COUNTYWIDE : Rallies Continue, Numbers Dwindle

Supporters of U.S. actions in the Middle East and area peace activists turned out Saturday for the third weekend of roadside rallies since the Persian Gulf War began, but their numbers dwindled.

At the County Government Center in Ventura, demonstrators stood on the corner of Telephone Road and Victoria Avenue in the early afternoon, waving flags and encouraging motorists to honk in support of the troops. About 15 people stayed through a light drizzle at about 3 p.m. Several demonstrators estimated that between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. crowds had exceeded 100, but the number could not be confirmed.

“I figure if our troops could stay out in the ditches in rain I can stay out here in the rain,” said Joslyn Grim, 48, of Moorpark.

Drivers of about 20 tractor-trailer rigs and pickups formed a convoy and circled the Government Center honking horns and flying flags, police said.

Meanwhile, the Ventura County Coalition for Peace called for a diplomatic end to the crisis, demonstrating both in Oxnard at Channel Islands Boulevard and Saviers Road, and in Ventura at Main Street and South Mills Road. One organizer estimated the turnout in Ventura at 50 people, saying the number was higher than last weekend when several area residents traveled to Los Angeles for demonstrations.