"We had a good turn out, with about 40–45 demonstrators. Volunteers brought handmade posters and/or additional leaflets printed from The HSUS's web site. We distributed almost all of the literature we had, which was over 1,000 leaflets! For the most part, we were received with interest and those we talked to did not approve of the seal slaughter. We were on the sidewalk of a busy street and received supporting honks and  waves from passing motorists. Everyone who participated in the demonstration today expressed determination to keep the pressure on Red Lobster until they join the boycott and Canada's commercial seal hunt is ended forever."—Debbie MacCarter

"You'll notice major street traffic in photos, as this Red Lobster is off one the craziest and busiest intersections in the county. Exceptional poster visibility maintained for four hours. We distributed several hundred leaflets to drive-by traffic in front of the restaurant, at the intersection, at a major parade a block away, and at a large regional mall down the street. Eleven dedicated and passionate volunteers participated in this event."—Wendy Slater

"We had demonstrators come from over 60 miles away. About 30 showed up and gave out lots of leaflets! They were all great people and all perfectly willing to wait for the media, who turned up at about 1:30 to do a story that aired later that evening. Great day for the seals! We are ready to do it again!"—Kelly Lane

"We had a very successful demonstration. The most important thing was that we got the word out to tons of people. Practically everyone we talked to had no clue that the slaughter was even going on. Some said, "That's still happening?" Most people were very receptive and supportive. We had a lot of honking, and that really helped keep us motivated. I can't wait to have another demonstration. Next time we want to do it later so we can target the dinner crowd"—Kim Day and Jennifer Lyons

"We were a group of 13 demonstrators. We stood two to a corner at the intersection near the restaurant ,with the endless stream of big cars going by, and tried for eye contact. Others covered the road into the restaurant, and still others went into the restaurant with pamphlets. The parking lot also had its consciousness raised. We managed to pass out quite a number of pamphlets and got a bunch of thumbs up and car honks."—Dian Hardy

"We had about 20 people at our demo in San Bruno and handed out a bunch of fliers to people in cars passing by and to Red Lobster patrons. We were also covered by a local news radio station (740 AM)."—Alicia Moore

"We had a great turn-out of around 40 people, including many children, teenagers, and first-time protesters. It was a very hot day (90°), and we were concerned about the heat, but it really helped when the sprinklers were conveniently turned on during our protest! We positioned ourselves in a line that ran the length of the Red Lobster property facing a very busy Rt. 59. Not only did we reach a lot of people that were driving in the area, but we did have a few people who walked out of Red Lobster."—Patty Ruback

"For the most part, we got positive reactions. We had 17 people and passed out two whole packets of leaflets about the campaign. We had some people walk into Red Lobster with our leaflets, and they came right back out saying, "We're not going to eat here." Our demonstrators worked very, very hard. They didn't even take breaks in the searing heat. We had a lot of people drive by and give us the thumbs up. They also honked. I think we all learned a lot. Now we just have to educate others."—Marlene Behrend

"We had a great turnout of 55 people, a combination of HSUS staff members and local Washington, D.C. area animal activists and HSUS members. The public was generally surprised that the seal slaughter still occurred and was very interested in learning how boycotting Canadian seafood could help protect seals. One man told us he saw a skit about the seal hunt on Saturday Night Live and assumed it was a joke. When we told him that over 300,000 seal pups are slaughtered yearly in Canada, he was astonished and promised to avoid Canadian seafood.  We got many honks from supportive cars, buses, and trucks, and passed out hundreds of leaflets about Red Lobster and the seal hunt to Red Lobster customers and local shoppers."—Andrea Cimino

"Over two dozen people protested the seal hunt, calling for a boycott of Canadian seafood at both Omaha Red Lobster locations. The rally was professional, orderly, and effective. The sound of cars honking as they drove by showed that the public is behind the  campaign. Many drivers took pictures of the event with cell phone cameras."—Marie Schwartz

"There were a total of six protesters, three for the lunch protest and three for dinner. About 40% of vehicles from both sides of street waved, gave us a thumbs up, and yelled 'Thank you!' through opened windows while smiling and nodding to us. Quite a few people stopped and spoke with us, praised us for what we were doing, took flyers, and signed our petition."—Fran Aperones

"Our demo went beautifully! Over 46 enthusiastic activists [turned out] in mid-90s heat at the Red Lobster in Times Square. The activists held signs and chanted slogans.  We handed out over 1,500 flyers to New York passersby, as well as tourists from around the world."—Barbara Dyer and Julio O'Connor

"Our protest went very well, with 25 participants in the midst of a very hot and humid day. ABC 11 Eyewitness News gave us good coverage on the 6 p.m. news. We had several honks and thumbs up, and a few people parked and came to find out more about the issue."—Gina Wilson

"There were about 18 people on Saturday. We had balloons, posters, and flyers. We stood apart from each other on the grass in front of Red Lobster and also the Olive Garden next to it. It was a nice group, and it seemed most, if not all, were first-timers. We had quite a few drivers honking and giving us the thumbs up. And a couple of cars pulled over quickly to ask us about the rally, and we gave them some pamphlets, but they could not stay long as people were honking from behind. "—Norma Schenk

"Twenty people showed up for this event. About 15 of us stood on the curb, holding signs for the oncoming traffic to see. The other protesters stood in the parking lot and handed out the leaflets to people going into the restaurant. Most people did listen to what we had to say. A car full of people were about to pull into the parking lot, but stopped first to talk with some of us. When they learned about the baby seals and Red Lobster's connection, they changed their minds and decided to not eat there!"—Lane Ferrante

"While extreme temperatures of 100+ degrees were keeping many Memphians indoors, we advocates demonstrated peacefully and handed out literature to some receptive people and others who didn't want to know the truth about the hunt. Several people said they agreed with our message and said 'good work.' Some cars honked, with thumbs up, while others craned their necks to see what the message was. "—Michelle Buckalew

"The turn-out was beyond my wildest dreams, and I am so impressed by the dedication and compassion of the attendees. We reached many people with our message, and by the sound of the car horns, people really agreed. We showed up and made our case known, and we moved mountains...well, glaciers, in this case."—Timothy Verret

"We had 54 demonstrators who turned out on Saturday, including a number of people who were participating in a demonstration for the first time. It was a great success!"—Caron Byl

" Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Participants seemed to agree that the demonstration was a peaceful but powerful one that made an impact on the community. Among the advocates were three children, one a 2-year-old girl who held a sign, 'Babies for Baby Seals.' Over 100 leaflets were given out to Red Lobster customers and area motorists.

Several customers expressed great concern about the plight of the seals. 

One man arriving to dine continued into the restaurant to demand that Red Lobster join the boycott. Before he entered, we noted him stopping to first talk about the issue to restaurant employees on an outside deck. A woman in a passing car began crying after I handed her a leaflet and shared the details. Three high school students stopped to do a story on us for a school project."—Kathy Landry