More Pics & More Dispatch: Mass April 4th Protests Against MBTA Service Cuts - Late-Afternoon/Early-Evening Edition
As it
turns out, the forces conspiring against MBTA fare hikes and service
cuts weren't joking. They didn't quite turn out a Wisconsin-sized
Statehouse occupation as planned, but much hell was raised, and they
even got a snap out of a Beacon Hill power player. Here's how it went
down, or at least how I saw things unfold . . .
I
caught back up with the outburst at around 3:15pm, after filing an
update on earlier actions that erupted around today's hearing at the
Mass Transportation Building. I left that hubbub early because, as so
many folks expected, board members were bound to approve the band-aid
plan before them. The real action and excitement wasn't in that
stuffy room, which, magically, cannot be penetrated by informed
dissent. It was outside on the street, and up on Beacon Hill.
The
afternoon crowd outside the Statehouse was freshly energized by a
significant Occupy contingent. Colorful as always, this time they
brought a stilted effigy of Charlie, Boston's ubiquitous mascot for
anyone who's ever come up short for train fare. It was hardly an
exclusive Occupy affair though, as every inch of the local protest
spectrum was on the scene in no time. In addition to perpetual
protesters and old standbys, members of the Amalgamated Transit Union
(ATU) also joined, this time sporting bright orange “Occupy
Transit” tees.
It
doesn't take much to rattle the Statehouse to its horsehair core. As
was pointed out to me by a friend who covers the place full-time,
it's not unusual for hundreds of nurses, laborers, or seniors to show
up en masse. But there's a huge difference between this crowd and
those, this multi-front operation and the pointed efforts of
organized labor groups acting unilaterally. Today's crowd might not
be massive – at most I counted 100 or so gadflies inside the
Statehouse – but they're fucking bold. They even brought their own train.
After
hollering from the grand staircase for an hour, protesters moved
toward the office of House Speaker Bob DeLeo. I laughed; this guy's
hardly known for his open door policy. But after a few healthy
mic-checks, DeLeo offered to meet with three delegates. It all
happened pretty fast, but from what I gather the group laughed it off
as a pathetic token gesture, then moved on to governor Deval Patrick,
with whom they had even less luck (Minor correction: The speaker was not actually available, but rather it was a group of staffers who made the offer. Three protesters did indeed speak with them, though not without expressing disappointment that DeLeo himself was not available).
There's
more planned for tonight, and numbers outside of the Statehouse only
seemed to increase as rush hour set in. But I bet the message won't
likely change much from what critics of the MBTA have said through
months of hearings: politicians and officials aren't listening.
I'll take it one step further, though I'll have to borrow a line from
my main man Wesley Snipes. Perhaps it's true that the powers that be
aren't listening – their ears have been battered by outraged riders
for months now. More important, though, is that they're not hearing
what the public has to say. Hearing involves actually processing the
noise being spit at you, and perhaps even responding to it.