Plan B Forum

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.wcvb.com ... n/12036148

Hopefully this thread will be far more positive than the Charlottesville thread, but I'm concerned.

After reading online last night at the various Facebook pages associated with the organizing groups on both sides, I decided to sit it out and watch from home.

Boston Police are expecting up to 20,000 counter-protesters to converge on the Common after a 2 mile march through the city. Sounds like they expect a much smaller crowd of RWNJ white supremacist Nazis, but who knows until they show? The BPD has 500 cops on duty to manage the 20,000+ crowd, and has set up barriers on the Common to keep the groups separated as much as possible. No weapons, flagpoles, sticks of any kind (even on signs) are allowed in either group, and they will be doing random bag checks. Of course our gun laws are some of the most restrictive in the nation so we won't be seeing any openly armed militia in the crowd.

I'm praying for a peaceful day, but again, after reading dozens upon dozens of intended participant posts last night, I can attest that tensions are running very high.

From Boston City: It's Saturday Afternoon Live!

There is dialogue happening there - it's not entirely pretty, but communication is taking place.

I have a friend there who is livestreaming on Facebook off and on; watching coverage of the counterprotest march on MSNBC, it's pretty huge. I couldn't have walked that far anyway, was going to go straight to the Common - I bet the energy in that crowd is super positive right now.

Hope all remains good when they converge on the Common.

NECN has great on the ground coverage; Boston Police Commissioner is marching with the counter-protest and estimates 15k participants. BPD in uniform, plain clothes and on bike patrol are doing a fantastic job of herding cats, intervening in the small confrontations that are occurring.

I gather it's very hot; when I took the dog out at 6am the humidity was already oppressive and I was glad I'd decided not to go - MS makes it very difficult to tolerate heat and weather like this makes me nearly immobile.

Really wish I was there, though.

I'm seeing helicopter views of the Boston rallies on CNN and MSNBC...

Looks like a really big turn out...

Prolly more people than attended the Drumph inauguration?

Some shit is hitting the fan now; the small fascist Trumpanzee rally is over and the two factions are starting to mix it up in the streets. A squad of BPD in riot gear are in the fray now and arresting people. Sirens blaring. But it still seems far more controlled than C'ville.

eta: Fully 1/4 of the Boston Police department is on duty at this gathering, so I imagine about 1/3 are working today. I imagine the overtime bill will be BIG.

Should have had the National Guard there.

They didn't need them; a few minor skirmishes between factions and between marchers and Boston Police - 27 arrested. The Free Speech Rally itself was a big flop, they didn't even run their speakers and exited the area an hour earlier than planned - they were outnumbered by the tens of thousands. Boston Police did an excellent job of maintaining the peace without coming off as thugs.

A selection of great counter-protest signs.

My fave: "This Episode Of Black Mirror SUCKS"

Ha! Was just about to post that!

They're all very clever so hard to pick; but I'm really partial to "the only thing Boston hates is the Yankees".

Check out the photos from this Vox piece. All my friends at the rally said it was lovely and peaceful. All the churches around the Common and on the march route had their doors wide open. No signs, just open doors.

https://www.vox.com/2017/8/19/16173486/ ... eech-rally

ETA: my boyz, mom, sis, brother in law were all here this weekend to celebrate my birthday, so I couldn't go to the rally, but one of my friends posted this:

Beautiful Boston. More than 40,000 came out to oppose racism and anti-Semitism.

Quoting Mark Arsenault: "A city with a fraught racial past turned out tens of thousands of protesters Saturday for an overwhelming denunciation of racism, anti-Semitism, and religious bigotry, in a demonstration that was largely peaceful though punctuated with scuffles and some edgy nose-to-nose encounters among demonstrators. . .'I think it’s clear today that Boston stood for peace and love not bigotry and hate,' Mayor Martin J. Walsh said. . .Police Commissioner William B. Evans said in a press conference after the event, 'We probably had 40,000 people out here standing tall...in our city and that’s a good feeling.'"

Sue U wrote:A selection of great counter-protest signs.

My fave: "This Episode Of Black Mirror SUCKS"

I loved the Make Way for Ducklings one myself.

I had to research that one (Black Mirror) because what with my Swiss cheese brain, I'd completely forgotten watching and loving than series - and yes, that sign IS brilliant!

Now I need to watch that series again. One benefit of Swiss cheese brain is so many things can be enjoyed anew again after just a few months - or even weeks.

Somebody must have hacked Trump's twitter account:

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump 20h20 hours ago

I want to applaud the many protestors in Boston who are speaking out against bigotry and hate. Our country will soon come together as one!
44,200 replies 27,350 retweets 125,582 likes

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref ... r%5Eauthor

In his mind, it is the Nazis who are "speaking out against bigotry and hate", so I'm pretty sure it is him and not a hack.