So A participated in a #BlackLivesMatter protest today. I went too, but wasn’t completely comfortable with the direct action chosen and chose not to participate. But:

When we first arrived, a white man tried to intimidate the Black and white women gathered; he backed down when I told him that if he was disturbed by the presence, it seemed like there were more of them and he could leave.

And the police kept them safe. Blocked traffic.

A group of a dozen to 20 folks stopped traffic for miles by choosing to block a busy intersection for 8 minutes, 46 seconds. The folks looked out for each other.

But what mattered the most is this: When they were done, they thanked the officers and turned the discussion to voting. Vote for judges. Vote for district attorneys. Pay attention to the local races - especially those usually ignored. No office is too small.

It wasn’t mine to diminish the voice by not following their requests; it wasn’t mine to tell them how to protest. But I’ll be damned if I weren’t super proud of them.