We Shall Protest On The Beaches, We Shall Protest In The Snow...And Everywhere In Between

      Yesterday, Sunday, February 1, in my town of Gahanna, Ohio, our good townsfolk turned out in the 15-degree weather and 12 inches of snow for a demonstration calling for immigration justice.

      The exact number of citizens who braved the chill to be part of the Intentional Chain of Empathy, as this peaceful gathering was called, I cannot say; I suppose as many as could fit along the shoveled half mile of sidewalk down our main street, from the Dairy Queen to the Golden China Restaurant.

       Among the demonstrators were some of the members of my group of gal pals who refer to ourselves as The Posse.

      Though The Posse's principle raison d'être is to get together once a week for brunch and conversation,

...of late we've taken to showing up at protests around the Columbus area, as we did at a No Kings march last August.

     For this protest I spent the day before constructing my sign, the message of which I figured was simple,

...but to the point,

...and the amateur artistry of which I figured would be okay from a distance.

     There were plenty of signs at the event besides mine, some of them more cries of protest or lamentation,

...though most were messages of kindness and hope.

       Our protest seemed to hearten the drivers-by, as most who passed us gave a honk, a shout-out, or a peace sign. The local police were friendly and helpful, and even a postal truck that passed by gave us a wave and a honk of encouragement. 
​            After the protest my friends, my mate and I decided to get some food from the Blue Agave, the Mexican restaurant up the block from our protest location.

           Meanwhile, on the same day on the other side of the country, some of my long-distance relatives were among the 15,000 marchers who staged a pro-immigrant, anti-ICE march for two miles along the Strand, the walking path that runs for 22 miles along the Los Angeles oceanfront. 
           The marchers walked from  Manhattan Beach to the next community over, Hermosa Beach. My relatives, who were involved in the coordination of the event, sent me some photographs, ​

...and videos.

      We have not yet begun to protest.