Left In Lowell

I’ve just come back from the downtown candle vigil, where some 70 people gathered. The turnout was great, and really made an impact. Though the Sun seems bent on jamming coverage of the Lowell vigil in with Groton’s (I suppose that makes sense) there was a reporter and a Sun photographer there, as well as WUML. I will post my own photos soon (a limited amount, since I ran out of floppy disk space - please don’t ask!) as well as any that are sent to me. I will also send them on as requested to MoveonPAC. [Update: photos here in the gallery! (If you are uncomfortable with having your photo posted, let me know which ones and I’ll pull them. Thanks to Paul for sending me his photos so quick!)] [Update #2: Mariposa has put her photos into a gallery as well, you can see that here.]

First, let me say, what a bunch of great people. From those with whom I am good friends with (you know who you are) to new people I have met: you all rock so much! Thank you for coming out and being visible for peace.

More is on the flip-click!

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly connections have been built over these last couple of years. In this cynical country where neighbor no longer always knows neighbor, I can see a web of kind, generous, progressive people forming before my eyes. Some people got emails from Moveon and Truemajority; some from the DFA; some through GLPJ’s email list; some from me directly through this blog or other groups of people I know. Old friends appeared like magic having heard about the event from someone else. And of course, we made lots of new friends.

As “organizer,” I sort of took the lead. Some things didn’t work out so well. Like, I think the loudest part was during the moment of silence, because right when that started, a car playing very loud music drove up to the red light on the street next to us. Sorry about that guys! I also read out loud some of Cindy Sheehan’s words from her diary on dailykos posted last Saturday. I thought it appropriate seeing as how she’s inspired so many.

Now, I’ve said all the positive, wonderful things I needed to say. On to the rantfest.

Let me start by allowing you to re-familiarize yourself with the first article in the Bill of Rights:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Yeah, you guessed it, it’s that right to assemble that I’m about to go off on a rant-a-thon over.

I am sick to death of our right to peaceably assemble being stuffed and cornered into permits, loitering laws, and “unlawful assembly.” On public land. Public, as in: I own them, you own them, they are ours.

But they have been taken away from us.

“Do you have a permit for this?” I was asked by a stern, though polite (at first) policeman. “No,” says I, “but we have done this before with no trouble at all. Yes, I know technically we have to ‘keep moving,’ we usually walk around the triangle with our candles.”

“You have to keep the sidewalk clear so people can get by,” (which makes sense mostly, ‘cept very few people were out and about but us, and it’s a wiiiide sidewalk) “and if you stop, that’s unlawful assembly.”

Unlawful assembly? THERE’S SUCH A THING AS UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY? I kept my mouth shut, of course, for the sake of things running smoothly, but I really wanted to tell him to go home and read the goddamned Bill of Rights, please and thank you. Next time I might not be able to stop myself from bringing along a photographed copy of the First Amendment.

To go further, let me mention that lawfully obtaining a permit for a rally or gathering of any sort (again, for public land) takes something on the order of 2-3 weeks at times in this sometimes-unfriendly town. So, your right to free assembly is only for things that you can plan ahead. Did the founders plan ahead weeks for their illegal meetings to write the Declaration of Independence? I doubt it, highly! Maybe a history scholar can check on this for me.

So, we lawfully and dutifully walked, in twos and threes (as there was plenty of space) around the green triangle whose name I do not remember, and it was a sight to behold. Stretched out, we took up most of the three sides. People talked quietly together as they walked. Some could not walk the whole time, and had to sit, but no one bothered them (or they would have had me to contend with).

8:30 rolled around. Some broke off and left for home; others slowed and made to say goodbye to old and new friends alike. So this became a new sticky bit for the now becoming annoyed policeman who, I was told later, had spent the whole hour watching us from across the street. He got out of his car and came back to the corner and looked, well, not menacing but certainly giving the “someone better come over and talk to me” look.

So as organizer, I did. “These people need to keep moving. They’re also blocking the sidewalk,” he says.

“Look, they’re just saying goodbye to each other. Lots of them just met! We walked around the whole hour like we were supposed to. We’re dispersing, give us a little time. ” Not good enough for him.

“OK,” I told him. “I will mention it to people.” Also not good enough, he gave me more grief! So I told him, “If you want to go through and rudely tell these people to leave, that’s your job, but I will be polite and mention it. I don’t control them, they’re just talking naturally and saying goodbye.” Or something to that affect. So I went through, had to jump into several meaningful conversations lingering people were having, and tell them what the policeman wanted. This had the effect of basically making people leave instead of continuing their discussions by beginning to walk again, because they “were about to go anyway.” Thanks, thanks a lot.

In this world with so few connections, those ones we make are precious. In a free society, we’re supposed to be able to make them without fear or intimidation. This was not the case tonight. Though things were kept for the most part polite (the policeman was still rude to me, in my estimation, which caused me to say what I did), it was still intimidation and it still affected our right to peaceably assemble. After all, who would more peaceably assemble than a group of peace-loving, war-hating, candle-bearing neighbors?

[Cross posted at Daily Kos.]