For over eight years, the Peninsula/Palo Alto WILPF US branch has held a weekly silent vigil every Friday at noon at a busy Palo Alto intersection. We display signs addressing global issues—from urging a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine-Russia war to demanding an end to US weapons sales to Israel, used in the genocide in Gaza. During our hour-long vigil at El Camino and Embarcadero, several thousand vehicles pass through. We rotate our signs so drivers and passengers, whether stopped or passing by, can reflect on these urgent issues and perhaps take action later.
While we usually keep silent at our vigils, Friday, Jan. 9, brought an unexpected collaboration. About 60 people from the local Indivisible group, the climate action organization Fridays for the Future, and an anti-fascism group joined us at our corner to noisily protest the murder of Renee Good and ICE’s broader actions. We welcomed this change—the larger crowd drew more attention to a cause our smaller group had highlighted for months.
