afternoon, finish eating, and load the car with gear for the protests like extra clothing, the gas masks, food and water, and sign-making materials.
A little after nine A.M., they drive down the Boulder turnpike toward Denver and arrive in the city about forty-five minutes later. They finally find a parking spot for the Range Rover within reasonable walking distance to the protest.
Eric turns around in the passenger seat to look at everyone. “Alright, now remember what we talked about at breakfast: We all stay together. But in case anyone gets separated, just don’t forget we’re all connected by GPS on our iPhones; just make sure you input the car location now. Now if shit hits the fan, we get the hell out of dodge and get the fuck back to the car. Alright?” They all nod their heads in agreement and get out of the car.
After walking for a short time, they eventually get to the outskirts of the protest. Everyone is shouting and waving signs in such a synchronized way that from above it would look like the ocean and how it moves in its own rhythmic perfection. They walk up to the wall of angry protesters, and Eric taps the shoulder of one of them.
“Hey, bro, can I ask you a question?”
The protester stops shouting, turns around, and looks at Eric. “What’s up, dude? What do you want?”
“Nothing. I’m just wondering if you’ve heard any more news about this tear gas situation.”
The protestor thinks for a second. “Oh yeah, word is they’re going to shoot the gas off into the crowds if we don’t all disperse by noon. They said they wanted to send a message to the protesters because the protests were getting too violent lately.”
Eric jumps up in an attempt to see over the crowd. “Well, do you know of any way to get any closer?”
The protester looks at him and laughs. “No way, dude. These people have been here for days, some even weeks. It would take you forever to try to worm your way through the crowd. It’s impossible, bro. It’s like that all over the country; every major city is like this. Here, check it out.” He pulls out his Android phone and shows him aerial pictures of New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and other cities all with massive crowds.
Eric thanks the protestor and walks back over to his group of friends all huddled in a circle. Once he explains the situation to them, they proceed to make their signs. Only after raising their signs and pulling down their Guy Fawkes masks do they begin yelling with the other protestors. An hour goes by, and they are now completely surrounded by fellow protesters. More and more people continue to arrive.
As noon approaches, the crowd begins to slowly settle down and stop shouting in anticipation of the tear gas attack. The six friends all move in a little closer in a bunch and pull up their masks, and then they each put on their gas masks. They notice numerous other protesters doing the same thing. The crowd eventually gets quiet with only a few whispers heard. The faint sounds from a megaphone are heard in the distance, the words too faint to hear as the chatter amongst the crowd only grows, but surprisingly no one runs off.
Suddenly, tear gas cannons erupt in succession. As the canisters fly into the crowds, screams and shouts fill the air, followed only by the spray of cloud and smoke spewing from what seems like every direction in front of them. What starts as screams and yelling in the distance now erupts into hundreds of screams getting closer and louder. People all around them begin clutching at their throats and vomiting everywhere.
Eric grabs Maggie’s hand and yells, “Something’s wrong. We need to get the hell out of here NOW!”
They all turn and run, trying to keep pace with the rest of the panicked crowd. Maggie looks behind her and is horrified by the sight of people tearing at their faces and screaming in terror. The people are getting violent. Suddenly, Todd bursts through the crowd of people behind her, pushing people
A little after nine A.M., they drive down the Boulder turnpike toward Denver and arrive in the city about forty-five minutes later. They finally find a parking spot for the Range Rover within reasonable walking distance to the protest.
Eric turns around in the passenger seat to look at everyone. “Alright, now remember what we talked about at breakfast: We all stay together. But in case anyone gets separated, just don’t forget we’re all connected by GPS on our iPhones; just make sure you input the car location now. Now if shit hits the fan, we get the hell out of dodge and get the fuck back to the car. Alright?” They all nod their heads in agreement and get out of the car.
After walking for a short time, they eventually get to the outskirts of the protest. Everyone is shouting and waving signs in such a synchronized way that from above it would look like the ocean and how it moves in its own rhythmic perfection. They walk up to the wall of angry protesters, and Eric taps the shoulder of one of them.
“Hey, bro, can I ask you a question?”
The protester stops shouting, turns around, and looks at Eric. “What’s up, dude? What do you want?”
“Nothing. I’m just wondering if you’ve heard any more news about this tear gas situation.”
The protestor thinks for a second. “Oh yeah, word is they’re going to shoot the gas off into the crowds if we don’t all disperse by noon. They said they wanted to send a message to the protesters because the protests were getting too violent lately.”
Eric jumps up in an attempt to see over the crowd. “Well, do you know of any way to get any closer?”
The protester looks at him and laughs. “No way, dude. These people have been here for days, some even weeks. It would take you forever to try to worm your way through the crowd. It’s impossible, bro. It’s like that all over the country; every major city is like this. Here, check it out.” He pulls out his Android phone and shows him aerial pictures of New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and other cities all with massive crowds.
Eric thanks the protestor and walks back over to his group of friends all huddled in a circle. Once he explains the situation to them, they proceed to make their signs. Only after raising their signs and pulling down their Guy Fawkes masks do they begin yelling with the other protestors. An hour goes by, and they are now completely surrounded by fellow protesters. More and more people continue to arrive.
As noon approaches, the crowd begins to slowly settle down and stop shouting in anticipation of the tear gas attack. The six friends all move in a little closer in a bunch and pull up their masks, and then they each put on their gas masks. They notice numerous other protesters doing the same thing. The crowd eventually gets quiet with only a few whispers heard. The faint sounds from a megaphone are heard in the distance, the words too faint to hear as the chatter amongst the crowd only grows, but surprisingly no one runs off.
Suddenly, tear gas cannons erupt in succession. As the canisters fly into the crowds, screams and shouts fill the air, followed only by the spray of cloud and smoke spewing from what seems like every direction in front of them. What starts as screams and yelling in the distance now erupts into hundreds of screams getting closer and louder. People all around them begin clutching at their throats and vomiting everywhere.
Eric grabs Maggie’s hand and yells, “Something’s wrong. We need to get the hell out of here NOW!”
They all turn and run, trying to keep pace with the rest of the panicked crowd. Maggie looks behind her and is horrified by the sight of people tearing at their faces and screaming in terror. The people are getting violent. Suddenly, Todd bursts through the crowd of people behind her, pushing people
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