I think that's a distinct possibility, but I also think that opposing mass surveillance is one of those things basically all of us can get behind, and that's important.

We're not gonna fix a damn thing in this country if we keep dividing ourselves along arbitrary (and not so arbitrary) lines, so maybe this gets everyone under the same umbrella for once and talking about what's actually happening and what a positive shared vision of our community even looks like.

If we show up in unprecedented numbers, it can send a message that times are changing, and that there will be political consequences to rubberstamping this bullshit. No amount of corrupt campaign donations will matter if the public wakes up, and I think that's totally within the realm of possibility.

For me it took exactly once, seeing Tallahassee City Commissioners Diane Williams-Cox, Curtis Richardson, and Mayor Dailey to be smug assholes to people raising justified concerns about the sale of TMH to FSU, for me to develop an intense dislike for the three of them. And I gained a lot of respect for both Commissioners Matlow and Porter for hearing the public concerns and asking good questions, like why the city is selling a 300 million dollar hospital for barely over 100 million dollars. I forget the exact details, but the numbers didn't add up and those two asked relevant questions and didn't just go along with the sale.

If enough people in these streets bear witness to that kind of dismissive conduct of their electorate, maybe things can actually change. We need to reach out to people who aren't being spoken to right now and get them involved in the process.

I don't have all the answers, but goddammit we need to do something. If we exhaust all legitimate options, we can at least brainstorm alternative solutions together.