Group holds dance parties on Berkeley overpass to call for peace in politics
By Loureen Ayyoub
A group of Bay Area activists turns a busy Berkeley overpass into a weekly call for peace, and they’re calling it NICE.
The gathering, held on a pedestrian bridge above a freeway in Berkeley, brings together community members waving signs and dancing as passing drivers honk in support.
“Every honk is somebody saying, ‘Yes, we agree,'” said Jennifer Quinn, an activist who started the event. “We are here to protect our democracy and our community, and this is just a really fun way to do that.”
Quinn said NICE began as a costume joke on Halloween but has since grown into what she describes as a community movement.
“NICE stands for now it counts everyone. Now, everyone’s got to show up. Got to show up for community,” Quinn said. “And you can start here and make some friends.”
Participants say the weekly “overpass visibility dance party” promotes nonviolence and calls for immigration policy reform. Organizers describe the event as a peaceful response to what they perceive as growing hostility and division in national politics.
Sarah Donaldson, an activist attending the gathering, emphasized the importance of maintaining a peaceful approach.
“We got to be peaceful all the time. No violence,” Donaldson said.
Quinn said the lighthearted tone is intentional.
“It cuts through the intensity of some really intense politics,” she said. “So, I say that I’m holding space for more nice people. You don’t have to agree with everything in the protests, but we need to show up and be counted.”
For organizers, the weekly event is as much about community building as it is about activism — keeping the atmosphere upbeat while amplifying a broader message of unity.
