Casual Conversation

100% agree I think the mental health impact and the sense of hope and togetherness is one of the biggest reasons to go. I feel invigorated instead of wanting to give up.

I can't go very often due to a sleep disorder (not awake during the day) but I wanna make it out to them at least periodically, and now that I've gone it occurs to me one way I can contribute even at night is making free signs to pass out for anyone who doesn't have one :)

There were also folks passing out cookies and donuts. I feel like bug-spray and or sunscreen could also be a helpful thing to bring for folks. One person had a speaker playing music which made it way more pleasant too. Its cool to see the ways people make sure its a good experience

❤️❤️❤️

I appreciate the encouragement!

I dunno Iif what I can do will be enough, but if it all falls apart I wanna know that I did what I could. That I gave it my best shot

We went to a small town one. We got there a bit late (after the scheduled end), but there were still folks protesting. There was a pride festival right after the protest, so it was nice seeing the overlap in folks.

I wanted to go to the protest early but partner is... he's slow to get out the door in the morning. We should have budgeted more time to get ready.

The pride festival was great, too. There were so many young folks (30 or younger) in so many pride flags.

I decided to go to a smaller rally closer to home, and it was still overwhelming. Very uplifting experience.

I went to the one in my little town and had much the same experience as you. People were really friendly, and drivers almost all supportive, honking and thumbs-up'ing. And so many really clever and funny signs. Definitely know what you mean about feeling connected to the community. It's so good to know I'm not the only one seeing the fascist actions of the trump admin for what they are.

I couldn't join the local protest (southern California) because I had something I couldn't avoid for the first half and had to be reachable by phone for the second half, but I did drive through it. It was much as you described yours. Really an incredible turnout - I was really taken aback by the number of people. Lots of supportive honking. My buddy who went felt just like you did and said some of the same things.

Eh, I'm in an area where it was very unlikely to escalate and there is tangible value in protest being seen. Its a tradeoff. Protesting is about making yourself seen, and video has risks associated with it but it can also broadcast that visibility in a way that's incredibly beneficial

There are pros and cons and I'm generally of the thought that whether it's a bad thing to do depends on the all the circumstances and specifics of how and when and where a protest is being filmed.

There was also a news film crew out there. Protest is not always entirely above board, but this very much was, this was a crowd of people standing around the edges of a big intersection in a pretty blue area. Personally I think the benefits outweigh the risks in this specific situation, at this specific point in time, at the specific place I was in, and with the specific nature of the protest

Thats how I see it anyway 🤷‍♂️