Editordude: The following was sent to us unsolicited and requested we publish it as an effort to open some dialogue.
Hello,
I’ve passed your gathering many Saturdays at Sunset Cliffs and West Point Loma. Almost every time, I feel the impulse to pull over and speak with you – but my throat tightens, my stomach knots, and I keep driving. I’m writing instead because I don’t want to keep avoiding it.
When I moved to San Diego from the Bay Area, I knew I was leaving behind a certain kind of political energy that shaped my 20s. I lived a block from the Occupy Oakland encampment and spent time there almost daily. I marched in early Black Lives Matter demonstrations, long before 2020. I was engaged in activism around global issues, including Israel/Palestine, for many years.
So I don’t see you as apathetic. I recognize what it means to care enough to show up.
At the same time, I want to be honest that I experience what you’re doing very differently than you likely do.
Like most people, I feel deep grief when I see images of suffering – especially children – in Gaza. I also carry grief and horror from the October 7 attacks, for the deceased hostages, and for Israelis bearing the brunt of the IRGC’s proxy army rockets. Holding all of those realities at once feels important to me, and I struggle when public expressions seem to flatten that complexity.
From where I stand, these gatherings can sometimes feel one-sided in a way that overlooks key parts of the situation – particularly the role of the Islamic Republic, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the ways in which cycles of violence are perpetuated within those governments. I imagine you may see that differently, but that’s part of what I’m trying to understand.
There’s also something more personal I want to name. I’m connected to the Jewish community, and I’ve noticed a growing sense of fear and isolation among people I know and love. Each time one of us passes by that corner on Shabbat morning, every time we hear someone honking in agreement to the one-sided rhetoric, we feel that tension in our body. I don’t assume that’s your intention – but it is part of the impact.
That gap between intention and impact is part of why I’m writing.
I find myself genuinely wanting to understand:
- What brings you out there, week after week?
- What you hope these gatherings are contributing to – especially from this specific corner in San Diego
- How you think about the full scope of harm in this conflict, across different groups
- Whether there is space, in your view, for both Palestinian dignity and Jewish self-determination to coexist
I’m not expecting agreement. And I know these are heavy, charged questions. But I also don’t want to keep driving by in silence, filling in the blanks on my own. If you’re open to a real conversation – one that includes disagreement but also listening – there is a sizable community of concerned citizens in Ocean Beach who would be willing to meet you there.
Please reach out to the email “clandestinaurbanista@gmail.com” to open that door.
Thank you.
This opinion piece is quite interesting:
“From where I stand, these gatherings can sometimes feel one-sided in a way that overlooks key parts of the situation – particularly the role of the Islamic Republic, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the ways in which cycles of violence are perpetuated within those governments.”
What is one-sided, is not recognizing those groups (you call terrorists, they call themselves freedom fighters) are a direct symptom of zionism. The fear, tension, angst and sadness you feel, are a direct symptom of zionism. The fact that people feel a need to protest against the murdering of innocent people because of religious practices, are a direct symptom of zionism.
May I suggest you revisit your acceptance of and tolerance of zionism? That is the root-cause of the problem – not religion, not your feelings, not the behavior of protestors.
I challenge you to honestly understand:
-The displacement of people and the Nakba
-Systemic Inequality
-Expansion and Settlement and taking of people’s land and homes
Any rational, sincere and honest dialog you want to have CANNOT ignore or diminish those facts.
Good luck
Eye roll.
911 happened stop gaslighting.
Thank you for this noble effort. I hope the writer reads your comment and reflects on the hypocrisy of their paper-thin claims about “Oh I understand protests, I attended a BLM march or two. Those were not one-sided like this one is.”
(Progressive Except Palestine, a well-known malaise that exposes people who are indeed not Progressive at all since their care for Others is just for _some_ Others.)
Sadly the writer like many others we see nationwide and worldwide, has no genuine interest in listening or dialogue. If they did, they would visit the OB peace corner and discover that many of the regular are Jewish too, and many if not all are anti-zionist, meaning simply consistent in applying international law to ALL, caring for Human Rights for all, Never Again means never again for anyone.
Instead, they merely want to Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender as so many do for years and decades. It’s a shame but unsurprising to see OB Rag give them a platform as they claim to live nearby but won’t actually engage with the diverse, peaceful, multigenerational and multiethnic grassroots peace advocates for 5-10 minutes.
Really? A “shame”? “But unsurprising…”? What the hell does that mean? We’re trying to offer a platform for dialogue and you mock us, someone who says they’re for “peace”? and someone with an anonymous handle.
… The more I thought about your comment toward the Rag, the more pissed I get. The Rag has announced this corner vigil for many months now — probably over a year — in our monthly Green Center calendar, and other posts, and for you to denigrate us is really disingenuous and quite frankly, stupid.
This letter is a pretty foul reaction to a protest for peace.
Eye roll.
I respect your opinions, & I respect the opinions of the protesters for peace. Why can’t we all be Pro-Innocent Civilian? Why must we imply that the protesters like the ones that you’re admonishing here are pro-terrorist? Conversely, why should it imply that you and the Israeli’s support Netenyahu’s brutal military aggression against civilians? Especially when more than 70% of the population of Israel does not? There is nothing more American than dissent period, especially when peace is the objective.
People can be outraged by this letter all they want (to comic effect), but it does bring up the reality there is another side to what’s going on. Anti Semitism has imploded since October 7. A close friend of my wife and I (I’ve mentioned this before) is dealing with the legal consequences herself in how she reacted to what she took (rightly or wrongly) as anti-Semitism and facing the possibility of hate crime charges. So many don’t seem to see or understand that side of things.
Sorry that a bunch of positive protests over an ongoing genocide hurt your feelings. Would suggest going back to the bay area, where all the other corporate dems who support AIPAC live if you dislike peoples right to free speech. Thanks for your opinions on what they should think! I hope this post serves as a wakeup call to everyone in OB how important it is to support these protesters every time you drive by, with a big honk and a wave!
That’s too harsh. This person obviously is progressive, supported the Occupy movement and Black Lives Matter. So why not have some dialogue?
This is not a progressive stance.
This person makes no effort to mention the genocide, nor do they acknowledge the multiple generations of violence carried out against Palestinians in the name of “Jewish Self-determination”.
“Jewish Self-determination” is the foundational principle of Zionism. Zionism is a form of settler colonialism, where a movement seeks to establish a new society on land already inhabited by an indigenous population.
This person is conflating *National* Self-determination with *Personal* Self-determination. Zionists have used this terminology as a method of “semantic infiltration”, where people adopt and modify the language of their adversaries.
Personal Self-determination is fine. (group of people) Self-determination is not. “The right to a state” is not something which is (nor should it be) a fundamental right. Nor is it a basic need.
If someone is arguing for Jewish Self-determination, especially in the context of Palestine, that’s not a progressive stance, no matter how kind their words are, or their other predilections.
Eye roll.
Eye roll
Eye roll.
From the Nakba and apartheid to the present genocide–there is one side; it’s the moral side with high ethics.
It’s funny, I am Jewish, went to Hebrew school, veteran of the US military. I don’t feel any tension at all when I drive by these protests. I certainly feel tension when I see photos of maimed children. Or videos of Israeli settlers spitting on palestinians before they bulldoze their house down. I feel a lot of tension when I read about the atrocities of the Israeli state, the Rothchild banking family, and the financial crimes of Netanyahu. I feel the most tension when they claim to do it in the name of God. Feel free to email ME if you want to discuss it, I can recommend some books.
Is the clandestina urbanista email for someone to contact OBRag to publish a response to this or to contact the individual who submitted the letter?
Whichever.
How is that possible? Unless the person who wrote the letter works with/for OB Rag?
“Sam” — Did you even read the letter? The letter writer left an email address near the end.
I obviously read the letter as I referenced the email at the bottom. I want to know who is receiving that email. Is it someone at OBRag or is it the person who submitted the letter to y’all? If it’s the person who submitted it, how would y’all know that there is a reply to be published? If it’s y’all, I’m happy to write a retort.
To the author: The protestors are right there. You know where they are at – go ask your questions to them personally. Sitting in the comfort of your own home attempting to start a “dialog” to understand both sides…. News Flash! There are no “two-sides” to a genocide. It’s laughable that you feel tension towards people protesting the murder of innocent Palestinian civilians. Maybe you should listen more to the people that are actively getting bombed by our American/Israeli weapons.
Javier – good point. Why didn’t they go to the site and address people there personally?
You’re right, there aren’t 2 sides to genocide but there are different sides as to the nature of the nation of Israel and to the historic plight of Palestinians. Does Israel have a right to exist? Is the 2-nation scenario the answer?
No comment on the actual issue but using the same location every single weekend is starting to feel like they are protesting the nearby residents who have to deal with the increased noise.
Why is your question, “Won’t anyone think of those who are minorly inconvenienced?”, and not “How can we stop the genocide” or even “How can we get our politicians and companies to stop supporting a genocide?” …?
If those nearby neighbors have any empathy at all they won’t mind the small bit of increased noise.
Nobody with a heart is going to say “quiet time on Saturdays is more important than stopping a genocide funded by my tax money”.
I have asked some of the protesters to at least once a month, stage a vigil for America and our fight against fascism. How can someone simply protest genocide thousands of miles away while ignoring Trumps push into authoritarism? So, once a month, let’s have a vigil for Americans and the potential loss of our democracy to give out warnings of Trump’s efforts to curtail elections and suppress the vote.
Hi Frank
There has been a protest against the current US political situation every Saturday 12:30 – 2 pm since September 2025 at the exact same corner.
No protest this Saturday 4/4/26. We are regrouping and planning next efforts after No Kings 3.
Do you want to plan this monthly vigil together?
Thank you,
Organizer of Protest
It has NOT been a protest vs US fascism at all. It has been about Gaza, Israel, genocide of the Palestinians … and not against Trump, MAGA, his acolytes or the Supreme Court or the rush into authoritarianism. My point is American democracy is more threatened now that it has has been since Nixon’s days. Yet to protest against other countries and peoples weekend after weekend without a blink towards Trump is just not healthy.
A protest against a genocide thousands of miles away is inextricably intertwined with American fascism. If you want a vigil specifically for Americans, go do one. Set one up. Plan it yourself. People will show up. We all have our own places in the fight.
Okay, Sam, where were you Saturday? (Or are you new to the Rag?) The Rag conducted an 8 to 9 hour live blog on No Kings, which was essentially a huge part of the movement against fascism. We’ve been in this fight for a long time now.
I’m new to the rag, actually. I found you because this article was on my Google Homepage and relevant to my interests. I want to engage with the people responsible for this rhetoric on a level playing field not waste my time privately responding to someone who thinks eye roll is a publically appropriate response to someone clearly commenting in good faith.
Well, welcome then; we’re trying to provide a platform for discussion among progressives, and both the letter writer and the respondents all seem to be progressive as well. Let’s keep it civil, y’all.
Honestly, I have been looking for a local platform that hosts opportunities for folks to gain a deeper, more nuanced understanding of history, culture, and politics for a while. Maybe I’ll stick around and see if the vibe is better with the other content.
Sam, there’s a huge trove of OB and other local history in our archives. Try using the search bar for more info. (The search bar is sensitive — the query has to be exact.)
I’d just like to point out that OP never once said they’ve seen these protesters be aggressive, insulting, unreasonable, or violent. Their only accusation is “ these gatherings can sometimes feel one-sided in a way that overlooks key parts of the situation” which is a purposefully vague accusation. OP made no mention of this group making people fearful… only that OP is nervous to engage with them. May I suggest to OP that the reason you are nervous is not because of what these protesters are doing, but rather because you know that arguing your side of the situation involves you defending genocide at some level. Virtuous positions you’ve held in the past doesn’t validate non-virtuous positions you hold now.
This whole kerfuffle brings a few questions to me.
Why is the US in this escalation of tensions in the Middle East? As I see it, the US/Israel aggression gives the current ruling party in the US a chance to flex our “muscle” and Israel an opportunity to demonstrate how they can twist the US into fighting for them.
Who will potentially receive the most benefit from the escalation? If benefits are higher prices for most everything, we all receive those benefits. If benefits are showing others how much better life is under US and/or Israel government, why must civilians who cannot get out of the way of the fighting die? “Here. Let us bring you “freedom”. We hope you like it.”
Aside from Me. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu, who else had a voice in starting this invasion? I know I was not asked, because if I had been, I would have said no to the question. My presumption is that most of the rest of us in the US did not have any say, either, or the fighting would not have started.
When will all this end? Never, as long as there are bullets, rockets and planes, along with people to operate them in the name of “helping others experience a different way of life.”
Now, the reality I see from this whole kerfuffle involves Israel and US going into this fight alone. Mr. Trump and his “my way or the highway” expectations of the rest of the world supporting israel and US forces is wrong. If Iran attacked Israel, NATO would not be obligated to support Israel. By Israel and US attacking Iran, NATO is not obligated to support either.
Summing everything up, as I see it, the world is suffering. Prices for everything are going up. My tax money is being spent on troops and munitions in a battle I do not support. Innocent people are dying because they have no means of escape from the fighting. The US and Israel started this fight, and none of our allies are obligated to join the battle in defense of US or Israel.
My idea for a solution: A cease fire is set. Mr. Trump, Mr. Netanyahu, and whomever is Iran’s leader sit down with a beverage of choice and talk in a public forum where everyone who is interested can observe, and no one is allowed to leave until a resolution is figured out. Until then, peaceful protest keeps the issues people want to support in a current frame to remind us there is trouble in the world.
You can choose to ignore the protests on the corner of Sunset Cliffs and West Point Loma. You can choose to take part in the protests. You can stop at the protest and ask people what they think and why. The blessing of being in the US? We have the FREEDOM to do any or all of these things.
Educate yourself to what you think is important. Keep that to yourself or shout it out where others can see and hear what you think. Otherwise, find a way to get where you need to go and avoid the intersection of your discomfort and the protests.
Don’t forget Saudi Arabia – and who else? How about all the lobbyists who work for the defense industry? Every time a bomb drops or missile is shot off, that contractor is making money. It’s been known, at least since the Vietnam war (and probably the Civil War as well) that ‘War is good for business.’ All those capitalist contractors making $$ hand over fist. They employ the lobbyists — many of whom are DC insiders — who convince politicians to continue to pile enormous amounts of taxpayer money onto the Pentagon budget. And then the Pentagon hires the corporate monsters.
How ironic to post comments like this and and still the chutzpah to man-splain that these protesters — (not you of course, god forbid, just _they_) — hold a Pro-America, rah-rah Pro-Democracy separate action once a month, at another or at the same time and location.
Meanwhile, those who visit or even pass the rally, hear and see vivid signs like “Same mask, different agenda” showing clear connections between ICE today and the KKK years ago (and today), and hear chants like No ICE, No KKK, No fascist USA regularly.
Following your logic, should there be a separate protest for every issue domestic and “foreign” and a separate vigil for Iran — and Gaza — and Lebanon, each on a different day. Oh and Venzuela… Greenland…
Or, might we be permitted to draw obvious connections about all of the above AND all the “no kings” protest goals, too? The chickens have come home to roost, as community members are abducted from their hearings downtown by ICE every weekday. And this issue is indeed front and center at the OB vigil to anyone with eyes.
Thus, your non-suggestion about holding another protest you might approve of, shows how far away you are, physically and mentally, from the reality of this event and hundreds, thousands like it statewide, nationwide, and worldwide.
As Sam writes above, “Set one up. Plan it yourself. People will show up. We all have our own places in the fight.”
Israel called in AIPAC favors from American politicians and leaders with the unspoken understanding that if we don’t, the dirty secrets come out. That’s the base truth of our involvement in Iran this time.
PS: I guess grammatical formatting is not allowed for replies.
The writer of this wouldn’t last a day as a black person…. you have no idea what feeling tension is. I live in OB and have been here for 10years. Its great to drive by and see white folks protesting. Whats ashame is it took electing a complete nut job as president for that to happen. And let not forget the epstien files because that’s why this war is happening anyway. In hopes that white folks forget about the kids that were raped And tortured. Look over there not over here. While I have plenty of Jewish friends, over the years they have not been inviting to the black community and now want sympathy instead of fighting back against there rogue government. Even the anti racism commercials on TV are aimed at anti-Semitism instead of all racism. The author of this article needs to toughen up because if seeing people peacefully protest makes you anxious then your life been real nice and you are soft.
Thank you very much, “Editor Dude,” for posting this letter. Providing a form for hopefully intelligent, and hopefully civil exchange of views is one of the most important contributions the Rag makes to civic life in San Diego. It’s community journalism at its very best. Keep up the good work!
I’ll keep it simple and use Kant’s Categorical Imperative as our moral compass…
“Kant’s categorical imperative is a supreme moral law commanding that you act only according to principles (maxims) that you could rationally will to become a universal law for everyone.” (Per google)
Let’s review recent USA involved actions… genocide, kidnapping, assassination(s), looting of natural resources…
WWKS? What Would Kant Say?
I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but: GET REAL.
This open letter reeks of self-victimization.
The writer is acting like they are driving past gang members, when in reality they are driving past PEACE activists.
And then they claim this vigil should have representation of both sides, but vigils are held for the victims, NOT the victim AND their murderer.
To me, this open letter just sounds like a desperate attempt to throw a shadow of fear over the vigil and to fear-monger the public.
These PEACE activists keep showing up week after week because they’re motivated by LOVE, despite the very real and documented incidents of harassment and aggression done unto them by Zionists and Zionist sympathizers.
Dear writer, the people calling out a genocide and advocating for humanity are not the ones you should be afraid of.
Respectfully,
Carolina
Editordude: we’re cutting off comments to this post as the comments haven’t really been much of a dialog. Which is partly the letter-writer’s fault plus the fault of the divide that exists among us.