The evening began with hundreds of protestors standing silently, hats in hands and hands on hearts, staring up at the flag flying atop a very tall pole in front of the Monroe City Hall as a jazz saxophonist played the most beautiful renditi...on of our national anthem that I've ever heard, at dusk.

A crowd of several hundred working people, retired people, and children, were welcomed by a local union president, and then the podium was handed over to Janis Ringhand, our assemblywoman, and Sen. John Erpenbach, who helped us put our fight into focus, and reminded us, in the words of Sen. Erpenbach that we will get through this and that "we will be ok."

Finally, the podium was given to AFSCME staff red, Ed Sadlowski, who brought his own bull horn, and rallied the crowd to a crescendo of "THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRCACY LOOKS LIKE!" before leaving City Hall to embark on a walk through downtown.