There was a very diverse array of people present at the rally last Saturday on the Somerville High School lawn. Most were concerned citizens, others on the sidelines stood calling the attendants ‘sore losers’. Hundreds, maybe thousands cheered, surrounding a speaker’s podium in the center of them all. The Mayor of Somerville, Joe Curtatone, organized the rally to celebrate Somerville’s  thirty years as a Sanctuary City. The event revolved around his powerful speech soming in the wake of recent comments from the incoming presidential administration.

Presidential tweets, calling protesters critical of his policies ‘paid’, and ‘professional anarchists’, and detailing plans to target sanctuary cities as part of sweeping executive orders were of concern for the speakers and attendants on this cold sunny February afternoon.

I truly took heed and listened to the Mayor’s Speech, and while other speeches were being given I took the opportunity to speak with willing rally-goers, to get their thoughts. Were the attendants there in protest? Or are they just concerned citizens? From speaking with those present it seemed to me they were there standing up for what they believe in and that they would protest if the need arises. By the tone and tenacity of the Mayor’s speech it seemed as though the time for such will definitely come. The question of whether the attendees were paid to be there did not come up.

The cold did not seem to hinder people from attending the rally and raucously cheering at the entrance of Mayor Curtatone and his beginning comments “Let them Hear you on Beacon Hill, Let them hear you on Capitol Hill!”

He spoke to what he called “a sea of humanity and compassion”. He spoke with immediacy and fervor calling our times a national crisis and called for everyone to speak of what is right, decent and true.

Here are some small snippets of his speech:

“This is an outpouring of compassion neighbor to neighbor, parent to parent, student to student… This is us saying with one voice in Somerville ‘we know that diversity is our strength’. But who thought that such a simple act of humanity could start to feel so radical? …. We will go to jail for you— We will take the hits — the journey will be long but as Doctor King said ‘we must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.’

Amidst calls that Somerville retain its sanctuary status and practice Constitutional justice, it seems the mayor was reminding the crowd of simple facts of human decency and kindness.

But how has our moral tolerance grown so disconnected from our incoming political reality today? I spoke with Jon from Somerville, and he may have a remedy for the gap of communication between those in power and individuals in society: “talk and know your representatives.”
It would seem that not just liberals, but progressives, regardless of political creed, have grown complacent.

Like many other individuals, Jon, who was not previously politically motivated until the Bernie Sanders campaign engaged him, is now inspired to take action. Though he feels demoralized as to what this election has reaped (going as far to say that the POTUS is a “racist, liar”), he is energized for what he and many believe is the beginning of a very long battle.

The assault on hardly fought and won battles of the environment, banking fraud, LGBTQ rights, and even the vocalization of the Black Lives Matter and No Dakota Access Pipeline; leaves protesters now on the defensive. Many at the rally seemed to feel that those currently in power may go to extreme lengths to corrupt measures of basic human decency, and tenets of American progress.

Now, with the sheer blatancy of the assault, Mike aged 35 from the Midwest (and now living in Somerville), thinks this is why Trump is indirectly making America great again. “Now” he says,  “people who may have gone about their lives normally are starting to stand, fight and be inspired to protect not only their rights, but their neighbors’ rights, and fundamental American values.”

A carpenter, Mike also believes that utilization of multiple avenues in standing up for basic rights is important: building communities through marches, as well as supporting like minded businesses who may donate proceeds to those in need.

“The youth are better at it than anybody,” Mike says, among the throngs of rally goers passing between us and cheering around us. He seems almost elated at the wellspring of human compassion that has cropped up in Boston and all major cities, from powerful displays at the Women’s March to the Airport Protests across the country.

“I showed up today for solidarity because I believe in human decency and kindness, as I think all if not most of the people at the rally did too. But it’s more important to continue to show up and know your local and state representatives cos they’re the ones, like our mayor, who will have your back if you have theirs.” Jon from Somerville agrees and goes further, saying that one person being vocal about an issue has the potential to create entire communities of people willing to stand for what they feel is right.

From my perspective—Somerville looks like it will continue to fight as one.

Photo Courtesy of City of Somerville