I live in Marin County. I love all the nature and beauty of the land and I happened to score a very affordable rental (for the Bay Area) years ago. It’s a very wealthy and very white place, with some pockets like Fairfax and others that are known as being progressive but, overall, same old predictable leanings in an area like this. The stark contrast is Marin City, where there is a large black community, living in government subsidized housing; just over the hill and just an exit away from Mill Valley, Sausalito and Tiburon, where luxury homes are everywhere.
I was out driving in San Rafael today, a slightly more diverse town, and saw a group of protesters marching down the street chanting “I can’t breathe!”, with a police escort in front and behind. Traffic was slowed down alongside them as they walked and I drove over and started honking my horn in unison with their chanting.
And folks, almost nobody else was honking. Possibly the easiest, no effort whatsoever way to show support, and you can’t even honk? The defeaning silence of the people in the cars spoke volumes. The black man at the head of the march was looking out at the cars, waiting to hear honking, waiting for solidarity, and he was met with practically nothing. If that doesn’t say it all, I don’t know what will. Not just disappointing and infuriating, heartbreaking.
Lia Wilbourn 