Saturday, January 21, 2017


My wife and I marched in Seattle today.  50,000 people were expected.  130,000 showed up.  It was the largest protest/rally/march in Seattle's history.  The energy was amazingly positive.  The cooperation between the marchers and the police was remarkable. Marchers showed their appreciation for police officers with cheers and thank-yous. Police officers were courteous and helpful and unobtrusive--facilitating rather than obstructing. It was a wonderful example of how to do a civic protest well.

Leading the march were indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest.  Behind them was an amazingly diverse array of Seattlites: young, old, LGBTQ, straight, black, white, latino, asian, every economic strata, etc.  The emphasis was on inclusion, compassion, diversity, kindness, human decency, appreciating and caring for others--all that "politically correct" stuff.  It was uplifting and Christ was very present.


The march was a five-mile walk through downtown ending at the Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is).  A steady stream of marchers arrived hour after hour after hour.  I've never seen anything like it in my life. 

One of the most touching moments for me was a woman who stood at the side of the march with look of beatific love and an ad hoc sign reading "I see you."

I was a young child during the Vietnam era and the Civil Rights movement.  I hope I would have been part of those protests had I been an adult at the time.  But I'm here now and I'm proud to be part of this amazing movement; to be on the right side of the moral arc of history.










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