What's a good strategy for participating in the DC March for Our Lives?
March 23, 2018 12:40 PM Subscribe
I was planning to accompany a friend to attend the March for Our Lives in DC tomorrow. As the day approaches, and as more information has come out about the plans for the event, I'm feeling more and more anxious about it and was hoping Mefites could suggest the best way to proceed.
As it stands, (latest info from the Washington Post here) the event is going to be a standing-still rally on the eastern end of the "route," with no marching planned because of the anticipated size of the crowd. This puts the focus on the speeches, which are set to run from 12 to 3. This means that crowds are going to start gathering in the early morning just to get a good standing spot near the main stage (though there will be video screens showing the speakers all along Pennsylvania Ave.)
I would like to be counted among those who abhor gun violence and demand change from our government... BUT, I feel nervous about being amongst crowds on the Metro platforms and in the streets, and I'm not sure my legs can hold up for 4+ hours of standing in one place (just to hear echo-ey speeches that would be easier to digest via TV/YouTube). I don't get any particular boost from seeing any of the featured speakers and stars there 'in person.'
I've been narrowing my options down to the following:
(a) Arrive at the Archives station after 12 and leave from there before 3, joining the crowd on the periphery, so that I am counted but I am not in the worst throngs of transport etc.
(b) Attend one of the local small-community marches near here instead
(c) Skip it and find other ways to support the cause
(d) ???
I'd welcome any advice (especially from those who attended and enjoyed the Women's March in DC!) to help me do the optimal thing here. Thanks in advance.
As it stands, (latest info from the Washington Post here) the event is going to be a standing-still rally on the eastern end of the "route," with no marching planned because of the anticipated size of the crowd. This puts the focus on the speeches, which are set to run from 12 to 3. This means that crowds are going to start gathering in the early morning just to get a good standing spot near the main stage (though there will be video screens showing the speakers all along Pennsylvania Ave.)
I would like to be counted among those who abhor gun violence and demand change from our government... BUT, I feel nervous about being amongst crowds on the Metro platforms and in the streets, and I'm not sure my legs can hold up for 4+ hours of standing in one place (just to hear echo-ey speeches that would be easier to digest via TV/YouTube). I don't get any particular boost from seeing any of the featured speakers and stars there 'in person.'
I've been narrowing my options down to the following:
(a) Arrive at the Archives station after 12 and leave from there before 3, joining the crowd on the periphery, so that I am counted but I am not in the worst throngs of transport etc.
(b) Attend one of the local small-community marches near here instead
(c) Skip it and find other ways to support the cause
(d) ???
I'd welcome any advice (especially from those who attended and enjoyed the Women's March in DC!) to help me do the optimal thing here. Thanks in advance.
Best answer: Any of those are fine! Showing up for a while and then leaving to go eat or go to a bar or go home is absolutely fine, you're still supporting the cause.
Stoneman Douglas High School students David Hogg and Jackie Corin were on Pod Save America the other day and were asked what people who couldn't/didn't want to go to DC could do and they mentioned local marches, that you can donate on the website or buy merch, but most of all they consistently emphasized the importance of the get out the vote effort in November. The movement is toothless if it doesn't translate to power at the ballot box. Obviously that means voting yourself but if you want to help with that GOTV effort an organization like Rock the Vote is one place to begin.
posted by Wretch729 at 1:15 PM on March 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
Stoneman Douglas High School students David Hogg and Jackie Corin were on Pod Save America the other day and were asked what people who couldn't/didn't want to go to DC could do and they mentioned local marches, that you can donate on the website or buy merch, but most of all they consistently emphasized the importance of the get out the vote effort in November. The movement is toothless if it doesn't translate to power at the ballot box. Obviously that means voting yourself but if you want to help with that GOTV effort an organization like Rock the Vote is one place to begin.
posted by Wretch729 at 1:15 PM on March 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
DC resident here, went to the Women's March, and I would vote for option A. That's more or less what I ended up doing for both last year's and this year's Women's March (which both ended up being more rally than march) and it was pretty easy to find my way out. That said, you will not have reliable cell phone service; I can't emphasize this enough. If you are at all unsure how to get around DC, bring a paper map. You may not be able to get back on at Archives, but the crowds should narrow out pretty fast once you get off the National Mall, so Chinatown should be fine if you need the Yellow/Green line.
posted by capricorn at 1:17 PM on March 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by capricorn at 1:17 PM on March 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
If there is a friend or acquaintance who would love to go, but can't because (fill in problem you can solve for them), you might offer them the opportunity. Maybe there's a co-worker whose Saturday shift you can take, or a kid in the neighborhood who can't afford public transportation fare, or a friend who'd go alone but not want to bring their kid and you can watch their kid. Maybe there isn't anyone in your network who wants to go but can't because of something you can or want to handle for them, and that's OK, too.
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 1:20 PM on March 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 1:20 PM on March 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
Im going to suggest that seeing/hearing the speeches is not the main reason most people go - to the extent that many sports are actually more enjoyable from home on teevee than in person depending on your seats, the reason to be there is because you enjoy the atmosphere and, as you've identified, to provide visible support.
Thing you can do even at the very periphery/no matter how long your legs last/regardless of where you end up standing and what you can or cannot see and hear: talk to other people! engage those folks standing next to you who you may or may not have a ton in common with (at a minimum you both felt it was worth it to get out of bed and head to the mall).
You can 100% expect the logistics to be a mess - although im glad they pre-emptively abandoned any marching plans, the idea that at the original women's march anyone was going to be able to move any great distances in/with the crowd was kind of laughable - and only you can decide whether overcoming the logistical and physical challenges is worth it, as everyone else has said there are other ways to engage or show support.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:22 PM on March 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
Thing you can do even at the very periphery/no matter how long your legs last/regardless of where you end up standing and what you can or cannot see and hear: talk to other people! engage those folks standing next to you who you may or may not have a ton in common with (at a minimum you both felt it was worth it to get out of bed and head to the mall).
You can 100% expect the logistics to be a mess - although im glad they pre-emptively abandoned any marching plans, the idea that at the original women's march anyone was going to be able to move any great distances in/with the crowd was kind of laughable - and only you can decide whether overcoming the logistical and physical challenges is worth it, as everyone else has said there are other ways to engage or show support.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:22 PM on March 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
Best answer: If there's a town in your local area that has a majority Republican populace, I would go to the march there, to make their numbers larger and to help the marchers feel more supported.
posted by xo at 1:46 PM on March 23, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by xo at 1:46 PM on March 23, 2018 [11 favorites]
I think some of the most impactful things about the women's march were the images of the sheer number of people who cared enough to come out despite the difficulty /inconvience. Knowledge is power but so are numbers. I hope a lot of people dont start staying away from marches or we may loose some ground we gained in January 2016. Therefore, I hope you choose A or B. Full disclosure though, I live in a fairly small city. I don't have to face the same difficulty you would to attend an event. I guess its easy for me to say this without having to toe the line myself.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 1:48 PM on March 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by WalkerWestridge at 1:48 PM on March 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
Whether or not you choose to go to Wash DC or a smaller march, I'd make the same recommendations - wear comfortable shoes, wear a good coat, bring a snack and/or a drink, and a comfortable bag/pack to carry things in. Maybe a paper magazine to read during down times, and not drain your phone. I'd also suggest, if feasible, to buy and charge up an external phone battery + wire, as your phone will get drained a lot quicker than expected, especially if you're in Wash DC.
Now, I've been to huge events in Wash DC, and I found the following helpful: if you're standing around listening to marches, a piece of cardboard or some newspaper can insulate your feet so that they don't get cold. I also brought a paper map, and had purchased ahead of time a Bus/Train Day Pass, so I didn't have to worry about getting out the correct fare when I grabbed the first bus out of there. Also - don't feel bad if you go to DC and bail early; there will be others who will be doing the exact same thing.
If I were in your shoes, I'd probably go to DC, but I'm also an extrovert who doesn't mind crowds. YMMV, and make sure to do what's best for you. There's no shame if you ponder it, and decide that DC is not for you.
posted by spinifex23 at 1:54 PM on March 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
Now, I've been to huge events in Wash DC, and I found the following helpful: if you're standing around listening to marches, a piece of cardboard or some newspaper can insulate your feet so that they don't get cold. I also brought a paper map, and had purchased ahead of time a Bus/Train Day Pass, so I didn't have to worry about getting out the correct fare when I grabbed the first bus out of there. Also - don't feel bad if you go to DC and bail early; there will be others who will be doing the exact same thing.
If I were in your shoes, I'd probably go to DC, but I'm also an extrovert who doesn't mind crowds. YMMV, and make sure to do what's best for you. There's no shame if you ponder it, and decide that DC is not for you.
posted by spinifex23 at 1:54 PM on March 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
In our experience with, say, inaugural events, the sound at the screens along the route has been great and there isn't a problem with echo or distortion. At the women's march last year the big problem with sound was that the crowd overflowed from Independence Ave (where there were screens) onto the Mall (where there weren't). We were on the Mall and couldn't really see a screen, and we could only barely hear. As long as you can see a screen clearly you should be able to hear clearly as well. I think the big issue this year will be how accurate the crowd estimate is. If the crowd won't fit along the planned route and starts to clog adjacent streets, the same problem with sound and video will happen.
I think there's value in numbers and I wouldn't discourage you from coming if you think you want to, but if your goal is to see and hear more than it is to be part of the protest, you may be better off somewhere else. If you're worried about the crowd, I thought the crowd at the women's march was very warm and supportive (assisting people with injuries or kids, helping reconnect groups who got separated, etc) and it was easy enough to find somewhere near the route you could get off your feet. What wasn't easy was getting cell or data service if you needed to contact people. Expect your cell phone not to work.
Come if: you want to be counted as part of the crowd, you want to see what it looks like, you want to say you were there.
Go local if: you want to be in your local crowd instead of DC for comfort or political reasons; you're uncomfortable getting around DC without a phone; the thought of a really large crowd makes you anxious.
posted by fedward at 2:00 PM on March 23, 2018
I think there's value in numbers and I wouldn't discourage you from coming if you think you want to, but if your goal is to see and hear more than it is to be part of the protest, you may be better off somewhere else. If you're worried about the crowd, I thought the crowd at the women's march was very warm and supportive (assisting people with injuries or kids, helping reconnect groups who got separated, etc) and it was easy enough to find somewhere near the route you could get off your feet. What wasn't easy was getting cell or data service if you needed to contact people. Expect your cell phone not to work.
Come if: you want to be counted as part of the crowd, you want to see what it looks like, you want to say you were there.
Go local if: you want to be in your local crowd instead of DC for comfort or political reasons; you're uncomfortable getting around DC without a phone; the thought of a really large crowd makes you anxious.
posted by fedward at 2:00 PM on March 23, 2018
Hi! I am planning to go down tomorrow, following your plan A. I went for the Women's March as well, and overall the crowds were pretty friendly and upbeat. The metro ride down was liked being packed with sardines but once we were out it was fine. I'm taking the Green line, so we will get on and off at Chinatown, its a few blocks to walk, but it cut the crowding off a lot. Parking at outer stations will fill up fast and the lines to get tickets was very long, so definitely get a Metro card tonight.
posted by florencetnoa at 4:22 PM on March 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by florencetnoa at 4:22 PM on March 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
In my (admittedly limited) experience with these kinds of big events, you're better off getting off the metro even further away and walking in. Coming out of the subway and being right in the crowd can be pretty disconcerting.
posted by mskyle at 4:24 PM on March 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by mskyle at 4:24 PM on March 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
I went to the 2017 Women's March and Obama's first inauguration, and while crowded and involves a lot of standing around, both were really marvelous "feel good" events. I expect tomorrow, to be too - the subject matter is serious and deals with life threatening issues, but you will be surrounded by tens (hundreds? more?) of thousands of like-minded people, and it feels incredibly empowering. It's nice to see so many people come together, and it can be important to have yourself counted among the bodies who show up.
Unless you arrive very very super early, I'd expect it to be very difficult to be near the stage. There will be barricades and street closures. But there will likely be large screens and speakers all over the place, so you will still get to see/hear things even if you're fairly far back.
Expect metro to be a sardine can. But it'll be a positive, hopeful sardine can, full of helpful people to pull you in and make room for you - not at all like a usual weekday commute. I'd go for maybe 2 hours, walk around if you can, hear the speakers, see people, read signs, feel ignited for change, and return home when you need to. That's what I plan to do.
posted by raztaj at 4:36 PM on March 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
Unless you arrive very very super early, I'd expect it to be very difficult to be near the stage. There will be barricades and street closures. But there will likely be large screens and speakers all over the place, so you will still get to see/hear things even if you're fairly far back.
Expect metro to be a sardine can. But it'll be a positive, hopeful sardine can, full of helpful people to pull you in and make room for you - not at all like a usual weekday commute. I'd go for maybe 2 hours, walk around if you can, hear the speakers, see people, read signs, feel ignited for change, and return home when you need to. That's what I plan to do.
posted by raztaj at 4:36 PM on March 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
if you're standing around listening to marches, a piece of cardboard or some newspaper can insulate your feet so that they don't get cold.
This is enormously helpful -- you should absolutely do it! (I'm a vet of several marches and inaugurations.)
The Saturday Washington Post is thick and will be better than cardboard.
posted by jgirl at 5:19 PM on March 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
This is enormously helpful -- you should absolutely do it! (I'm a vet of several marches and inaugurations.)
The Saturday Washington Post is thick and will be better than cardboard.
posted by jgirl at 5:19 PM on March 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
i'm going, definitely not that thrilled to stand around and listen to speeches, but we'll stay as long as we are having fun and comfortable. I expect it will be jammed and hard to get onto Pennsylvania Ave.
I'm sort of expecting that at some point people will either get bored or when the rally ends, will universally decide to head over to the White House, permits and police be damned.
That's the part I'm actually looking forward to.
posted by jindc at 5:53 PM on March 23, 2018
I'm sort of expecting that at some point people will either get bored or when the rally ends, will universally decide to head over to the White House, permits and police be damned.
That's the part I'm actually looking forward to.
posted by jindc at 5:53 PM on March 23, 2018
Best answer: You will always regret not going. You're there to support the kids.
These marches are happening because children are tired of being shot to death at school. If they can muster the courage to organize worldwide walkouts and marches a mere month after their friends are teachers were slaughtered, you can support them, and while that support may not be physically comfortable, it is necessary.
These kids have been through hell and they're screaming ENOUGH. Stand with them.
Be there. Go. Be a part of history. You won't regret going.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 6:47 PM on March 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
These marches are happening because children are tired of being shot to death at school. If they can muster the courage to organize worldwide walkouts and marches a mere month after their friends are teachers were slaughtered, you can support them, and while that support may not be physically comfortable, it is necessary.
These kids have been through hell and they're screaming ENOUGH. Stand with them.
Be there. Go. Be a part of history. You won't regret going.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 6:47 PM on March 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
Best answer: It sounds like you have some concerns about physical pain. I have medical issues and I cannot stand in a crowd for several hours because of them. As much as I would like to go to a march, I really cannot. It is okay to give yourself permission to take care of your body and your needs. If you can't do this, that is ok.
posted by sockermom at 9:12 PM on March 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by sockermom at 9:12 PM on March 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
Best answer: Heres what I'm doing:
1) Donated to our local March because they really needed the money for organizing
2) Bought an official March For Our Lives merch shirt
3) Wearing the shirt to our local March. However, because big crowds can freak me out sometimes and I have zero tolerance for clusterfuckery, AND because our local women's March fit all these criteria, Mr. Fish and I have made a pact to show up, start, but either one of us can pull the ripcord at any time for any reason - no questions asked and we will bail and go find food somewhere.
3.5) Made a sign for the March, which I will gladly hand off to someone if we bail
4) DVR-ing news coverage to watch later
5) MOST important: volunteering tomorrow to clean up trash after this thing to get our city back to fighting weight.
And then probably donating some more - either in the form of money or school/art supplies to replenish our local school resources.
posted by floweredfish at 5:01 AM on March 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
1) Donated to our local March because they really needed the money for organizing
2) Bought an official March For Our Lives merch shirt
3) Wearing the shirt to our local March. However, because big crowds can freak me out sometimes and I have zero tolerance for clusterfuckery, AND because our local women's March fit all these criteria, Mr. Fish and I have made a pact to show up, start, but either one of us can pull the ripcord at any time for any reason - no questions asked and we will bail and go find food somewhere.
3.5) Made a sign for the March, which I will gladly hand off to someone if we bail
4) DVR-ing news coverage to watch later
5) MOST important: volunteering tomorrow to clean up trash after this thing to get our city back to fighting weight.
And then probably donating some more - either in the form of money or school/art supplies to replenish our local school resources.
posted by floweredfish at 5:01 AM on March 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
I said, foolishly: the sound at the screens along the route has been great and there isn't a problem with echo or distortion.
Just in case anybody finds this thread for later marches in DC: that experience had been true for previous events on the open space of the Mall, but it turned out not to be true along Pennsylvania Ave. We started at the Navy Memorial (where we couldn't even get onto Pennsylvania Ave) and ended up walking around a bit, finally getting onto Pennsylvania Ave at 10th. With all the buildings lining the street and screen/speaker stands every block or so, it was easier to find a place you couldn't hear (due to echo) than to find a place where you could. Plus at 10th there were a couple guys playing drums through the entire thing (IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU, DUDES) so we bailed early and caught up on the internet after the fact.
posted by fedward at 3:02 PM on March 24, 2018
Just in case anybody finds this thread for later marches in DC: that experience had been true for previous events on the open space of the Mall, but it turned out not to be true along Pennsylvania Ave. We started at the Navy Memorial (where we couldn't even get onto Pennsylvania Ave) and ended up walking around a bit, finally getting onto Pennsylvania Ave at 10th. With all the buildings lining the street and screen/speaker stands every block or so, it was easier to find a place you couldn't hear (due to echo) than to find a place where you could. Plus at 10th there were a couple guys playing drums through the entire thing (IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU, DUDES) so we bailed early and caught up on the internet after the fact.
posted by fedward at 3:02 PM on March 24, 2018
Response by poster: Just checking in post-event: Thank you all SO much for all the input and insight and great tips. We ended up going and leaving via Metro Center, which put us at the far western end of the rally area (right next to the Trump Hotel boooooooo) and it worked out perfectly. We arrived after it started and left before it ended but all the time we were there was just a great experience. Cell phone reception was indeed spotty in the thick of it, but fine once we went back north of the rally area a bit. We must've gotten lucky vis-a-vis speaker placement but I'm not at all surprised the sound was an issue elsewhere on the route. FWIW there was no visible security at our entrance point. Anyway, I'm so very glad I went and so grateful that I was armed with your wisdom and experience. I had my first hopeful day in a long time -- I hope many of you did as well. Thanks again.
posted by argonauta at 4:48 PM on March 24, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by argonauta at 4:48 PM on March 24, 2018 [8 favorites]
Yay! It was a great day at the sister March we attended (and didn't bail early)!
Tomorrow we shop for art supples to donate. These kids are freakin' amazing. Hope feels good.
posted by floweredfish at 6:57 PM on March 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Tomorrow we shop for art supples to donate. These kids are freakin' amazing. Hope feels good.
posted by floweredfish at 6:57 PM on March 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
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Women's March was a clusterf**k for all the reasons you talked about. I'm a woman, I love women, I want us to have power and be supported and ALL of the good things. But I spent about 3 hours traveling what amounts to 4.5 miles, stood around in a street median for 2 hours not in the line of sight even to any Jumbotron, let alone to a stage or a live person, and then repeated the process backwards. I was exhausted and cranky and the whole thing was pointless.
You can be counted among those who abhor gun violence in many ways: sign a petition, write your lawmakers, make a blog post, donate to an organization. Dragging your ass downtown tomorrow isn't going to accomplish anything at all. If you really want to march, I'm sure there's a smaller local gathering somewhere.
posted by mccxxiii at 1:13 PM on March 23, 2018 [5 favorites]