10:55 PM: At right, that’s Rachel Glass, in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 751 hall, in the 13th hour of the marathon “Bend It Like Booker” event she organized, with dozens of speakers. The person at the podium now is talking about the Constitution, and its first three words … “We the People” … noting the inclusivity of that phrase. As we walked in a few moments, Glass whispered big news … the inspiration for this marathon, New Jersey U.S. Senator Cory Booker – who spoke on the Senate floor for 25 hours last spring – plans to send a video to be part of this megastream. Meantime, the speaker is examining Walt Whitman‘s reverence for democracy – writing of “the great American lesson” and about what he envisioned doing “For you, O democracy!”
This has been under way since 10 am. WSB contributing photojournalist Dave Gershgorn stopped by in the early going, when Glass introduced U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, joining by video:
This event also can be viewed online as well as in person (yes, the doors are open on the east side of the union hall at 9125 15th Place S.) – tickets are available here.
Meantime, the speaker (Dave) has gone on to read Whitman’s work, “Song of Myself.”
11:05 PM: Glass introduces the Russian-immigrant couple, Yuri and Natasha, who she had mentioned when we spoke for a preview. They will reflect on their years in Russia and draw parallels to what’s happening in the U.S. now. They left Russia a decade ago, then spent six years in Lithuania, and have been here for four years. … Yuri spoke of his disbelief upon learning of Russia’s war on Ukraine. … Natasha, born in 1991 in Moscow, spoke of the years of hope for democracy there, and then “how it happened … a dictator was elected by the people.” In her childhood, before then, “there was free speech” – she recalled a TV series where politicians were lampooned, “and that was allowed.” But then people “were pissed off” because they’d been given economic promises that did not come true, or at least, not quickly enough. The “never-ending” war in Chechnya upset people too, she said. She spoke of how Putin emerged as an unpopular unknown – until “one event,” terrorist attacks blamed on Chechnya; Putin promised to protect people “and his rating went up.” The active war ended but attacks did not, she said. She concluded that “when you trade freedom for security, you get neither.”
11:45 PM: Yuri reclaimed the mic and said that in his view, Donald Trump is working from the same playbook that Putin and others before him used. When Natasha picked up the narrative again, she spoke about ways that Putin had taken over institutions and branches of government.
Yuri then showed Russian video of four people getting pulled off the street by police and detained for an anti-war protest – something as simple as holding a piece of paper – and then a clip of a woman taken away for a pro-war demonstration. Yuri also veered into song lyrics he said he’s working on, encompassing the loss of freedom. But, he added, “I don’t want to be right” about what he fears is unfolding here as it did in his homeland. And he showed a song video he’d been working on, about war. With that, at 12:10 am, he and Natasha prepared to leave the podium.
12:10 AM: The number of people here is up to a dozen or so. Glass is showing the video sent by Sen. Booker. He thanked them for “sparking hope.” (We recorded it off the screen and [update] have added it below.)…
She followed it up with the video sent by Gov. Bob Ferguson.
Another live speaker was about to take the podium as we departed.
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