Madison, WI
6/14/2025
The people poured into Library Mall. An estimated 10,000 marched to the Wisconsin State Capitol, meeting thousands more who were waiting for the circus to arrive. It's a day of national protest against Trump and his corrupt, incompetent, law-breaking government.
I'm always excited when people come out to make their voices heard. Freedom of speech and expression are essential components of our democracy. They give us a sense of control (albeit false at times) over what is happening to our country and the world.
However, at the same time, as millions gathered in cities large and small, Trump is hosting a parade to celebrate himself. Yes, you read that correctly: a sitting president is being "honored" (at the estimated cost of $45 million) with a military parade reminiscent of those seen in China or Russia, countries ruled under a dictatorship. For someone who is fixated on crowd size, the Trump parade fell enormously short of expected spectators.
It's long been known that Trump sees himself as a dictator, as a king. And sadly, he is enabled by people around him who have their agendas and desires for power and wealth. In addition, Trump supporters are confused, angry people who seem unwilling to admit that he and his ilk care nothing about them. Yet, they gladly cheer and laugh at the havoc this administration has wrought upon them and others.
Democracy died a long time ago, at least the kind of democracy we had hoped for, the kind a decent society deserves. But, if I'm being honest, we aren't a decent society and perhaps are getting what we deserve under Trump—marching fast toward fascism and authoritarianism.
The march began and was led by a police escort, requested by the organizers in an apparent effort to keep the march safe. However, it seemed nothing more than a show of force, indicating that the police, not the organizers — certainly not the people — were in charge. They initially created a V, or rather a wedge shape, to keep people away from the marchers. This broke down soon after the march started, but the police were at the head of the march, in front, as if it were their march, and they were the leaders. The primary organizers of this event, 50501, while liberal and anti-Trump, are sadly fighting to return us to the status quo we lived under Biden and what Kamala Harris represented.
Yes, I voted for Biden and Harris. Yes, I championed their campaign for the presidency. Yes, I now fully understand that their win would have only delayed the inevitable. I'm not happy that Trump is in office, but a struggle would have been happening under Harris as well.
Centrists like Biden and Harris, Obama and Clinton, have worked to keep the extreme right at bay, but at the expense of our rights and freedoms, especially those from underrepresented communities: Black and brown, LGBTQ+, and low-income people have long been used on agendas, only to be discarded after they served their purpose.
Speeches were given that made the crowd cheer and gave them a sense of optimism about the future. Not a bad thing overall. But, once the day was over, what would have been accomplished? What did millions of voices mean to a person who cares not for those million voices? Tomorrow is Sunday and Father's Day. We will sadly still be in the same boat as we are today, taking on water, waiting for someone to save us.
