More Than 1,000 Gather in Protest at Rochester's 2010 Anti-Tax Tea Party

April 15, 2010 saw over 1,000 people join together at a Tea Party held in downtown Rochester, N.Y. I was there as the participants gathered on the steps at Genesee Crossroads Park and lined the footbridges across the river.

People began gathering well before the 11:30 a.m. announced start. A folksinger kept the crowd entertained until noon, when the serious part of the Tea Party kicked off. Bagpipers and a Presentation of the Colors was followed by the singing of the National Anthem, an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Tea Party organizers then took time to recognize the men and women of our military and the veterans in the crowd. All five military services were singled out for honors.

Among the main speakers were Kevin Williams, a meteorologist with local NBC affiliate WHEC-TV. Williams is a skeptic about global warming and his speech describing the government's role in pushing that theory was well received. Williams made his views clear that governments and international agencies are pushing an agenda that is not supported by science.

Ayesha Kreutz energized the crowd with her speech. From the beginning, when she announced that she was one of those racist tea baggers, to the end, where she announced that she would not be controlled, her speech was interrupted by applause repeatedly. Kreutz is a black woman and a local conservative political activist.

The crowd was a mix of several political persuasions. There was a woman carrying a Ralph Nader sign. College-aged Ron Paul supporters stood next to elderly folks carrying signs about the Federal debt.

The signs that I saw were generally homemade though a few were professionally printed. There were a number of American flags and several Gadsden flags, with the coiled snake and the "Don't Tread on Me" motto. There were dozens of people wearing the bright yellow tee shirts of the Glen Beck inspired "We Surround" movement.

The age mix appeared fairly even, split between the college-aged, the elderly, and people with children in tow. This was an event that many parents brought their children to in strollers.

I had a few moments to speak with Ayesha Kreutz before the event began. She was surprised and delighted to be meeting so many people she knew from social media such as Facebook. She talked to me about her speech, and its theme. "I don't want to be controlled" is an important idea to this woman, whether it is via government healthcare or government education systems that foster illiteracy. In her speech, Kreutz would tell the crown that people who learn to read become conservatives. Illiterate liberals are easy for the government to control, she told us.

There was no sign of any organized counter-protest. One Nader supporter, one man carrying a sign supporting universal health care and perhaps one or two more signs that could be termed as non Tea Party. There were no confrontations. I saw no signs that were racist or offensive in any way.

The Rochester 2010 Tea Party was covered by all of the local television stations as well as print media. Unlike prior events in 2009, the news crews stayed until the even ended, filming the speakers and interviewing participants.