The people in cars driving by are kind of in their own parade. Some wave wildly and lay on the horn and hoot out the window. Some flash thumbs-up or peace signs. Some keep eyes forward and have a flat wax figure expression. I’d say most were enthusiastic today.
I got up early and got the dog walked, the cats fed, the laundry hung out to dry, and the garden watered. Dishes done.
Now to go to the No King’s protest.
So, I biked in.
This time I left my phone at home. I would meet up with whoever I met up with. I found a couple of my favorite democrats and we hung out for awhile and eventually lost track of each other. Everyone was friendly.
People were nice and said excuse me if they bumped into me. I saw a few dogs. I wouldn’t bring my dog to a protest, but that’s just me.
There were people I knew there who had never protested or thought to protest but they said they felt there wasn’t an option to not show up.
I like to push out to the edge of the busy intersection to wave and flash signs at the people going by in cars.
STOP HATE
STOP BRUTALITY
STOP LIES
This sign was given to me by a person I just met in the middle of the street because she had to leave. She said someone else gave it to her. After the march, I gave it to someone else.
Samba Ja was there and they drummed a driving beat in the Whole Foods parking lot. We danced and waved our signs in rhythm at the intersection. They were loud and to me much better than yelling things. Like some people chanted “this is what democracy looks like” and it got me wondering, is it? It is when things go awry.
I woke up to news that two elected democrats had been shot in Minnesota. This is really bad and not what democracy looks like.
I talk to people about protests, what effect they have and people have differing views. Some think it makes a difference and go, while others don’t think they work. Thoughts?
I had someone knock at my front door a few nights ago after dark. She apologized profusely but wondered if we could talk about Quakers. I could have said not now but I was still up and now was just fine.
She lives somewhere around here and knows my cats’ names so we must have spoken before. She might have been having a rough night and may have needed to talk to someone. I do have a Quaker sign in my garden. I put it there after I told people we need to be more visible. So I made myself visible and someone found me.
At one point she said, now Quakers don’t proselytize, right? I said, nope. You come to our house and ask questions, just like what you are doing- and we laughed.
Marching, holding signs, speaking out, dancing with drumbeats, and showing up are all ways to be visible and seen and says a lot because people do notice.
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