Health care march a bust
BY STEVEN MAYER, Californian staff writer smayer@bakersfield.com
What if they held a protest march and nobody came?
That's pretty much what happened Thursday in Bakersfield when just two people showed up for a planned event to support national health care reform.
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Casey Christie / The Californian Tyler Wood crosses Brundage Lane with cold drinks for several of his friends on a hot Bakersfield afternoon, east of Oak Street. The icy, cold refreshments were undoubtedly appreciated.
Casey Christie / The Californian Tyler Wood crosses Brundage Lane with cold drinks for several of his friends on a hot Bakersfield afternoon, east of Oak Street. The icy, cold refreshments were undoubtedly appreciated.
Casey Christie / The Californian Cynthia Cooper, left, and Dr. Monica Murphy-Jennings walk down 34th Street with healthcare form signs Thursday morning. They are supporters of President Obama's health care reform plan.
Dr. Monica Murphy-Jennings, a local physician who tried to organize the march in fewer than three days, said she hadn't expected a big group.
"For two-days notice, what can you expect? Murphy-Jennings said as she, another marcher and a support person gathered in a parking lot on 34th Street in near-100 degree temperatures.
Still, despite the heat and short lead time, you know it's not going well when local news reporters and photographers outnumber participants.
The march was planned to coincide with similar marches set in Oakland, Los Angeles and other cities across the country.
The marches were coordinated by Organizing for America, an offshoot of the Democratic National Committee dedicated to supporting President Barack Obama's agenda.
Cynthia Cooper, 60, said she showed up at the march because she believes the nation's current health care system is not working.
Cooper was laid off last year, she said, and has been without health insurance.
"People need help and they're not getting it," she said.
While Bakersfield has never been a Democratic stronghold, the contrast to the tea party protest held on Truxtun Avenue in mid-April was stark. That event drew some 2,000 demonstrators, according to a crowd estimate by police.
Thursday's crowd was a bit easier to count.
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