Jul 17

Jul 17 Trouble in Philly

Donald Trump, Performances, Protest, Public Declarations, Signs and Posters, The Age of Trump

Today, groups opposing the Trump Administration joined together, holding rallies throughout the country in opposition to the Trump Administration, with an emphasis on civil and human rights. Giving a nod to the late civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis, the demonstrations were branded, Good Trouble Lives On.

I missed the demonstration in Chicago’s Daley Plaza because I was in Philadelphia on business, so I made a point of heading the Philadelphia City Hall for the 6:00 PM rally. I always enjoy seeing how other cities stage demonstrations, so I didn’t mind missing the Chicago rally.

After two hours roaming through the crowd located on the northside of Philadelphia’ City Hall, I appreciated Chicago. Both Federal Plaza and Daley Plaza provide ample room for demonstrations. According to one city official, Daley Plaza can accommodate 15,000 people-excluding the side streets. That’s not the case in Philadelphia. While Philadelphia’s City Hall is set back from the street, the small plaza adjacent to the sidewalk was not designed as an area for public gatherings. At most, it can comfortably accommodate 2,000 demonstrators. Today, at the demonstrations peak, the setback was filled with no more than 300 demonstrators. Most likely, the number was much closer to 200.

Given the national scope of today’s demonstrations, 200 people is a disappointing number. I assume the local organizers hoped to capture the afterwork crowd, but most of those in attendance were retirees. To put it bluntly, the demonstrators were geriatric (as if I should talk). One group even acknowledged the fact, referring to themselves as the Granny Brigade.

The weather didn’t help the turnout, either. The temperature was in the high Eighties, with heavy humidity. But the real culprit may be the number of demonstrations. Every group opposing the Trump Administration wants to hold a demonstration. The resulting proliferation of events is dilutive, as was evident today.

Particularly troubling was the absence of young people, including college students and young professionals just starting their careers. It’s their future that is on the line, but they don’t seem to care.

As usual, the program was much too long. I left at around 7:30 PM, when the ranks became noticeably thin. Two hours of speeches in 85+ degrees of heat is at least an hour too many. As for the speeches I did hear, the scripts must be online. Nothing new. I was impressed, however, by the doctor who spoke. She covered all the medical bases—vaccines, abortion rights, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

As for local flavor, no vendors were on hand selling Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwiches or Bookbinder snapper soup. But there was a contingent of Quakers on hand, which brought back memories of eighth grade history, the colonies, and the country’s founding. We might have Quakers in Chicago, but I’ve yet to see them bring a banner identifying their affiliation at a march or demonstration.

After the demonstration, I heard from one Chicago photographer that there were several thousand people in attendance in Chicago, but that number was subsequently revised downward by one of the newspapers that reported the number was in the hundreds.

From a strategic standpoint, the organizers of these events need to be a little more thoughtful in their planning. The anti-Trump movement looks weak when just a few hundred people in a major city come out for what is part of a national day of demonstrations. Fewer demonstrations, but more people in attendance should be the objective. The organizers also need to make these events more entertaining. One speech followed by another is not the way to go.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]