I arrived at the Seattle Center in my nun's habit, carrying an American flag with NO WAR written on it. I was pleased to see a sea of protesters coming in endlessly, from all directions.

Neighborhoods stood together with banners, such as "Wallingford Neighbors for Peace." During the day, I saw these "Neighbors For Peace" banners for the following "neighprhoods": Skyway, W Seattle, Kitsap, Ballard, Magnolia, Queen Anne, Ravenna, Downtown, Wallingford.

Humorous and creative signs were everywhere:

"World Peace, Not Just For Hippies Anymore" "Truckers Against This Stupid War" "They hate us because we steal, lie and kill their children" "I can't believe I'm WITH Pat Buckanan" "I'm poor and I'm not willing to sacrifice my son for the rich" "Buck Fush" "Thank you Jim McDermott!" "Help the Poor, No War!" "Dissent is not disloyalty" "Impeach the accidental president" "One nation Under Surveillance"

My 18-year-old son and I walked by a mother holding a No Iraq War sign; her son's picture, in military regalia, was taped to the sign. I said to her, "That is a beautiful sign," and as she looked at me, tears welled up in her eyes. She said "Thank you." I could feel her genuine fear of losing her son, as I walked by with mine.

The thing that struck my son and me about this protest was the strange, overwhelming presence of the middle class! As my son put it,"The Anti-War Movement, brought to you by Banana Republic!" He pointed to a dog, with a sweater on. We both burst out laughing. Never before at anti-war rallies had we seen dogs in designer sweaters! People were pulling anti-war fliers out of Swatch bags and wearing Old Navy shirts! The corporate logos on the umbrellas in the crowd were representative of this new population also. We saw a man with an umbrella that said "Telecommunications Systems" and he was holding a sign that said "No Iraq Attack." We saw someone holding an umbrella that said "Golf Digest" with the sign "Disarm Bush, A Weapon of Mass Destruction." Other umbrellas spotted contained logos from Boeing, Seattle Times, Nature Conservancy, Fox Software, Dead Capitalist Venture. We walked by a very elderly woman with a Pearl Jam hat on and a No Iraq War sign in her hand. The mixing of cultures on the streets of Seattle was stunning.

Apparently, when the revolution looks more like the Banana Republic, you get to have a markedly lower cop presence! I have never, ever seen so few cops at a protest. Ever. Their presence was minimalistic, at times, and honestly, I am not sure what to make of it. I was proud of their restraint. I feel the biggest reason there was not violence with such a large crowd is due to the low police presence. Police are always the most frightening part of these marches.

The march route had your typical hawkers and entrepreneurs, primarily selling buttons. I saw mothers changing babies' diapers on the bus stop benches en route. A flatbed truck rolled down the street with prop art in the front, and Jim Page standing up in the back, singing political tunes into a mic, as it drove down 5th Avenue.

We had been walking for a while, and when we hit Third and Pine, we could see all the way down the street to Yesler, packed with people and signs. Helicopters buzzed overhead. As we got down to Yesler, we turned and looked back. The streets behind us, all the way up to Third and Pike were still packed. The streams of protesters seemed neverending at times. Cars were stopped at intersections for long periods waiting for passage. Flowers were collected in a shrine at the INS building. Since there was no permit to assemble at the INS building, people were encouraged to disperse once there. I waited at the bus stop with fellow protestors and rode home on standing room only buses, packed with protesters and their signs. On the bus, I again saw people in their REI jackets discussing the war. The face of this anti-war movement is like none I have ever seen. The editor of Newsweek International this week said that America has a good reputation as bombers, and a bad reputation as builders. But on February 15, we were builders. Building a broad anti-war coalition. Of hippies, dogs with sweaters, and corporate umbrellas, side by side.

Ed. note: A full list of the scores of neighborhood groups described in Kirsten's article--along with descriptions of their activities and contact information--is available at www.snowcoalition.org. Because of their number and the frequent use of personal phones and addresses, we have decided not to reprint them here.