Was it U2 or Tea Party Express II that caused LA traffic jams?

October 26, 6:13 AMLA Church & State ExaminerAlex Murashko

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the LA Church & State Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Dubbed as the "Countdown to Judgement Day," the second tour of the Tea Party Express invaded Los Angeles at the same time as rock band U2...

And on the freeways it was Sunday Bloody Sunday.

As I scooted into Griffith Park two hours ahead of the 4:30 pm start I couldn't help but visualize another Woodstock about to take place. For me, traffic was light, but I could see a line of cars begin to wind their way down to a grassy park hidden to the outside world. After all, I didn't make it to Woodstock ... I don't think my parents would have let me go if I asked.

But alas, the British invasion at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena most likely prevented any real "California Jam" from taking place in the hills of L.A. However, the narrow, winding road inside Griffith Park and the 500-plus crowd of Tea Party supporters already inside were enough to delay the second Express tour bus carrying the singers and the band.

By the time the patriotic music blared, most of the "counter" protestors assembled behind a yellow police tape some 100 yards away from the stage had diminished to well under 50 people (they never amounted to more than 50). While the Tea Party loyal were not in the range of the 1.5 million people that gathered at Washington D.C. last month, their message was strong and loud to politicians: "Dump the current health care bill proposals or we'll dump you just like the tea in Boston Harbor was a couple of hundred years ago."

It was hard to figure out what the small band of anti-Tea Partyists were about. Most held the same sign that said, "Fearless" and something about health care reform. The best cheer of the day came when the two sides squared off with each other in a shouting match, respectfully staying behind their designated yellow police tape. The Tea Party crowd chanted, "Who bought your signs?"

And so it went. The Los Angeles traffic was horrendous.Those U2 guys brought in nearly 100,000 worshipers...

And in L.A., it was just another Sunday Bloody Sunday.