I just got home a few hours ago from the protest in DC this past Saturday. I smell, I'm tired, sunburnt, sore and happier than I've been in months. I've never participated in any political action besides voting and posting here, until this weekend. I dipped my foot in the water, dove in headfirst and loved every minute of it.
I decided to write about myself and my experience for everyone out there who wonders what it's really like to get out there and do something like this. I was nervous, excited and scared. It was a wild ride and I'll never forget the people I met, the things I saw and the feeling of total liberation.
Before I go any further though I wanted to say that I've read a few things on the news regarding the protest. And for now, all I will say is that it was nothing like they say. I think I'm just going to stop reading that crap and write what I saw with my own eyes. This maybe long, so it could be a few separate posts.
Jump below with me into the rabbit hole...
To begin with, let me tell you a little bit about myself.
I'm a 24 year old woman, just graduated with my undergraduate degree from Penn State for Science and Chemistry. I now work as an analytical chemist. I moved around a lot as a kid because my father was in the Marines, I've been a lot of places and seen a lot of things for someone my age.
I think life is best lived through your experiences and I seek out interesting situations to learn more about myself, life and what makes people who they are. It's led me down some strange paths in life, but I have many memories that will stay with me forever. I was hoping this would be one of those. And I was not disappointed. In fact, this is at the top of my list.
I was mainly raised by my Mom, a single parent working as a secretary with three kids. Because of this my family is what you would call the "working poor". It's been a tough road filled with lots of "character building", seemingly impossible obstacles and disappointment. The last few years though it feels as if it's getting worse.
I've gone without health insurance for a couple years, I'm paying my dentist off over the next year because I needed cavities filled, I owe a shit ton of money to AES for school, don't own a car, after working for 8 years I had my first ever Labor Day off, saw my peers leave school to fight in Iraq and saw them come back and try to live their lives again.
The things I'm reading every day affect me, my family, and my friends.
And it's really pissing me off.
So what do you do?
Well, I decided to buy a bus ticket to DC.
And that is how the story begins.
This is a story of the people I met, the things I saw and an experience. It starts on DailyKos and ends with meeting former Daily Show regular Mo Rocca.
If you weren't able to make it, or are thinking you want to get out and do something I hope this will give a good idea of what it was like, what to expect and what to do.
Think of this as a beginners travel guide to taking action.
I had been searching on line over the last few months to find a large protest that I could go to. I found the ANSWER website, signed up for the newsletter and kept the thought in the back of my mind. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do about it and this past Monday I decided I should see if I could make it there.
I ended up finalizing my plans the Wednesday before the march. I'm on a very tight budget so I tried to do this as cheaply as possible. All in all I ended up spending a little under $150 for the whole weekend. Most of that went to the bus ticket. Not bad in my opinion, you just need to know how to use your resources.
I used to live in northern Virginia at one point, and my sister's best friend still lives there. I haven't talked to her in a year or two, but she was really great about everything. She told me I could have a place to stay, a ride to the Metro (the DC subway/rail system) and someone to have guaranteed contact with. I ended up going alone, although sometimes journeys like this are more interesting when you're in charge of your adventure. Kind of like those books, Choose Your Own Adventure but with less page turning and more options.
I didn't want to be wondering around alone all day and I figured some Kossacks had to be going. After reading everyones dairies and comments after the YearlyKos conventions and other gatherings, I knew I would be in good hands. I posted a diary and a few comments until I was sent searching in the right direction. I got in touch with jlynne by email, got a phone number and now officially had a group of people to meet up with.
I've ridden Greyhound a few times before and my favorite part is the people I meet. My least favorite part is the transfer in Harrisburg. There's always a problem and it always manages to be understaffed and overworked.
I still get military discounts at some places because I'm a family member of someone in the Armed Services. The military discount is 10% off and is only for certain lines. They also have a student ticket program and various other discounts. I meet a really nice guy at the Greyhound station who sold me my ticket. I told him about the protest and he told me he had a friend who spent his time traveling the country finding protests to attend. He's been arrested a few times but after his first one he was hooked. After this weekend I could see how that would be very appealing.
It's a hard rush to duplicate.
Once I finally get to Harrisburg I talk to a few people to see where they are going. The guy in front of me had a bouquet of roses. I found out in Baltimore that they were for his girlfriend. Although, at that point we were delayed for 3 hours and his girlfriend was pissed they were going to miss a party and the flowers were dying because of the stuffy air in the bus. His friend lucked out and got a ride from his family in Baltimore. We wave goodbye to him and continue to bitch about the delay. It's funny how you can bond with strangers when travel goes wrong....
I also tell a couple people where I'm going and why. I have lots of older ladies smile and ask me questions. I only had one guy start spewing right wing nonsense. The man next to me jumped in (he was a surprisingly well informed truck driver in training) and we both started going after the guy. The conversation ended with the right-winger telling me, and I quote,
"You should watch some FOX News and take notes. So you might learn something".
Me and my buddy both laugh and later I tell him how I'd never met a hard-core right winger like that before. He agrees and says the guy has obviously been brainwashed by FOX. The right-winger heckled me later when the bus was filling up by yelling "You're going to have to wait another hour and a half!". I just smiled and waved as I was one of the last 3 people to step on the bus to DC.
On the ride I met a man about my age who owns a barbershop in Bedford, outside of Altoona. He makes a ton a money because there aren't that many black people in the area, so a lot of businesses don't cater specifically to the types of hair cuts he gives. He's really good at it and tells me about how nice he trims up hair and all the training he has. He also tells me he breeds and sells pit bulls (not to fight, he loves the dogs and spent half the trip giving advice to his wife and kids about how to take care of the puppies). He is thinking of opening a barber shop in North Carolina where his family lives. That is where he is going. He goes home once a year to see his family because his sister is in jail for life without parole. I didn't ask why. I thought it might be rude. We spent the ride talking, joking and taking turns playing Super Mario Brothers on my awesome pink DS light.
After saying goodbye to all my new bus friends, I get picked up, we get lost in DC and finally get in at 2 in the morning. I'm nervous and excited but I fall asleep fast, I have to get up early so I can meet the Kossacks and go to my first ever protest!
My friend is worried about me and gives me a heartfelt lecture about being alone in the city. I promise to call her about 10 times. Like my Mom, my sisters and my co-workers, she also tells me not to get arrested. I smile and say o.k. I know I could, my job is really cool and my family has learned to put up with my slightly radical tendencies. They really do think I'll get arrested, but they support me and crack jokes. After the arrests hit the news, my sister in Boston sends me a text message to ask if I was one of them.
At the Metro Station everyone I see is getting passes to the same place, and almost everyone is confused and from out of town. The Metro workers are great and I continue to use them as a resource for navigating the system throughout the weekend. I don't get lost a single time.
On the train I sit down next to a middle aged man and ask him if he's going to the protest. He says yes, but for the "anti-anti-war protest". He's with a group called the Eagles. I smile and move a few inches over. I find it's better to say nothing when you know it will end badly. Two men dressed in combat boots and black shirts get on the next stop with homemade riot shields. They talk loudly about their gas-masks, shields and gloves (for throwing back tear gas). They are going to participate in the civil disobedience part of the march. The Eagles family consisting of the easily irritated Dad, two very young women and a tired looking Mom show off their signs. The two sides start arguing. It gets fairly heated, and the guys with the shield turn around and decide to ignore the "Eagle". I'm happy to have avoided a fight before I even get to the march.
I get off at my stop and at the top of the escalator they are giving away the yellow ANSWER signs saying "End the War Now" that you see in all the pictures. I pick one up from the lady and ask an older woman also picking up a sign if she knows which way the White House is from the stop. She is from DC and offers to walk with me there. We talk about the lack of action on the streets. She's really happy to see the "young people" like me getting out there and doing something. I see a lot of students and "young people" throughout the day. I'd wager to say it was the majority, and they were certainly the most vocal.
She points me in the right direction, wishes me luck, we part ways and I try to find the Kossacks. Between phone calls and wondering around asking random people where I am I discover I'm on the wrong side of the White House. I talk with jlynne and we decide they will gather me up on the way over. So I find one of the lawyer guild volunteers and ask him if I can hang out with him until I find the Kossacks. He reads the DailyKos and keeps an eye on me until I find everyone. If you are reading this (Bobby, I think), thank you for your help :)
The crowd is starting to grow at this point. It's like nothing I've ever seen before.
There are people of all colors, ages and beliefs gathering around me. Bullhorns blare while people preach their messages, there is sporadic chanting, cheers and music. There are buttons for sale, people on stilts, a pogo jumper for peace and lots and lots of leaflets. Helicopters are circling the area and the police are starting to stand in front of the White House. I hear what sounds like a roar, and in the distance see a huge group of people stretching the length of the road marching down the long path towards me.
The yells grow louder and I realize they are chanting as I see hundreds of students from George Washington University march in unison to the White House.
It was a beautiful sight.
After much confusion I finally find jlynne, ironically enough by the fairly infamous Hillary/Nazi puppet...
I'm so excited to find her that I run up and hug her. Everyone is there and the main speakers are starting.
As a disclaimer, I'm not going to give out many details about the Kossacks personally for privacy sake, but rest assured they were all very nice, kind hearted people from all walks of life and all over the country. Just like I always imagined they would be.
I start talking to a young man who tells me here's here with his father, who posts on here as One Pissed Off Liberal. I immediately squeal about how much I love his work and that I had been hoping to meet him. After reading his essays for close to two years now I'm actually pretty star struck by his presence. I take a minute to compose my thoughts before I introduce myself and gush about his writing. He's very nice about it and I start to feel more at ease as all the Kossacks introduce themselves. Some by their real names, some by their Kossack names.
We all waste time lounging around and seeing the sights while the speakers talk in the distance. The crowd grows even larger and more diverse around us as the crowd around the stage cheers when they want to. At first everyone thought the numbers were pretty low, possibly disappointing. I was convinced it was all spread out and once we gathered it was going to be big. The meeting space was too crowded with statues and trees. The Mall would have been better so everyone could see the speakers and get a better gage of the crowd.
I see a group with an accordion and peaches dancing and singing, a man dressed as Death thanking GW for the overtime, a Santa on stilts and a man on a hunger strike. I see a woman with her baby eating cheerios. I ask her for a picture and she agrees. She tells me she thought her mother would be worried about her grand-child at a protest, but she was happy and excited for them. We agreed it was really great gathering and the people were all wonderful that we had met so far and our families were supportive. There were a lot of people who have never been to something like this before.
I am absolutely amazed at the diversity.
After much waiting and introductions and picture taking we finally start gathering on the street for the march. I started getting butterflies in my stomach, it was finally time. I wondered what it would be like, if anyone would get hurt, would it be worth the trip, would it be disappointing?
And before I knew it we were all starting to move forward.
I stayed up until 3 in the morning writing this and am finally home from work. I'm going to post this and hang around for a bit, but I'm so tired I don't think I can make it much longer.
I'll post about the march and the arrests at the Capital building in a day or so. I got some great pictures and a few videos to post, so......
Join me next time for Adventures in Activism: Episode 2, Taking to the Streets.