more pics.
Mike Hendrix has photos from the event just down the road in Charlotte.
I’m sorry I missed it. Canes and Devils playoffs, had obligations.
Great pictures, gonna link ya up tomorrow, steal one or two. Gotta crash :D
I got there a bit after seven, it broke up about eight even though it was scheduled to 8:30.
I’m glad to see there are other like minded bloggers in the Triangle area. I’ve link to your blog on the Hill Street Blahg. Also…thanking you in advance for the use of your 10% Image.
Sounds like it started early and finished early – like most hard workers tend to do.
Thanks for the blog and the photos. We didn’t attend and as we already knew would happen, the local news media did their best to ignore and/or discredit the event. Glad to see such a good turn out!
HERE ARE MORE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE RALEIGH TEA PARTY .
Thanks so much for your awesome photo coverage of the event. (It was a certainty that the legacy media would avoid do so.)
BTW – I didn’t even know that Wake County had a public firing range, until visiting your site; thanks. (And I’ve lived here for almost 22 years…)
WHAT A NIGHT! AMERICA’S BEST!
The Raleigh Tea Party
Yesterday’s Raleigh Tax Day Tea Party held on the steps of the State Capitol Building was a huge success. I’m not good at estimating crowd sizes, but I would guesstimate up to 4,000 concerned Americans were in attendance letting their voice…