Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

The revolution will be supervised.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Let there be snark.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

All hail the time of the bunny!

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

You are here: Home / Organizing & Resistance / Don't Mourn, Organize / Scenes from the #March(es)ForOurLives, Part I

Scenes from the #March(es)ForOurLives, Part I

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77Comments

  1. 1.

    Geoduck

    I attended the rally in Olympia, WA. Not a huge turnout, but enthusiastic. May have been overshadowed by rallies in both Tacoma and Seattle.

  2. 2.

    caphilldcne

    I’ve had to go to work for a lot of today but there are just a zillion people on the streets with signs. What an inspiration. I’ll try to meetup with friends once we can get out of here!

  4. 4.

    wvng

    I went to the rally in Winchester, VA. Good crowd for a small city, organized by amazing kids. Registering voters. Know hope.

  7. 7.

    zhena gogolia

    I can still remember calling the NRA the day of Sandy Hook and saying, “Congratulations. We have over 20 dead babies here,” and he said “You should be ashamed of yourself” and hung up.

  9. 9.

    Another Scott

    AFAIK, there is no longer any “official” estimate of crowd sizes in DC (and it’s been that way for a while). You shouldn’t promote such attempts-for-clicks (by TAJ), AL.

    Glad there was a big turnout all over.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  11. 11.

    MoCA Ace

    I’m kinda glad I’m home along watching this because I cried like a baby listening to those two young women. They may save us yet!

  13. 13.

    efgoldman

    I rarely watch CNN any more, but this is what they were made for.
    DC reporter on scene (Brook Somebody) was clearly sympathetic. Importantly, she knew when to shut the fuck up and let the event speak for itself. They didn’t ask stupid questions in the few short interviews. Actual journamilism. Who’d have thought.

  15. 15.

    Another Scott

    @efgoldman: That tweet is correct. She (contrary to almost all the reporting) wasn’t silent for 6:20.

    Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and twenty seconds. The shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your life before it’s somebody else’s job.

    (She had spoken for ~ 2:10 before she went silent.)

    /super-pedant

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  17. 17.

    efgoldman

    @Baud:

    She spoke for two minutes and was silent for four.

    You timed it with a stopwatch? You’re too anal to be president.

  18. 18.

    Hungry Joe

    Every time I see even a photo of Emma Gonzalez I get tears in my eyes. This speech, and her silence, just wiped me out. When was the last time someone stepped forward into greatness like she has? What makes her greater still is that you can tell — it just radiates from her — that she wants nothing, NOTHING for herself.

  21. 21.

    Kay

    I kept tearing up. I’m not really a crier. I’ve been to lots of rallies and marches – well, rallies anyway- this one was just very emotional. All those years of watching the news reports of shooting after shooting, and there was finally some recognition of how insane this is.

  24. 24.

    Jeffro

    My wife and 2 kids and I attended today’s march in DC…all I can say is, WOW. We could tell from the get-go that the event was going to be huge (fortunately, we are early risers).

    There were so many people pouring into the area that shortly before noon, it was unreal. Everyone calm, everyone happy. Mini-me got his picture taken a kajillion times holding a sign (courtesy of Samantha Bee’s tour bus and staff) that said “if I have to take standardized tests, so should gun owners” – a LOT of teachers dug that one!

    Keep going, kids. Keep going.

  25. 25.

    tamiasmin

    It looked like ten thousand plus at the march in San Jose in spite of a light rain. Huge turnout of young people from high school age down to kids in strollers, but also others of every age. Thousands of thoughtful, poignant, sometimes angry signs. But peaceful, the peace of quiet determination.

    This time it’s real. And it’s not going to fade away.

  26. 26.

    Gregory

    My daughter and I participated in the March here in Indianapolis. They apparently moved it from outside the State House to inside, which meant we stood in line for three hours in the cold and snow while participants passed thru the metal detectors, which could accommodate one person at a time, one on the east entrance and one on the west. Even so, the crowd was upbeat, and many young people turned out. Friends of my daughter’s from her high school were talking about how they couldn’t wait to vote for the first time.

  27. 27.

    cain

    @Hungry Joe:

    Every time I see even a photo of Emma Gonzalez I get tears in my eyes. This speech, and her silence, just wiped me out. When was the last time someone stepped forward into greatness like she has? What makes her greater still is that you can tell — it just radiates from her — that she wants nothing, NOTHING for herself.

    Agreed. Eveyrtime I recall that speech with her standing there with tears in her eyes. I feel tears forming.

  28. 28.

    bemused

    Like the Women’s March, this march was filled with people of all colors, ages and so on. Diversity in all caps. Also clever, smart, talented, hopefull, decent people. What a contrast with rightwing rallies or whatever which just seems to run on rage and resentment. I think back to trump fans at his rallies and shudder. My hair stood on end.

  29. 29.

    Kay

    @Jeffro:

    We got to Cleveland early and I was worried because I just so wanted the young ‘uns to have a good turnout- to succeed- and then… womp- they showed up :)

    You want to hug them you’re so glad they came.

  30. 30.

    cain

    @Gregory:

    Friends of my daughter’s from her high school were talking about how they couldn’t wait to vote for the first time.

    That’s so amazing to hear. We’re finally able to get our young folks to get out there. I suppose it took a catalysmic event to do it.

  31. 31.

    SFAW

    It will be interesting (in a sick way) to see how Shitgibbon handles this crowd being about 50 times the “crowd” for his Usurpation inauguration.

  32. 32.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @SFAW: I’ll give you a hint what he did today, it has a “g” and an “f” and it’s not he’s done Gone and Fucked himself

  34. 34.

    MoCA Ace

    This has been an emotionally rough two days for me. I didn’t make the local march because I and my Trump(spit) voting brother were helping my dad who has been having some health problems. I generally don’t talk politics with him but I couldn’t help myself and went on a pretty epic rant about guns and health care.

    Just to set this up a little… my son came home from college the other day and was all upset that his GF, who is almost assuredly my future daughter-in-law is currently without insurance because her mom made too much money and has been kicked off Badger Care… she has a very expensive life-long pre-existing condition.

    Turns out my brother didn’t know about her condition and very patiently let me rant until I was almost in tears. I later apologized and he said no, I was right to do it, that fucked up, and he would never vote for that idiot Trump (spit) or that fuck-knob Scott Walker again.

    First thing I did when I got home was log on and watch those speeches… and I fucking fell apart.

  35. 35.

    SFAW

    @efgoldman:

    Text of this tweet neglected to say she was SILENT for six minutes twenty seconds. She looked as if she would burst from the tension.

    Most of the tweet-replies were supportive, but as with every attempted-good in this country, there were some RWNJ fuckheads determined to trash Ms. Gonzalez, her schoolmates, and rational persons in general.

    Assholes.

  38. 38.

    SFAW

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    it has a “g” and an “f” and it’s not he’s done Gone and Fucked himself

    More’s the pity. Although that’s not a physical possibility anyway for someone called Lying Littledick.

  39. 39.

    Peter H Desmond

    i emailed a haiku i wrote yesterday to my friends, and two copied it onto signs they held at rallies today (in boston and st. augustine):

    Valentine gunshots
    a student fleeing campus
    holds a balloon heart

    — Peter H. Desmond

  41. 41.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: there ought to be some kind of penalty for the dishonesty (and smarm) of this tweet. I wish I believed in karma

    Marco Rubio @ marcorubio
    Today many are peacefully exercising their #1A right to march for gun ban. Many support gun ban. But many others see it as infringement of #2A that won’t prevent shootings. Protest is good way of making a point,but making a change will require both sides finding common ground

  42. 42.

    SFAW

    @MoCA Ace:

    I later apologized and he said no, I was right to do it, that fucked up, and he would never vote for that idiot Trump (spit) or that fuck-knob Scott Walker again.

    Outstanding! Thanks for the uplifting story.

    Keeping my fingers crossed that things end up working out OK for your (likely) DiL-to-be.

    ETA: The “uplifting” part is the apparent change of heart by your brother, of course. It still sucks for your DiL-t-b’s family.

  43. 43.

    mali muso

    @wvng: I almost made it to that one but had to stay home and care for baby. Photos from my FB feed indicate a good turnout!

  44. 44.

    J R in WV

    Here at home, it’s snowing hard, with some drizzle off and on. Wife has a cold, and I’m just getting over one, so we decided not to go out.

    I am so impressed by all those who worked to make these gatherings happen. Ms Gonzalez is so strong, what a blessing she is for our future! I tear up when I think of why she has been obligated to work so hard.

  48. 48.

    HumboldtBlue

    @zhena gogolia:

    I admit when three teenagers got the crowd singing Dylan I had to gain control of myself or I was gonna burst into tears.

    Naomi Wadler had me bawling openly, however.

  49. 49.

    J R in WV

    @Betty Cracker:

    Yes indeed, I think we all are. We can count on a large number of racist RWNJs to come after anyone who speaks out. I hope she does well going forward.

    The NRA has already accused the millions of peaceful demonstrators of being violent radicals, ignoring the truth on our TV screens for their bitter lies. How despicable they are, the NRA.

  50. 50.

    Bruuuuce

    My family (including a 19- and a 17-year-old) were all at the NYC march. It was huge, and at times loud, and full of folks from two months into their eighties, with a predominance of teens and twenties. Great energy, and so much talk of getting out to vote that I begin to feel like this time, we really have change happening.

  51. 51.

    Betty Cracker

    Went to the Tampa march with a friend and her kids. The Tampa Bay Times estimates there were about 15K people there. At the riverfront park adjacent to the site of the march, there was the annual Bark in the Park event, so we not only got to support the kids, we got to pet many lovely doggies. It was a good day.

  52. 52.

    efgoldman

    @Baud:

    Her words shouldn’t be ignored.

    They won’t be. And for those who don’t remember or didn’t have kids, she is a member of almost every “out” (not in the sexuality sense) that the school is likely to have.
    Our first openly lesbian president?

  53. 53.

    Miss Bianca

    For a variety of reasons i wasn’t able to make any of the marches happening around me (mostly to do with helping various friends out of various jams they were in) but damn…i am so proud of these young citizens, i could burst. The kids are more than all right – the kids are amazing.

  54. 54.

    zhena gogolia

    @efgoldman:

    I wish she were president right now, with Naomi Wadler as VP. The IQ and maturity in the White House would immediately be tentupled.

  55. 55.

    arrieve

    I got dragged into work unexpectedly but conveniently enough the march in New York passed by my office building and I could just slide right in as I left. 150K is what I’ve heard so far. Two favorite moments: one young girl, maybe around 10 years old, leading her younger brothers in a chant: What do we want? Gun control! When do we want it? Now.

    Then there was a bottleneck when the march reached Faux News world headquarters and everyone stopped and shouted, “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “Fox News is Fake News!” I doubt anyone inside was listening but I hope they were all a little bit scared.

  56. 56.

    efgoldman

    @J R in WV:

    The NRA has already accused the millions of peaceful demonstrators of being violent radicals

    ‘Fie were Wayne Lapierre, I’d be engaging a financial advisor to work on my retirement plan.

  57. 57.

    Groucho48

    ]“In a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us,” González said at the beginning of her speech. “Everyone who was there understands. Everyone who has been touched by the cold grip of gun violence understands.”

    “For us, long, tearful, chaotic hours in the scorching in the afternoon sun were spent not knowing,” she continued. “No one could understand the extent of what had happened. No one could believe that there were bodies in that building waiting to be identified for over a day.”

    “For those who still can’t comprehend because they refuse to, I’ll tell you where it went: right into the ground, six feet deep,” González said before listing the names of her slain friends.

    “Six minutes and 20 seconds with an AR-15, and my friend Carmen would never complain to me about piano practice,” she said. “Aaron Feis would never call Kyra ‘Miss Sunshine.’ Alex Schachter would never walk into school with his brother Ryan. Scott Beigel would never joke around with Cameron at camp. Helena Ramsay would never hang out after school with Max. Gina Montalto would never wave to her friend Liam at lunch. Joaquin Oliver would never play basketball with Sam or Dylan. Alaina Petty would never, Cara Loughran would never, Chris Hixon would never, Luke Hoyer would never, Martin Duque Anguiano would never, Peter Wang would never, Alyssa Alhadeff would never, Jaime Guttenberg would never, Meadow Pollack would never.”

    González then remained silent for most of those six-plus minutes, staring straight into the crowd with tears rolling down her face.

    The crowd mostly remained silent, occasionally stopping to cheer González and chant, “Never again.”

  58. 58.

    Thoughtful David

    I was at the DC rally with my “Voter Against the NRA” sign. No, not very original.
    It is really nice to see the diversity–young, old, various shades and sexes. One group I noticed was about 10 young men, looking to be about 25-30, and all pretty burly, like a wrestling team or something, couple with beards, wearing sweatshirts alike so you could tell they were a group. Looked like it should be the NRA’s target demographic–macho young men. But they weren’t–they had signs and were chanting with the rest. Then I saw one the counter-protester groups. Also all white men, but all over 65. That’s who they have left.

  59. 59.

    MoCA Ace

    @Baud:
    @SFAW:

    Why the hell does it take something personal like this to slap some sense into the repubs? I was actually kind of surprised a few years ago when I found out my brother had moved so far to the right. Hopefully my pointing out that both sides are not the same sticks with him.

    I’ll see my FDIL this evening. I found out there are support groups that have advocates to help people navigate the system and find needed care. I’ll help set her up and offer any assistance I can give.

    I don’t really want to make this about me… I’m just a little ranty and emotional yet. It should be about the kids right now. They are definitely all right and give me hope for the future.

    Damned eyes are acting up again… I gotta take an internet break.

  62. 62.

    Ruckus

    Memns and I met up for the LA march. We stood about 25 feet behind the stage for the early speeches. We couldn’t see them but could hear. All the speakers were younger than 18, some as young as 11. They were not afraid to talk to crowds, they were not afraid to talk. They were powerful and amazing. If you didn’t well up, it was you that was the problem.
    Then the march itself started. We shuffled for as long as we could and then had to sit on the curb for a while. 50 minutes we marched or watched, the street was full or damn near. The trains were stuffed, standing room only. From the crowd size of the woman’s march in Jan I’d say probably minimum of 300K, quite possibly as much as 1/2 million. People were fired up, people of all colors, all ages. I wondered if the momentum would lessen, it hasn’t. I wondered if the people would lose some of the fire, they haven’t. I’m at feeling at least a bit better than I was, that we may turn this mess around. The youngsters have it going on, they are pissed and they aren’t letting go.

  63. 63.

    Ruckus

    @Thoughtful David:
    Saw one guy, 40 ish, with an American flag and a gadsden flag walking among the crowd. He looked pathetic. And it made me notice, I didn’t see any other flags being carried.

  66. 66.

    John Fremont

    @J R in WV: Hell, Trump accused the people of showing up to the healthcare townhall last year as being activists. That’s all they have lrft.

  67. 67.

    Ruckus

    @Betty Cracker:
    Being LA there were lots of food trucks, people hawking caps/t-shirts, and one guy with his tarted up little dog who was charging people to take the dog’s picture. Was almost worth it, but not quite.

  70. 70.

    Ruckus

    @efgoldman:
    Saw some anti Lapierre signs, a lot of anti nra signs, some of which are not suitable for children. Of course shooting them isn’t suitable either so…. One of the speakers said that we are 11 weeks into 2018 and there have been 17 school shootings. So maybe this is very appropriate:
    Fuck the NRA
    was the most common.

  71. 71.

    Ruckus

    @Mnemosyne:
    Well I got on the gold line and got a seat in the senior disabled area. I think I deserved it. Thanks for meeting me, I might not have stayed as long if I was alone. I would have missed a lot. Would have still been worth going but this was better.

  74. 74.

    Carolina Dave

    Attended the Greensboro NC March in the cold, almost freezing rain. Probably 3k in attendance. Not bad considering the weather.

  75. 75.

    Lee

    I’m pretty sure that this protest was larger than any of the tea party protests.

    And it was put together BY KIDS

  76. 76.

    David

    We were at the Portsmouth NH rally today. Decent crowd. Some effort by speakers to skip the apolitical nonsense and explain who and what to change. Good job by organizers

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