Nov 9, 2008 9:46 pm US/Pacific
More Prop. 8 Protests In Oakland, Across Calif.
OAKLAND (CBS 5 / KCBS / AP / BCN) ―
-
-
Same-sex marriage supporters rally outside the Mormon Temple in Oakland.
CBS
Backlash to the passage of an anti-gay-marriage law continued to sweep across California on Sunday, with hundreds of protesters rallying outside the Bay Area's largest Mormon church in the Oakland Hills.
The Mormon Temple on Lincoln Avenue was targeted because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated large amounts of money to the Proposition 8 campaign.
About 550 same-sex marriage supporters carried signs, blew whistles, and passing cars honked in support outside the temple from about 10 a.m. until 1:45 p.m.
"Our intent is not to disturb churchgoers," organizer Tim DeBenedictis said. "Our goal is to mend fences and build bridges so that all Californians can achieve marriage equality under the law."
A spokesman for the Oakland temple said Mormons were being unfairly singled out, noting that the ban - which passed with 52 percent of the vote - was backed by a variety of religious groups.
The California Highway Patrol was forced to shut down the nearby Joaquin Miller and Lincoln on and off-ramps to state Highway 13 during the protest. A CHP dispatcher said the highway ramps were closed to protect pedestrians from traffic.
The demonstration was one of many held throughout the Bay Area and the state this weekend in protest of Proposition 8. It all began on Friday night, when thousands of people marched from San Francisco's United Nations Plaza down Market Street to Dolores Park for a rally.
Elsewhere Sunday, about 2,500 protesters gathered on the steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento to vent their opposition to the measure which overturned the state Supreme Court's decision legalizing same-sex marriage in May.
In Orange County, about 300 gay-rights advocates demonstrated along sidewalks leading to Saddleback Church — whose popular pastor brought Barack Obama and John McCain together last summer for a "faith forum." The pastor had also prominently backed Prop. 8.
Not all churches favor the measure. In Pasadena, the pastor of the 4,000-member All Saints Church spoke out against Proposition 8 on Sunday, calling the religious community's support of it "embarrassing."
On Saturday, as many as 10,000 people took to the streets in San Diego and another 10,000 marched in Los Angeles to protest passage of the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment.
Demonstrators began marched through central San Diego for about 90 minutes Saturday afternoon. The event was peaceful, with no arrests, police said.
The march in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles lasted about four hours Saturday evening. Police said no incidents were reported as demonstrators marched down Sunset Boulevard carrying signs and waving banners.
A candlelight vigil in Laguna Beach on Saturday evening drew about 1,000 people and police reported no incidents. About 2,000 people gathered for a protest in Long Beach on Friday night and there were three arrests.
Also on Friday night, tensions flared at a vigil at Palm Springs City Hall when a supporter of the gay marriage ban carrying a styrofoam cross clashed with protesters. The crowd ripped the cross from her hands and stomped on it. Police made no arrests.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
California's 1st Same-Sex Marriage
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments