Story and photos by Oliver B. Pollak in Richmond, California
My wife Karen and I attended four No Kings demonstrations. The first in April 2025 was in San Rafael, the Marin County seat, at Lagoon Park, home to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, where 6.000 people rallied to protect their democratic rights and benefits. The tone was ‘Hands off’ as this poster demonstrates.
The second, on October 18, 2025, was in San Pablo. We lined the street adjacent to a supermarket parking lot. This sign flourished.
The third, in Albany at a well-traveled intersection convened on March 28, 2026. I purchased this parody in Point Richmond and attached to a wood stick.
We saw the announced East Bay sites for Saturday, October 17, 2026 rally: Richmond, Oakland, Berkeley, El Cerrito, El Sobrante and Albany. Distance and jostling with lots of people seemed a bit too much for people using canes and walkers who preferred tree shade.
A neighbor solved the dilemma. We had an impromptu gathering in Marina Bay Park within walking distance of our home. Ten neighbors showed up around noon with their homemade signs. There were five Jews between 81 and 84 years old and three Asians over fifty-five. It was a congenial chatty like-minded group.
When a car approached we went to the curb and waved our signs. I wore my vintage Vets for Obama t-shirt. Most acknowledged our presence by appreciatively beeping their horns, waving their arms, gesticulating and giving a thumbs up. A few cars went by silently without indicating our presence. A friend provided me with her well-worn placard.
On April 25, 1976 I wrote a Bicentennial editorial for the Omaha World-Herald.
My 4th of July story for the 250th anniversary looked at a 1976 Nebraska bicentennial cookbook borrowing Israel Zangwill’s sporty 1908 title The Melting Pot.” Immigration, ethnic, regional and national culinary diversity were proudly displayed with traditional recipes.
Turn the clock back another 50 years to the first half of the 20th century when Jewish owned Mama and Papa grocery stores dotted the cityscape and put many a child through college.
Perhaps the Richmond Museum of History and Culture will welcome these artifacts in its archives.
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Oliver B. Pollak, Ph.D., is a Northern California correspondent for San Diego Jewish World.