Marching in Pasadena

I recently moved back to the Westside after several years in Pasadena, and was surprised to find so many Westsiders retaining outdated perceptions of Pasadena. Take the UCLA freshman quoted in your Jan. 24 article about protests at the Federal Building in Westwood, who said, “It’s not like Pasadena. They only march there for the Rose Bowl.”

This student’s perception is stuck in the 1960s. They march in Pasadena. Recently, 250 Blair High students held a two-mile anti-war march; last year, 200 Occidental College students occupied their administration building; in December, 2,300 Pasadenans marched to raise money to fight AIDS; the Rev. George Regas of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena founded the Religious Community Against War in the Persian Gulf; and weekly peace vigils have been held in downtown Pasadena starting almost as soon as troops were sent to the Middle East.

They march in Pasadena. They’re just polite enough not to lie down in front of traffic.

JERRY HITCHCOCK

Los Angeles