The Friday night dance party takes place on an I-80 overpass in Berkeley, a daytime protest hotspot, transforming the bridge into a glowing display of support for the Bay Area community and those protecting democracy, while urging an estimated 12,000 cars per hour to “honk” in solidarity.<\/p>\n
Since January, a group of local residents of all ages called NICE<\/a> (Not ICE), spearheaded by activist Jennifer Quinn, have been donning their frog costumes and glo-sticks and heading to the I-80 pedestrian overpass in Berkeley (at University Avenue) for a weekly, disco-style “Visibility Dance Party” every Friday night. <\/p>\n \u201cBring the kids, snacks to share, a community spirit, bubbles, delights, twinkle lights, bring your art, and come as you are,\u201d says the group\u2019s Indivisible page<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u200b\u200b<\/p>\n As the SF Standard reports<\/a>, the overpass is a popular, long-held hotspot for holding protests due to its high visibility \u2014 the group\u2019s Indivisible page estimates 12,000 cars fly under the bridge every hour.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery honk is somebody saying, \u2018Yes, we agree,\u2019\u201d Quinn told KPIX<\/a>. \u201cWe are here to protect our democracy and our community, and this is just a really fun way to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Quinn told KPIX the concept was first spawned by a costume joke last Halloween. She then attended a daytime protest on the bridge in January and met Indivisible East Bay volunteer Maria Shanle. The two came up with the idea to transform the space at night when the bridge is essentially empty, but the freeway below is highly active, per the Standard.<\/p>\n The organizers aim to keep the event bright and accessible for everyone, especially families.<\/p>\n It\u2019s \u201csomething new and fresh for the drivers,\u201d Shanle told the Standard, as she handed out treats and strobe lights to attendees. \u201cA very positive, open, welcoming and family-friendly environment.\u201d<\/p>\n The dance party format helps bring people together from all walks of life.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s an interesting confluence of energy that\u2019s taking place here,\u201d Vera Chang<\/a>, a professor of environmental justice at St. Mary\u2019s College, who attended the dance party with her family, told the Standard. \u201cPeople are reaching deep inside themselves for reasons to have hope and to generate change.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea of going to protest is really intimidating to a lot of people, even if people feel strongly about the encroachment of tyranny,\u201d said Quinn.<\/p>\n Quinn told the Standard she\u2019s looking to hire a DJ who can \u201cmake teenagers dance,\u201d and she hopes to inspire people to make new connections at the dance party.<\/p>\n \u201cNICE stands for \u2018now it counts everyone.\u2019 Now, everyone’s got to show up. Got to show up for community,\u201d Quinn told KPIX. \u201cAnd you can start here and make some friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Image: Indivisible<\/a><\/p>\n