We took part in the Sea of Blue DC March Yesterday

Ken, Jill, Rob, Tom

Marching to the Capitol

Huge Crowd at the Capitol

 On Saturday, January 17, 2015 from Noon to 3:00 pm, we joined our friends Ken and Jill, Sean and Sterling (and his parents and sister) and Lisa in the "Sea of Blue DC March" to support our police around the nation. 

   Several of our close friends are police officers: Ken, Jeff and Nathan, and we can't thank them and all the men and women around the nation who keep us safe. So we proudly attended the March in Washington, DC.

some of the signs

From the organizers (three wives of policemen):  About the March: "END THE MADNESS: SEA OF BLUE DC MARCH"

Rob and Tom

Jill and Ken

   Was created to come out and show support for our Officers. Let us show the world we can put an end this hatred towards one another. God put us here to love one another, not hate and fight each other. We will meet at the NLEOMF at noon and when we are ready we will walk over to the U.S. Capitol for a peaceful rally! Please wear something blue, fly your flag Thin Blue Line or American flag, bring the kids bring your neighbors. The lodge will be open after the event for anybody that needs to warm up or just to enjoy each other.
  Schedule:
11:30 a.m. - Noon: Meet at the National Law Enforcement Memorial between 11:30 a.m. and noon.
Noon: Moment of Silence and opening ceremony events
12:30:Form up E Street and march to Capitol (approx. 1/2hr walk)
1:00: Arrival, Speakers and Benediction
ARTICLES AND VIDEOS AFTER THE MARCH:
CNN VIDEO (One of the speakers): http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/17/us/police-support-march/
U.K. DAILY MAIL Article!  - (with Jill's picture): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2914934/Blue-Lives-Matter-Demonstrators-march-capitol-Sea-Blue-rally-support-police.html
WNEW-FM News Radio (Washington, DC) Article: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/01/17/march-rally-in-support-of-police-planned-in-d-c/
REUTERS VIDEO: http://www.reuters.com/video/2015/01/17/law-enforcement-supporters-march-in-sea?videoId=361807794  (Same video on Yahoo News: http://news.yahoo.com/video/law-enforcement-supporters-march-sea-213157050.html)
That video also appeared on WSB-TV in Atlanta: http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/law-enforcement-supporters-march-in-sea-of-blue/vDBYwp/ and in Dayton, Ohio News: http://www.daytondailynews.com/videos/news/law-enforcement-supporters-march-in-sea-of-blue/vDBYx4/  and Lycos News: http://www.daytondailynews.com/videos/news/law-enforcement-supporters-march-in-sea-of-blue/vDBYx4/ and Atlanta Journal Constitution's webpage: http://www.accessatlanta.com/videos/news/law-enforcement-supporters-march-in-sea-of-blue/vDBYy9/
VIDEO#1: Local Fox 5 report: http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/01/17/hundreds-attend-sea-blue-march-washington-dc-support-police
ARTICLE (WJLA-TV Washington): http://www.wjla.com/articles/2015/01/-sea-of-blue-rally-backs-police-in-d-c--110663.html
ARTICLE: Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/17/police-supporters-washington-dc_n_6494062.html

old police car

Sterling and Sean

Supporters holding signs

Prepping for the march

rallying

Rallying

Jill, Ken, Sean, Tom

Lisa Supporting her son

Tom and Sean

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ARTICLE FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS:  http://www.dc-fop.org/news.php

Sterling and Sean

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hundreds of demonstrators marched in support of police officers in the nation's capital on Saturday.

The three women who organized the event are all wives of local police officers who say they've had enough of negativity aimed at law enforcement.
Organizer Bobbie Padgett tells WTOP-FM that the march and rally was an opportunity to thank police for their service.

Three men in blue

Lisa in front of the Capitol Dome

Kelly Wince, whose husband works for the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, tells The Washington Times that officers' morale is low amid anti-police rhetoric in the wake of the high-profile deaths of unarmed black suspects by officers in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City.
Wince also says many officers have had to work extra shifts to cover the ensuing protests of those shootings.

supporters

 FROM THE WASHINGTON POST: 

By DeNeen L. Brown January 17 at 3:41 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/sea-of-blue-marchers-come-out-to-support-police/2015/01/17/144cb3f8-9e82-11e4-96cc-e858eba91ced_story.html 

Demonstrators carrying signs saying “Blue Lives Matter” marched to the U.S. Capitol on Saturday in a show of support for police officers across the country who organizers say are not thanked enough for the danger they face in the line of duty.

At the Capitol

Add caption

“They feel unsupported,” said Kelly Wince, 52, a District police officer’s wife who organized the march with two other officers’ wives. “When they walk out the door, we don’t know whether they are coming home. We wanted to let them know we care.”

Great signs!

Oliver Smith Sr., 66, of Cheverly, Md., told the audience about his son, Oliver Smith Jr., a police officer who died in the line of duty. Smith turned his back to show a T-shirt he was wearing with the names of 180 officers who were killed in the line of duty across the country in 1997, the year in which his 28-year-old son was killed in Forestville, Md., at the end of a shift. Smith said that during the “Sea of Blue” march in Washington, he saw signs of counter protesters calling police “bad cops.” “It hurt me,” he said. “This is a peaceful demonstration. Nobody threw rocks. Nobody killed anybody. Nobody threw stones.”

Theresa Dittamo, 71, of Woodbridge, Va., remembered her son Paul Dittamo, a police officer who was killed when his patrol car crashed in Anacostia in 2010.

 HERE"S A VIDEO REPORT FROM FOX 5 NEWS, WASHINGTON, DC (Jill, Rob, Sterling and his parents and sister are seen between 1:31 and 1:34 in the video) 
LINK: http://www.myfoxdc.com/clip/11044887/pro-police-rally

DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG

HERE'S ANOTHER VIDEO  FILMED BY SOMEONE INVOLVED IN THE MARCH: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqfsOnsdbrk