Views of an Active Citizen over Inaugural Weekend
No matter how one chose to engage or disengage our political process this past year, and specifically this last week, one thing is for sure, there was no shortage of deep emotions and strong opinions attached to this historical Inauguration. Coming from a mixed-race family with a blue-collar upbringing in the Northeast, I can say that Donald Trump and his administration in no way represent my values or the people and places I experience daily. Although many of the people I know share the same sentiment about our incoming administration, when I expressed my interest in heading to D.C. to bear witness to the Inauguration and the Women’s March, the responses I received were of fear, hopelessness, and refusal to accept the facts. These are, of course, all normal reactions to such a regressive shift in power and ideologies, however, hiding in fear and sadness will not create a path towards the world we wish to live in. In fact, one of the biggest problems contributing to our current fears and divisiveness is our willingness to passively consume Network TV without actively engaging others in the real world. This is precisely why I chose to go to Washington D.C. while many of my friends watched carefully crafted news stories or chose to completely ignore the event altogether. I chose to be an active citizen so that I could witness history first hand, so that I could feel empowered amongst those who share similar beliefs, & most importantly so that I could better understand and humanize those I disagree with. After participating in both days’ events and hearing what the news was reporting back to the people, I felt a civic duty to inform others of what I witnessed and experienced.
I departed for D.C. Thursday afternoon and upon arriving at Union Station one could immediately feel the rising tensions of those around me. There were police and military every few feet and in-between them walked the notorious red hat Trump supporters. I didn’t know if I was living in an episode of Black Mirrors or The Twilight Zone. How could we all be coexisting at the same time and in the same place with such radically opposing views? Could it be as simple as we all equally care about our personal well-being and wish to exercise our rights as citizens? That thought alone was enough for me to relate to the other in order to start a conversation. The next morning I followed the crowds towards the Capitol. Secret Service, military, and the police each had their role in controlling the streets and occasionally directing people where to go. I didn’t have a ticket to the Inauguration so I got as close as one could get to the action, smack dab in front of an entrance. I found myself at the Red Entrance where hundreds of protestors representing various causes had linked arms to create a barrier. On and off different chants would begin, ranging from “Black Lives Matter” to “You wanted a wall” anytime Trump supporters tried to bypass the barricade. On a few occasions tensions would rise, but there were usually leaders from the protesting parties that would kindly redirect Trump supporters to an alternate entrance. The protest leaders I spoke with informed me that it was not their mission to block all entrances because they understood a citizen’s right to attend the Inauguration. They simply wanted to promote a message of resistance to Trump and his incoming administration. There were multiple occasions of pushing and shoving but I never once saw a physical fight between any opposing sides throughout the day.
In fact, the only acts of aggression that I witnessed were between protestors and the overly militarized police. I want people to understand that the burning car and the few broken windows that were being shown on TV were but a narrow selection of what happened that day. The majority of protestors were very peaceful and usually never went beyond yelling and chanting.
I saw the burning car at McPherson Square and I question it’s affiliation to the protestors at all. The level of security and police throughout the city, especially undercover police, was enough to intervene in any aggressive act before it could actually escalate. So how is it that on the block where the majority of protestors were directed by the city that an entire car was lit on fire without any security intervention or surveillance coverage? As news helicopters circled above and onlookers were drawn by the billowing smoke, I began to question whether this was an act of protest or something staged for sensational purposes. I didn’t see any aggressive protestors that would fit the role of a rioter, but simply a bunch of old hippies and young impassioned citizens. If anything, there were probably more photographers, filmmakers, tweeters, and bloggers documenting what was going on than there were actual protesters on the day of the Inauguration. The fire and broken windows were enough to send in the police outfitted in what I like to call, storm trooper apparel. There was a long standoff between police and protestors and tensions would only rise when an officer would arbitrarily fire pepper spray into the onlooking crowd. This of course enraged the citizens and occasionally would prompt people in the back of the crowd to throw rocks and sticks at the fully shielded police. The police would respond with smoke grenades and rubber bullets. I’ve participated in multiple high tension protests before, but this was the first time I had been pepper sprayed by the police for standing in solidarity with protestors.
In addition to meeting some incredible artists, activists, and concerned citizens from around the country, I also witnessed civil engagement between Trump supporters and protestors. If you walked through the crowds you’d occasionally see small circles formed around two or three individuals passionately debating various issues. In one very specific account, I watched a young Muslim woman, an African man, and a Vietnam Veteran question each other about their thoughts and beliefs. These discussions would range in length and at times newcomers would enter the circle. Interestingly, in some interactions, people would begin by fiercely debating, but would ultimately end up agreeing on some core issue. Most of the rhetoric I heard from both sides clearly illustrated the vast difference in news and cultural consumption we take in daily. We always assume that what we see and hear is what everyone else must see and hear when they watch the news, but we forget how tailored information is to our region, our socio-economic status, our clicks on social media, and our consumer data. We must no longer depend on corporate controlled media to deliver useful information that creates understanding and empathy towards those different from us. We must support local and public news platforms that will honestly critique and challenge our power structures while informing us with information to act on. We must engage in conversation not only during controversial political events, but often and everywhere.
If Friday’s Inauguration was defined by conflict and controversy, then Saturday’s Women’s March was anything but the sort. This was undoubtedly the most peaceful and positive gathering of frustrated citizens I have ever witnessed. I’m not quite sure what news agencies have reported for the final turnout of protestors that day, nor do I expect their numbers to be fully honest, but there had to be a million people assembled that day. There was easily a crowd of hundreds of thousands more people out on Saturday protesting our broken system than there were Trump supporters on Friday. Black Lives Matter, Veterans, Native Americans, Environmentalists, Muslims, LGBTQ, Educators, Artists, Feminists, and so on ranging in age and ethnicity were out in force to unify their message of solidarity. If you enjoy reading memes online then you would’ve loved the plethora of signs people carried throughout the streets. Instead of passively clicking a “like” button, these hand-made mobile memes created conversation with strangers and often made you laugh. It was truly wonderful.
Even at times when I found myself body to body with people, everyone was always respectful of each other’s space and there was no pushing typically associated with large crowds. The biggest difference compared to the Inauguration was the absence of militarized police. I did not see one helicopter covering the march. There were two stages with various speakers throughout the afternoon but I couldn’t get close enough to see or hear any of them. Even so, I didn’t need to hear the speakers to feel the energy and connection with the people around me. This was true people power and this is what democracy looks like. People who’ve never participated in a protest or march commonly ask, “Well, what was achieved or how has anything changed?” To these questions I simply respond that you come together with others at a specific time and place not necessarily to accomplish something in totality, but to share an emotional experience with others that can’t be done from the comfort of your home or the screen of a digital device. When large numbers of citizens organize together around core human needs it is one of the most empowering experiences one could ever be a part of. As someone who makes a living from organizing people for entertainment purposes, I need you to know that nothing I’ve experienced can compare to what I felt at The Women’s March last weekend.
Despite the reality of our current political leaders and the gloom that lurks ahead, I left our Nation’s Capitol feeling energized and motivated to continue the conversation and to be more active in my own community. The silver lining to a Trump presidency may very well be a rise in political engagement not yet seen since the Civil Right’s or Worker’s Movement of the twentieth century. We must be careful not to strictly focus our energy on dismantling the Trump machine but instead focus on restructuring the systems of power and transform how we operate as a society. This idea may seem too complex and too overwhelming for you and I, but we must understand that there are millions of people creating solutions everyday that simply don’t get the attention they deserve. Trump is not the problem, but simply a symptom of public frustration, and so whether we overturn Citizens-United, change the two-party system, eliminate the Electoral College, or demand more resources for publicly funded journalism, there are no shortage of solutions for us to adopt while on our journey towards a better democracy. In closing, I urge everyone to validate your news sources, engage in dialog with those whose opinions you don’t share, write to your local and state legislators and hold their feet to the fire. Now is not the time to be apathetic or silent. There will be good days and bad days but know that there are millions if not billions of people who feel the same as you and I around the world. This fight for justice, equality, & the pursuit of happiness will not be determined by any one political term, but by daily acts of citizenship. The Information Age has exposed us to a universe of possibilities and we must begin to expand our thinking outside the boundaries of previous and current power structures. The political revolution we seek will only happen when we choose to revolutionize our minds.
