BWE 18 Extracurricular Activities: March for Our Lives

[DavidG]

Peggy and I left our hotel about 11:30 AM and walked 7-8 blocks to the entrance point at D and 7th. We then gradually worked our way along Pennsylvania Ave. towards the stage. It got pretty dense at 6th St. so we stopped there for a while before heading back.

Saw Ariana Grande perform a few songs and heard some excellent short speeches by students. One of the more powerful statements was a string of photos of young people killed by gun violence held up by volunteers. It stretched 2 blocks along D St approaching the entrance. Lots of signs, a number of groups chanting along the route, news media conducting man on the street interviews and reporting in several languages. I don't know how many were there but it was the biggest crowd I've ever been in. Weather was perfect and crowds and police were mellow.

This video is about half way along our journey along Pennsylvania between 7th and 6th.

https://youtu.be/jfzfmZNJhQ0

[JimHow]

Just got out of the crowd.
Seemed like a big crowd.

[Racer Chris]

800,000 big.

[JimHow]

It was a great day here in Washington yesterday, every one of the kids up on the stage was articulate and forceful, some of the moments quite poignant. The 17 year old girl from East Los Angeles who had lost her brother, the 11 year old girl with the wild hair, and MLK's granddaughter (wow, what a natural!) especially struck a chord for me. I just have to believe there are 4-5 rational gun control reforms that, while not eliminating the problem, can form a middle ground.