A week after violence broke out at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, anti-racism demonstrators in Boston showed the world how to hold a peaceful protest, even with a far great number of participants.
The massive and quickly-organized event in Boston brought out an estimated 20,000 counter-protesters, and there have been very few arrests, no major violence, and most important, no deranged individuals driving cars through crowds of people.
According to CNN, “The march and rally were largely peaceful” other than a few skirmishes between counter-protesters and Donald Trump supporters.
The news organization noted that just eight people were arrested out of the tens of thousands who gathered in the city.
Controversial rally in Boston has ended, police say. At least 8 arrested on what was a mostly peaceful day. https://t.co/iPNIPSrrQz pic.twitter.com/fqPbKnMUQa
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) August 19, 2017
With far greater crowds, whether it’s today in Boston, or the massive women’s marches earlier in the year, the resistance is proving not just that they are larger in numbers than either Trump supporters or white supremacists, but also that they understand freedom of speech does not have to be violent.
While last weekend in Charlottesville was a deeply disturbing chapter in American history, today’s massive anti-racism march in Boston gives us all a reason to look to the future with optimism.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
