Madison, WI
3/24/2018

It’s 9:01 AM. I’m sitting in a coffee shop on State Street in Madison, WI waiting for the March For Our Lives event to start. I drink my mocha and look out the window, pondering the day ahead. Groups of people pass by in spurts, mostly heading west. It’s not unlike game day: families with small children and strollers, men in Badger gear, women in pussy hats, old people, young people, and everyone in between. Some are carrying signs. Others are wearing the recommended orange clothing to show their support for ending gun violence. Ironically perhaps, orange is also the color hunters use to be seen in the woods so as to not get shot by other hunters. I watch the passerby’s for the next 45 minutes. Some are serious, but most show expressions of excitement and happiness as they pass by.

I exit the coffee shop and am met with a mass of people waiting at the intersection of Lake and State, spilling far into Library Mall. A police vehicle waits to escort the marchers up State Street. In addition, people have lined the streets with their signs and cameras and phones. There are a few quick shouts signaling to the crowd the march is about to start. And just as quickly the police vehicle begins to move and the front row of marchers with their ‘March For Our Lives’ banner moves forward. Immediately the chants, cheering and shouts begin. The spectators on the sidewalk hold signs showing their support. A gaggle of photographers, myself included, swarm in and around the marchers trying to capture that perfect moment.

Upon reaching the Capital, the group takes the stairs and spills onto the lawn. Marchers are still chanting, “HEY, HEY, HO, HO, THE NRA HAVE GOT TO GO!”and “THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!” and “NEVER AGAIN!” People jostle for position. The Forward Marching Band takes to the Capital steps to play a few tunes and keep the crowd energized. The organizers step up to the microphone several times to say they are waiting for the the remainder of the marchers to finish their trek up State Street.

The band finishes and the first speaker, Stephanie Trask, one of the organizers, takes to the podium. She says a few words to welcome the crowd and then says there will be a signing of the national anthem. A moment ago the crowd was chanting “Black Lives Matter” and now in what seems like an odd/poor choice, they are singing that many have been protesting. Unsurprisingly, two African-American women sit down and raise a fist during the song. When the song finishes, Ms. Trask addresses the crowd again. She talks about how she was born around the time of the Columbine High School massacre, which happened April 20th 1999. I was 30 and in my first year of graduate school. My generation only had tornado and fire drills. Stephanie tells of how she remembers her first “active shooter” drill at the age of five. The Washington Post reports that 187,000 students have had to experience gun violence since Columbine. The recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida was the 208th shooting at a school in the last 19 years. That’s an average of 10.95 school shootings per year. I logical question might be, “how many shootings per year is enough for congress to act?” I’m guessing we haven’t reached the tipping point for Washington to respond with anything more than the hollow ‘thoughts & prayers,’ which haven’t seemed to do much in stopping kids from dying. No wonder this generation is marching in the streets. In 19 years we have failed to do anything significant to protect them.

In a show of solidarity with the marchers, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and U.S. Congressperson Mark Pocan made appearances and spoke to the crowd. Both were energetic and passionate in their speeches. Now, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate them taking time to be in Madison for this event. However, as someone who has attended numerous Black Lives Matter and Defend DACA protests and marches over the past several years, Ms. Baldwin and Mr. Pocan have been absent from these events. I will also add, it’s amazing to see the show of support around this latest shooting with crowds from 2000 to 3000 coming out. But where were all these people when Tony Robbins was gunned down by Matt Kenny? Where were all these people when the Dreamers were gathering and marching to save DACA? It seems that if white children or adults are not on the casualty list, the number of people who take to the streets is significantly less.

After Senator Baldwin spoke, I made my way from the front of the crowd to the outer rim. I knew the crowd was large, but again was impressed with the turnout. Similar to the National Student Walkout, today reminded me of the 2011 protests. I walked around through the crowd and then back to the Capital building, behind the speaker area. That’s then I came across two people, Terry Lyon and Karma Ruiz, with pistols strapped to their sides, open-carrying, and being confronted by several people who were not happy with their presence at the march. They were there to exercise their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms, just as the marchers were there to exercise their 1st Amendment right to free speech. To say them showing up was in poor taste is an understatement, however. It was a blatant slap in the face to those who feared for their lives and were there to speak out against such displays. Those that confronted Mr. Ruiz and Ms. Lyon were on a fools errand and made no gains in trying to understand why the couple were at the Capital. After about 20 or 30 minutes, the couple left, satisfied I suppose with their appearance and show of might.

The remaining speakers made their appeals to the crowd. High school students who couldn’t vote yet asked those that could to vote on their behalf. Co-organizer Jack Larsen was the final speaker. He reminded the crowd that he and his peers would be voting in April and November and beyond. Mr. Larsen finished with a moment of silence, the requisite thank you’s, and a final reminder to register to vote. And shortly before the noon, it was all over… for now.