printable versionSchwarzenegger appearance a magnet for throng of protesters, some supporters
BY MICHAEL PEÑA
An unidentified protester wearing a plastic mask of the governor protested outside Memorial Auditorium.
About 200 protesters gathered outside Memorial Auditorium while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger fielded questions inside for a live broadcast of MSNBC's "Hardball" program Monday afternoon—many spoofing the state leader's celebrity status with their own publicity stunts.
No Hummer rumbled onto campus, and the governor lifted no one-liners from his Hollywood past for the crowd. Nonetheless, protesters supplied their own Schwarzenegger zingers while chanting opposition to his proposals aimed at California's educators and healthcare workers. Some even wore masks of the square-jawed icon.
"Hey, Arnold, take a stand! Don't be a corporate girlie-man!" went one chant. Meanwhile, signs read, "Real Men Keep Their Promises to Students" and "Kindergarten Cop Is a Kindergarten Flop."
The university sent out a press advisory inviting local news organizations to watch the program from a screening room in Pigott Theater. Otherwise, the taping was deemed a private event.
Eleventh-hour e-mails circulated among labor unions and organizations on campus Monday calling all members to converge on White Plaza at 3:30 p.m. and march to the auditorium for the governor's arrival. The university and the governor's office invited about 700 individuals to watch the taping in the auditorium. The number of protesters was around 150 to 200, according to Stanford police.
Doug King was not one of them. A graduate student in applied physics, King also heard about the event at the last minute and, as a supporter of the governor, wanted to see him live. He was among a faction of Schwarzenegger supporters who showed up after the doors closed for the program's 4 p.m. start.
"I think he's trying," King said of the governor. "Whenever you're trying to balance things fiscally, you're always going to upset someone."
That would include Greg Miller, a registered nurse in San Jose for more than 20 years and one of the many California Nurses Association members waving picket signs outside the building. The crowd also included members of Service Employees International Union, Local 715, the Peninsula Raging Grannies and a few students from the Stanford Labor Action Coalition.
"We're here because Arnold is introducing a lot of plans that are hurting education, healthcare and the safety of workers," Miller said. "We fought for 10 years to have safe staffing in hospitals."
Stanford police Deputy Ken Bates thanked Stanford Events and other university departments that provided support during the production. Bates said there were no arrests or citations issued, with protesters eventually disbanding around 5:20 p.m. Many of them crowded at the rear of the auditorium after the show to catch the governor leaving.
Two black SUVs and several California Highway Patrol units quickly cut through the crowd, but Doug King would not be deterred. He chased after the motorcade on his bike and caught up to the governor while his vehicle stopped at an intersection. King said the one-time Terminator, through the cracked window of his vehicle, smiled and waved.
"I got what I came here for," King said afterward. "I just wanted to see the governor, more than anything else."