I've been wrestling with the idea of physically joining protests for quite a while. We are all far beyond the time for just hunkering down and pounding the keys as I'm doing right now. Like many of us older folks, I did some marching, singing songs, and carrying signs, back in the day.
In spite of being distracted by the pleasures and tiny challenges of being a middle class suburbanite for forty years, I managed to vote every two years. This past year, running up to November, was exciting and very discouraging. I exhorted remaining family and friends; those whom I knew seldom if ever voted, to get out and get involved. I bothered anyone who looked conscious, and over eighteen. I'm sure I waited an extra long time for my Starbucks at least a couple times as a penalty for my badgering (I should have just used the drive-up).
Since the election I've been having the occasional pipe of hashish and trying to tamp down obsessing about direct action. If I'm going to feel the whip of fascism again, It will be with great purpose.
Fyi, the April 5 Hands Off protests were estimated by organizers at 5.3 million across the country, and much lower estimates by police. This seems common. My location (Boston) was estimated by police at 30,000, and organizers at 100,000 -- my guess was in the middle, 45-50,000 ("way more than Fenway Park holds"). I took in ~30 data points from posters on social media, and estimated 2 to 3 million nationally at a minimum, albeit probably less than 5.3 million. In any case, it was certainly more than half a million nationally.
Holy shit, thank you -- I'll correct it. that's what I get for grabbing a statistic from a national publication, I am for some reason continuing to forget that they are failing to report on this in any meaningful way. I'll change it
Good march in PDX, but not nearly as large as the Hands Off march.
Why? Because it seems like the Left is falling into the same old trap: Not Invented Here, perhaps disguised by ideological purity. But I don’t know, maybe folks are just asleep at the wheel.
Why the eff don’t different groups promote each other’s events? No. Stop. I don’t want any effing excuses. Pull your heads out of your asses and make sure everyone who isn’t in the In Crowd hears about it, even if it’s not your event!
Thanks for the nudge, it was needed, and effective. All it took was mentioning it in meatspace (at the climbing gym) and everybody in earshot was like "heck yeah I'll see you there". For some it was their first time at a protest.
It was cold and snowy but despite that I think there were at least a thousand of us in Downtown Colorado Springs. (There were also maybe 6 counterprotesting trucks which just drove back and forth revving their engines at us)
I went to one today, at a local Tesla outlet. There were roughly 1000 people lining the streets in four directions. They've been having these every Saturday for a month or so. People said today was the largest turnout they've had. Many drivers honked and waved; some gave thumbs-down; and a couple rolled down their window to yell "You look like r*t*rds," apparently enjoying their new-found freedom to use their favorite schoolyard insult.
One thing I decided today is that a good protest sign has a maximum of four words, in a minimum font size of 3 inches. It should be terse, bold, easy to read at a glance, and high contrast. Someone next to me had a sign that said "'I love the poorly educated' was not a compliment" and I, as a fellow protester standing still, thought that was fucking great, but I doubt 1/4 of the people in cars driving past managed to read it.
My sign was FREE ABREGO GARCIA in black capital letters on a big poster-board. To make it more anodyne and appealing in the future, I might switch to TRUMP'S GUTTING MEDICARE, even though I feel more emotional about the first one. Are there any other really simple ones that will resonate with tired, busy people who only momentarily look up at the signs I'll be holding over a highway overpass?
Thank you Laura.
I've been wrestling with the idea of physically joining protests for quite a while. We are all far beyond the time for just hunkering down and pounding the keys as I'm doing right now. Like many of us older folks, I did some marching, singing songs, and carrying signs, back in the day.
In spite of being distracted by the pleasures and tiny challenges of being a middle class suburbanite for forty years, I managed to vote every two years. This past year, running up to November, was exciting and very discouraging. I exhorted remaining family and friends; those whom I knew seldom if ever voted, to get out and get involved. I bothered anyone who looked conscious, and over eighteen. I'm sure I waited an extra long time for my Starbucks at least a couple times as a penalty for my badgering (I should have just used the drive-up).
Since the election I've been having the occasional pipe of hashish and trying to tamp down obsessing about direct action. If I'm going to feel the whip of fascism again, It will be with great purpose.
Fyi, the April 5 Hands Off protests were estimated by organizers at 5.3 million across the country, and much lower estimates by police. This seems common. My location (Boston) was estimated by police at 30,000, and organizers at 100,000 -- my guess was in the middle, 45-50,000 ("way more than Fenway Park holds"). I took in ~30 data points from posters on social media, and estimated 2 to 3 million nationally at a minimum, albeit probably less than 5.3 million. In any case, it was certainly more than half a million nationally.
And yes to more protests! Thank you Laura.
Holy shit, thank you -- I'll correct it. that's what I get for grabbing a statistic from a national publication, I am for some reason continuing to forget that they are failing to report on this in any meaningful way. I'll change it
Great! I've never seen anything like the one in Boston. But the next ones will be bigger. ;-)
Thank you, Laura.
I am. Doing a walk and talk with my counselor on the way and boom there.
Good march in PDX, but not nearly as large as the Hands Off march.
Why? Because it seems like the Left is falling into the same old trap: Not Invented Here, perhaps disguised by ideological purity. But I don’t know, maybe folks are just asleep at the wheel.
Why the eff don’t different groups promote each other’s events? No. Stop. I don’t want any effing excuses. Pull your heads out of your asses and make sure everyone who isn’t in the In Crowd hears about it, even if it’s not your event!
Thanks for the nudge, it was needed, and effective. All it took was mentioning it in meatspace (at the climbing gym) and everybody in earshot was like "heck yeah I'll see you there". For some it was their first time at a protest.
It was cold and snowy but despite that I think there were at least a thousand of us in Downtown Colorado Springs. (There were also maybe 6 counterprotesting trucks which just drove back and forth revving their engines at us)
I went to one today, at a local Tesla outlet. There were roughly 1000 people lining the streets in four directions. They've been having these every Saturday for a month or so. People said today was the largest turnout they've had. Many drivers honked and waved; some gave thumbs-down; and a couple rolled down their window to yell "You look like r*t*rds," apparently enjoying their new-found freedom to use their favorite schoolyard insult.
One thing I decided today is that a good protest sign has a maximum of four words, in a minimum font size of 3 inches. It should be terse, bold, easy to read at a glance, and high contrast. Someone next to me had a sign that said "'I love the poorly educated' was not a compliment" and I, as a fellow protester standing still, thought that was fucking great, but I doubt 1/4 of the people in cars driving past managed to read it.
My sign was FREE ABREGO GARCIA in black capital letters on a big poster-board. To make it more anodyne and appealing in the future, I might switch to TRUMP'S GUTTING MEDICARE, even though I feel more emotional about the first one. Are there any other really simple ones that will resonate with tired, busy people who only momentarily look up at the signs I'll be holding over a highway overpass?
I saw some that said NO KINGS,
or SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION,
or DEMAND DUE PROCESS
Seeing a lot of Ukrainian and Palestinian flags here.