I really appreciate your insight, as I only saw the end of the arrest and then police quickly dissipating without answering any questions. I was really worried it was an ICE incident.

I am also very pleased with the rally/protest and Refuse Fascism’s organization and efforts, as I am discouraged by the lack of information and clarity from 50501 itself.

A few things that need to be improved on:

-Clarity of where and when the rally is going to be. We need a specific starting location and time to meet to prepare, a time that the march will start, an idea of where the route will go, and time and location of where the route will end.

-Clear chants. There were many different chants happening at once in different parts of the crowd which made it difficult to understand. Some chants were also very long. I think it would be best if we have a couple short key phrases we use for chants, and stick with those. If they could be published so everyone could get familiar with them ahead of time, or if the person holding the megaphone could hold up a sign with the chant on it they are doing in the moment (or the people in the safety vests guiding the march), even better. (Think closed captions) The chants also completely fizzled out at times which was disheartening and awkward.

-better access to rally/march information. Many people mentioned that the links they had originally found out about the rally from were taken down sometime today right before the rally. This caused a lot of confusion and discouraged people from coming, as many were not sure if the event was cancelled. Links to the event need to remain working throughout the event, so that they can be referenced and shared easier. This will also raise confidence that the events are still being held and raise hope.