The great divide

I went downtown to attend the climate march in Washington D.C.  According to organizers, 200,000 people came together today in sweltering heat (91F, with a heat index of 96F -- nature's own emphasis on the march, I guess).

I caught up with the marchers in front of the White House, which is now even further removed from "the people" with additional barriers as shown on the main picture (the WH is just out of sight on the right of the image). 

There were drums and chanting and native dancers and people of all walks of life, from babies in strollers to a 91-year old woman in a wheelchair, and a great melting pot of colors (some of them decidedly red from a day spent in the unrelenting sun). In spite of the large number of attendees, there were no incidents and, as befits that kind of march, no trash to be found anywhere either: marchers picked up after themselves :)

My favorite moment was when the marchers stopped and had a 10-minute sit down in front of the WH (see extra) in complete silence. Then a strange sound arose from the seated thousands: each of them rhythmically tapping their heart with their open hand. It was at once soothing and eery...

Tonite, I feel hopeful about our ability to withstand #45...

More images here.