Five people on a corner in Fullerton

Public Enemy said it takes a nation of millions. Perhaps it begins with a smaller crowd.

I was told there was a march in Fullerton on Friday afternoon. Saw this flyer online.

So I headed that way, expecting … a march. Dozens of people, horns honking, bullhorns and bellowing and all manners of modern protest.

Instead, I was greeted by five people.

Not seven. Not six.

Five.¹

And some might think, “Oh, what a waste of a drive.” I, however, felt the opposite. Protest can be millions arriving at the base of the Washington Monument. Protest can be marchers marching, singers singing. But protest can also be five people on the corner of Chapman Avenue and State College Blvd., speaking up as their peers choose to scroll TikTok and drop $9 at Wushiland Boba.²

This particular march was organized by Bree, an 18-year-old student who wore a mask (for safety) and exists on TikTok as b_west_24. We spoke at length, and her concern is for the American education system and, in this case, its demise and potential destruction under one Donald J. Trump.

Here’s our chat …

What I liked most about b_west_24 is the crowd (or lack thereof) seemed to bother her in ways neither big nor small. She felt compelled to organize; compelled to march; compelled to take action—and that spirit and sense of societal obligation can be fulfilled no matter the attention afforded your efforts. She is mad and frustrated and exasperated. She doesn’t see the national Democrats rushing to our rescue any time soon, and she’s legitimately concerned.

So, to hell with it. Let’s march.

Also, not for nothing, one of the five attendees was a 29-year-old Navy veteran named Christian Ahmed, who intends in the coming days to announce his plans to run against Young Kim to serve as California's 40th congressional district representative. Ahmed is now the fifth or sixth person who has decided to enter the race, and I’d place his odds alongside the Angels’ World Series title hopes. He’s left of liberal, has a pierced nose, tons of tattoos and the scruffy look of a mid-1970s KISS roadie. It’s a tough sell.

That said—who the fuck knows? We’re living in the wild, wild west of American politics, where a used car salesman can wind up president and a Fox News buffoon slides in as the head of the military. I found Ahmed earnest and passionate which—if not half the battle—at least matters.

Here’s our brief Q&A ..

The grand point of it all: Protest. March. Fight the power, as Chuck D would certainly say. You never know what’s going to happen. You certainly never know who’s listening.

Our nation is sick.

We need people to step up.

People like b_west_24.

1. equaling the number of Donald Trump’s draft deferments.

2. I managed to do both.