The Washington Post claims to be a newspaper that can find and report the conflict in today’s public square. But the Post and cub reporter T. Rees Shapiro couldn’t find one angry person who was delayed for half an hour by a human chain of "Ferguson protesters" across Interstate 395 in Washington, DC. It's the journalistic equivalent of being unable to hit the broad side of a barn.
Shapiro could only find people who thought it laudable, reasonable, or even a learning experience:
Witnesses said the demonstration began around noon Sunday when a group of about 30 protesters took to the streets chanting “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “No justice, no peace.”
Around 1 p.m some of the protesters formed a line shoulder-to-shoulder across the westbound lanes of Interstate 395 between the Maine Avenue and the Third Street tunnel exits. Police arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and stopped traffic in both directions to address the protesters. The demonstration ended peacefully, witnesses said, with police calmly taking into custody a group of protesters who laid down on the highway.
Aliyyah Blake, 26, of District Heights, said that she got stuck in the traffic as a result of the demonstration. “They were in a straight line across the highway,” Blake said. “People were getting out of their cars to talk to them, but they weren’t moving.” [That's the best Shapiro could do for a negative vibe.]
....Ashley Burton, 28, was among the organizers who took part in a march that started at Federal Triangle and stopped at I-395. “They locked in arms in solidarity for all of the black lives that matter,” Burton said...
Rob Scott was headed from his home in Gaithersburg to enjoy an afternoon at Eastern Market and the museums on the Mall when his trip was delayed by the protest. He said he heard chants from the protesters against police brutality.
“It seemed noisy, but I thought it seemed reasonably peaceful,” Scott said.
District resident Gayle Thornton, 54, stood with her sister, Tamela Thornton, 51, and their niece Alexa Thornton, 13, to watch the events unfold. Gayle Thornton said that she heard commotion on the highway from her home near Seventh Street and decided to get a closer look.
“This is the seat of power, and if you’re going to make a statement this is the place to do it so that the country can hear it,” Gayle Thornton said. “I told my niece that people are doing this to make the world a better place for kids like you. It’s important to stand up for what you believe in.”
Alexa Thornton, of Boston, said that watching the protesters was a learning experience in the wake of the Ferguson decision.
“They didn’t sit around and watch,” Alexa Thornton said. “They did something about it.”
PS: T. Rees Shapiro on The Washington Redskins: "Their name is despicable."
