I see no better time to dispense with "business as usual" than right now. But protestors should obviously make sure they are not blocking ambulances and other service vehicles from getting where they need to go. And anyone leading a protest march or organizatin needs to make sure that participants are educated on the effective methods of civil disobedience.
It is important to continue sending the message that the vast and overwhelming majority of the American people (despite what cleverly-contrived "opinion polls" claim to reveal) are AGAINST this war. If we throw up our hands and decide we're powerless to do anything, or retreat to our usual lives without acknowledging what our country is perpetrating in the rest of the world, we may as well let our government lock us up in cells and cut our tongues out (sorta like what's happening at Guantanamo).
Thanks for your inspiring story! Over 4000 people marched in Boston on Thursday and many of my students were among them.