There's a place I think of often, where we're still twenty-three in Boston

[sovay]

I dreamed twice that it was snowing too hard for me to make it out to Roxbury for the March for Our Lives, but I am awake now and it merely looks chilly and overcast. I can walk in that. So, I hope, will many other people. To buses.

[edit] I marched with gaudior and Fox and we picked up choco_frosh along the way. We were surrounded by signs and teens and children and families and drums and the industrial glitter-pink banner of Gays Against Guns, which we wound up marching near for much of the route from Roxbury Crossing to Boston Common. The Globe estimated about 50,000 attendees, but my mother is hearing higher numbers. Perhaps as many as a million in D.C. Fox was not the youngest person we saw at the march, but they were the youngest we saw consistently on foot rather than stroller or baby-sling, often running back and forth along the sidewalks to make friends with dogs or cars. And it did snow, but only around three o'clock when we were safely sitting down in a very crowded Panera on Boylston Street. I am home now and sitting down with cats. A man who looked like Frank Morgan just rang our doorbell by mistake. There were a lot of people in the streets today saying lives are worth more than guns. This was worth doing.

Comments

[strange_complex]

I was impressed by the size of the crowds I saw on UK news coverage of this. Well done for being a part of it. From over here, it really looks like things might be starting to change, in a way that's never seemed to be the case to this extent before. Obviously the government in power right now is hardly receptive to the message, but I fervently hope for all of you that this momentum keeps up and leads to real change eventually.

[sovay]

I was impressed by the size of the crowds I saw on UK news coverage of this. Well done for being a part of it.

Thank you. It was important to. And if there needs to be a next march (I'm sure there will be a next march), I'll go to it, too.

Obviously the government in power right now is hardly receptive to the message, but I fervently hope for all of you that this momentum keeps up and leads to real change eventually.

I am hoping. Gun control is one of the many aspects of this country that have changed for the worse in my lifetime and I don't want it just changed back, I want it changed better.

[skygiants]

I could not make the march but was at the rally, and we saw so many adorable protest dogs that we all regretted not having our protest signs read "I'M HERE TO PROTEST GUNS AND PET DOGS."

[sovay]

I could not make the march but was at the rally, and we saw so many adorable protest dogs that we all regretted not having our protest signs read "I'M HERE TO PROTEST GUNS AND PET DOGS."

An admirable sentiment!

How was the rally? gaudior and I were both out of stamina and Fox was close to winding up and crashing (and it seemed to be very loud and I was out of tolerance for loud, since I am not allowed to wear earplugs with this ear infection and would normally have done so for both public transit and the march), but from the Globe it sounded like people said what needed saying and said it well.

[skygiants]

I was up on the hill with the Civil War memorial in order to easily find people, so honestly I could only half-hear what was going on, but what I heard sounded good! Mostly we saw a lot of great signs and, as aforementioned, dogs. (Including a number of great signs tucked in amongst the Civil War Memorial itself, which I liked a lot as a notion and wished I had brought one to hang around the neck of the big bronze soldier with the musket.)

[julian]

Ah, that's where the sign graveyard was materializing. I left a bit too early for that, but I'm sure the Historical Society people will be glad it existed.

(wait, it wasn't the Historical Society)

[sovay]

(wait, it wasn't the Historical Society)

Thanks for the link! I did wonder.

[sovay]

Including a number of great signs tucked in amongst the Civil War Memorial itself, which I liked a lot as a notion and wished I had brought one to hang around the neck of the big bronze soldier with the musket.)

Since I am pessimistically sure there will be other marches of this kind, optimistically I think that's an excellent idea and you should do it. As an alumna of a university which once memorably gave nine-foot bronze Louis D. Brandeis a pumpkin head for Halloween, I am in favor of treating statues like living art.

(I still want to make him a golem. I need to get permission first.)

[selkie]

We have the dirt at work in little Hebraized-lettered pouches, but the mayim chayim from a virgin well is going to take some doing, is what.

I asked the rabbi and he said the dirt was fine and correct. Don't think I didn't. November 9 I asked him.

[nineweaving]

I was on the Common. I am so glad you marched with Fox!

Nine

[sovay]

I was on the Common. I am so glad you marched with Fox!

I'm glad you were there! Any good signs?

[nineweaving]

Tons! There were sign graveyards encircling the playground like an apotropaic charm, and the fountain gods were transformed into world-weary marchers.

Nine

[larryhammer]

We marched the whole route (about a mile and a half), with TBD on foot for the middle third. Their sign was "Love Everything in the World" (dictated) with a multicolored heart on the other side (self-work). Ours was "Listen to the Kids". We ended up in a knot of teens with excellent voices for calling out chants.

Of course, for TBD, the highlight was getting to ride the streetcar. Twice.

[sovay]

We marched the whole route (about a mile and a half), with TBD on foot for the middle third. Their sign was "Love Everything in the World" (dictated) with a multicolored heart on the other side (self-work).

That's wonderful.

Ours was about a two-and-a-half-mile march, but due to parade speed it took nearly three hours.

Of course, for TBD, the highlight was getting to ride the streetcar. Twice.

Hey, that's no small thing.

[larryhammer]

Whee! Three hours would have been way too long for TBD, given crowds. The better part of an hour was just about right for keeping it enjoyable.

We try to work public transportation into family expotitions. Not always possible, given wide metro area and weak system outside of the city core.