The WGA East strike today found itself in Washington Square Park, the historic Greenwich Village rallying point for social protest. The numbers were less than expected, ''Hundreds,'' writes Joshingpolitics, ''if not over a thousand people came to show their support for the writers in Greenwich Village.'' But the mood was festive, according to various accounts, especially in reaction to Tim Robbins' speech. From Variety:

''Presidential candidate John Edwards made a brief appearance and fellow Democratic hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sent letters backing the Writers Guild cause. In all, 16 speakers trouped to the podium, which was bracketed by stage lights and backed by a five-piece band that recalled a late-night TV talk show. In a large semi-circle a few feet away, TV news cameras rolled.

''Speakers included boldface names like Tim Robbins, Danny Glover and Colin Quinn; politicians including Congressman Anthony Weiner and Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer; and execs from guilds repping teachers, service workers and many more.''

(image via joshingpolitics)