Several hundred union members and workers gathered at Old Court House Square in Santa Rosa on Labor Day to honor the history of labor and to further the cause of the common person, foregoing traditional hamburgers and hot dogs as they listened to speeches praising the laborer as the backbone and spirit of the United States. A declamation of billionaires and their hoarding of wealth produced by the workers threaded each speech as the event mirrored hundreds of similar celebrations across the country.
Demonstrators lined Third Street from Santa Rosa Avenue to B Street where its four corners held dozens of activists holding homemade signs covering every current domestic issue from childcare to aging and veteran’s concerns. The hot late summer sun beamed on the scene of smiling, jubilant participants.
One celebrant, Phil Waldman of Sebastopol, revealed his purpose in attending: “In coming here today, I really want to make a contribution to restoring democracy in this country.” His chief concern centered on national leadership. “The federal government is really acting unconstitutionally, illegally in many ways. A good strategy in this kind of situation is to stand up to it rather than to acquiesce.”…