A Hot Saturday in D.C.–The People’s Climate March

Saturday April 29, 2016                                                                     Most Recent Posts:
Downtown Washington D.C.                                                               Upstream Reflections
                                                                                             Pellicer Creek, the Heart of Faver-Dykes

 

 

It’s the 100th Day of this presidency and the perfect day to protest the real and veiled threats of this government to our environment. 

 

First off, I have to thank my friend Lynda, whom I have known for more than 40 years, for making it possible for me to attend this march.  While I was on my way north she got bus tickets for us with Sierra club of  Virginia and passed along all the logistics.

At 7:15 we arrive at the shopping center parking lot to meet the buses for the 122 mile drive to RFK Stadium.  Right away, we see people of all ages are coming out to march.

We all know that children learn by what their parents do more than what they say.  These children are learning first hand a fundamental right of democracy, to protest your government for redress of grievances. 

People pile onto 3 buses and off we go.  Our bus makes a stop in Culpepper to pick up another dozen people so we are a bit behind the others in arriving.

 

 

Wish I’d thought about taking a picture of all the buses in the RFK Stadium parking lot as we leave headed to take the metro to 7th and Jefferson where we will begin the March.
We pay careful attention to where our bus is parked so that hopefully we can find it among the many when we return.

 

After the subway ride it is still a bit of a walk to the gathering place but the scenery is lovely as the heat begins to climb.

 

Once we arrive, I find I’ve already walked 3 miles.  The march has started but we are near the end.  While we wait for our section to begin, Carrie and I are phoning each other so she can find us and march with us. 

 

It is wonderful to have Carrie with me.  It is difficult for young mothers to get out and do things like this with their babies so dependent on them.  Thanks to Matthew, she has the entire day off. 

Environmentalism has always been a strong part of our family’s value system and it makes me proud that she is carrying on that tradition.  If it hadn’t been so hot, perhaps Celia would have come too.

We couldn’t resist having our picture taken with “the Donald”. 

 

Off we go with my home made sign.

 

 

Lynda has a windmill saying NO KXL – No Keystone Pipeline.   It is pretty amazing that while pipelines are spilling and polluting in several places around the country, they are still being funded, touted as safe and encouraged by ‘the powers that be’.

 

 

I thought this was a very clever shade creating “sign”.  by the “Deniers Swim Club”.  Perfect for the hot day which culminated in a heat index of 95.  I later read this was the hottest April 29 in DC history.

Despite the discomfort, such heat makes it a perfect day to protest the rising temperature of the planet.   If the heat has dampened the numbers,  I can’t imagine even more than the 10’s of thousands of people marching today.

 

 

I’m just too short to hold my camera high enough to get a picture of the massive line of people filling the street and stretching as far as the eye can see.  At the end of the day the Washington Post was reporting 200,000 people.

 

 

 

I lived my first 18 years in Ohio and was glad to see my home state represented.  People have come from all over.  We saw buses from Missouri, people from Utah, California and New York among others.  It’s a huge mix of ethnicities and I’m really happy to see that.

 

 

 

 

There were many signs with “dinosaur” references regarding climate deniers.  This one was the most “graphic” but boy I’ll bet s/he was hot in that suit.    The second sign T Rex is holding was actually carried by his companion slightly behind and to the left.  That sign reads “Who’s protesting Trumps BRONZE age mentality on climate change?  I AM.

 

 

 

The Polar bear lobby is protesting too. 

 

 

Carrie has her sign up as we pass by the Newseum which has the First Amendment carved on its facade.   I’d like to return to DC at some point to visit both the Newseum and American Indian Museums again.  I’d also love to see, the new African American Museum as well but it is so popular that you have to have tickets and get them way in advance on line or take your chances with unlikely walk up. 

 

 

Carrie and I are both excited to see Amy Goodman of Democracy Now doing Live Reporting from 10 to 3 today here at the Climate March.  No other media is giving this march that kind of coverage. 

If you’d like to watch some of her coverage of the great variety of protests going on both here and around the world, more than 375 I’m told, click this link.  It’s the full 5 hours of coverage but you can watch parts of it, skip forward and see how varied the marchers are.  Watching it, I saw a great many things we missed becasue we could not be everywhere.

We have the greatest respect for Democracy Now which often reports stories that the main stream media overlook or choose to ignore.  If you’ve never heard of it, give it a listen.

They are described as  “the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., Democracy Now! is broadcast on Pacifica, NPR, community, and college radio stations; on public access, PBS, satellite television (DISH network: Free Speech TV ch. 9415 and Link TV ch. 9410; DIRECTV: Free Speech TV ch. 348 and Link TV ch. 375); and on the internet. DN!’s podcast is one of the most popular on the web. “

 

 

As the march passes by the Trump Hotel the chant is loud and clear “Hey Hey, Ho Ho Donald Trump has got to go” indicating the serious concern in this crowd for the clear conflict of interest in having White House visitors staying in a hotel that puts money in the Trump family coffers.  Not to mention business meetings over golf at Trump hotels.

 

 

This march is an upbeat experience.  Among the other chants are “Resistance is here to stay, welcome to your hundreth day”, “The oceans are rising and so are we” as well as a call and response “What does Democracy look like?>This is what Democracy looks like”.  Along with chanting, there is drumming and singing.  My favorite singers are the Green Grannies.  Click this link to listen to them sing.  Be sure to turn your sound up so you can understand the words.

 

 

 

A pretty graphic sign rolled along on wheels showing historic CO2  levels.  Seriously, how can there be climate chaos deniers?

 

 

We reached the Washington Monument and the march spills into the grounds.  This is the group from North Carolina entering.

 

 

 

 

 

At one point, Carrie and I got separated from the other 3 members of our group.  As much as I’m not a cell phone lover, without it I doubt Carrie could have found me or we could have been reunited with them.  We have carefully picked a spot within view of the Monument and sound of the music and speakers but not close enough to see the stage.  Neither of us is fond of LOUD anything

 

 

While we are waiting for the rest of our group we take this selfie for the record.

 

 

It’s fun that it started out as Lynda and I with Carrie joining us later.  On the bus we found our friend Kay Slaughter and along the way we were joined by Kay’s friend Jenny. It was great to meet her and to see Kay again.

 

 

The front of the march was led by Indiginous People’s from all over the country.  As we are leaving to keep to our bus schedule, we finally see some of them here at the monument gathered in a circle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on the subway, the trip from the Washington Monument seems shorter than the one at the start of our day.   We’re all still smiling. (thanks Lynda for this picture)

 

 

It takes a bit for us to find our bus as the driver had moved it.  But eventually we are on our way headed west.  Not much talking after such a strenuous day.  My count is nearly 20, 000 steps and over 8 miles.  Many people are sleeping.

I get this glimpse of the sunset as we ride along.  The day flew past for me.  I have a great sense of satisfaction that even though those who needed to see and hear us may not have even been in DC today, the message will get out.   It has to.  Without a healthy planet there isn’t any reason to be concerned about the economy or anything else.   It’s clear that the concern has to come from the grassroots up, which means all of us!

 

 

That’s it for my day of marching in protest against the multiple assalts on this planet which gives us all life, on whom we depend for everything.   It felt great to be doing something.

For THE END, take a look at this short video I took of the people marching along to get a real feel for what it was like to be here. You can come along with us. I also took one of the chanting but since I was chanting and so close to the camera, I’m about all you can hear.  No need for that.  If you were involved in one of the many satellite protests, please comment and tell us where and what you did. Up with the People!