Where were you yesterday?
I joined more than 2,000 of my closest friends circling City Hall Plaza in Waltham, MA. We are a city of around 80,000 people, ten miles west of Boston. You could look it up; the American Industrial Revolution was born here. (Waltham Mills.)
Lexington and Concord are about a 15 minute drive away on residential streets, so our Revolutionary credentials should not be in doubt.
It’s Pride Month, and yesterday was also Pride Day in Boston. I gave a thought to carrying my “Ally” flag to the festivities, but instead opted for this one.
Today, it has been adopted by the New England Independence movement, but 250 years ago this very weekend, this was the flag flown by the Colonials on the slopes of Bunker Hill.
I didn’t stay put, but wandered around the event looking for friendly faces. A number of folks stopped to ask what this flag was for. I simply stated “Bunker Hill” and added that we have overthrown a king before. Since they are elected officials, and they were there, I don’t suppose listing them would be a danger. I met our State Senator, Mike Barrett. He was working the crowd and asking why folks came out. I noted that two of my Grand-Uncles went ashore on 6 June 1944, so I felt it was my duty to fight fascism as well. This met with general approval.
I also ran into two members of Waltham’s City Council, both of whom I have known for decades - Ward Councilor Robert Logan, and At Large Councilor Tom Stanley. I heard from the event organizers that the Right Honourable Mayor Jeannette McCarthy actually opposed the permit for the day’s events. I have known her for decades as well - even have her direct phone number - but all of a sudden she may be dead to me now.
As the event went on, people never really stopped coming. We were originally slated for the corner of Moody and Main streets, but the overflow crowd eventually wrapped itself all the way around City Hall Plaza, plus turned Main Street into a “Scream Tunnel” like Wellesley College does for the Boston Marathon.
We followed the rules of the event. Everyone was cheerful and upbeat. One lone counter-protestor was yelling at us from the safety and comfort of his own car stuck at a red light. He ‘conveniently’ had a Trump sign that he was waving at us, but as he was outnumbered 2,500 to 1, his courage in taking a stand is somewhat questionable.
A lone police officer appeared twice - he was on a motorcycle and circled the Plaza. Whether or not it was to keep an eye on us or part of a routine patrol was not determined.
As the event started to slow down, another counter-protestor appeared across the street from City Hall. A “Jesus Guy”, carrying a rather large “ABORTION IS MURDER” sign. Completely out-of-context, he was rapidly surrounded by about a half-dozen of our guys carrying “Defend the Constitution” and various Women’s rights signs. He was of little consequence.
I felt we could have stood out there in the rain all afternoon, but at around 12:30, the organizers started circulating through the crowds and announced that the permit time was up. We pretty much instantly broke up and went home.
There were no confrontations; no traffic was blocked; nobody was arrested or injured. Hundreds of passing vehicles were blasting their horns at us, and a few delivery trucks added their airhorns to the din.
But since this is Boston - let me leave you with the most “Boston” protest sign of them all.
