Yesterday's political protest was both peaceful and well-attended. I heard estimates ranging from 1,000-2,000 people.
Participants were asked to arrange themselves one-deep on the sidewalk along Washington Avenue, to ensure that neither car traffic nor pedestrians on the sidewalk would be inconvenienced. As a result, the line of protestors extended from 18th Street to the bridge over Highway 58.
Inevitably, the crowd was more concentrated between 10th and 14th Streets.
Nevertheless, the protestors stayed out of the street and the sidewalks remained navigable.
I asked several of the downtown merchants how the protest had affected their business for the day. They were careful to say that the protestors had every right to be there and express their concerns, but the event did deal a blow to their business for the day. One store owner said that they had had 72 transactions before 2:45 and only 9 transactions between 3 and 6PM. A restaurant owner remarked that the sudden loss of customers affected not only the business but the servers and bartenders, who had less tip income than usual.
The cars driving up and down Washington Avenue were active participants in the protest. Most were opposed to the current administration and honked their horns to show support. A few (a Mercedes and a Denali) sported large Trump flags and they too did a lot of honking. One adolescent boy leaned out of a car window flashing a thumbs-down sign, and a few young men stood in front of the Welcome Center wearing MAGA hats. I saw no signs of incivility on either side.
