"These aren't rhetorical questions"

No they aren't, but you make an excellent point.

Good job!

They are good questions. Of course there should be more people willing to risk arrest. But there aren't; most folks are complacent. There should be more groups working together to really actualize a *mass* mobilization. For what it was -- it was creative and positive.

Personally, I no longer choose to post and forfeit and most of the folks I've done actions with recently agree. However, I realize going to court -- especially for out-of-towners -- is not for everyone.

Actually this is turning into a decent conversation...

It was positive because, a heck of a lot of staffers and some congresspeople were forced to see/hear the message. This is always good; makes people really think about the consequences of their decisions. I still believe that the vast majority of people have a conscience.

It was also positive because it got favorable media coverage. Nice photos in The Post.

Should there have been more people of color participating? Heck yes. But does this fact and the fact that some people feel good about their action really diminish it much? I don't think so.

I believe the visuals engaged people, not simply berate and further alienate them or isolate them from the message. That's what pretty much happened in Georgetown. Today I overheard a couple of African American women on the bus complaining about the protesters (violent and yelling racial slurs), and one said she was late getting to work at Georgetown University Hospital.

Yelling racial slurs? That's a lie, Pete.
Most of the group is ARA and Antifa who actually come out and fight racists. Pete, I'd quit while you have at least an ounce of respect left.

Pete,
The point of many of good protest is to stop business as usual. That means getting "to work" late sometimes. People complaining on the bus going to work, is a good thing - it means they know about it.

A couple of years ago, I was at a store right before another IMF protest. The staff was busy arguing about whether the IMF was squeezing Jamaica dry with debt, and not paying attention to me the customer. If you ask me, that makes all the protests of any kind, completely successful.