This was the third No Kings march, and once again I attended as photographer and witness to the unfolding trauma of the Trump presidency. The weather was good – a little chilly – but bright sunshine and little wind. Knowing that the march was originating at Columbus Circle, I posted myself at Times Square opposite the neon flag on the military recruiting pavilion located between 7th Avenue and Broadway.
There was a black female cop standing near me, and it was obvious by her relaxed demeanor that she was eager to interact with the crowd. So, we talked a few minutes. I told her I was not a photo journalist, but that I do books, my most recent being Last Stop about the ends of all of the subway lines. Although in uniform, she said she was actually a detective who works the Brooklyn subway system. I told her my book was available on Amazon and she looked me up on her phone and said she would buy a book.
She told me that she had been on the force for 25 years and was near retirement. She normally wears a suit as a detective, and this was almost certainly the last time she’d be wearing a uniform. I talked with her about riding the trains, about my approach to dealing with situations on the street, and told her that I had not encountered any serious incidents in the year I spent doing my project. She said that while dealing with all kinds of people, she maintained a positive outlook. She said people often have difficult lives, troubled upbringings. She said “I do my job, but I do not judge.”
The first of the marchers began trickling down 7th Avenue into Times Square, but the crowd was sparse, and for a moment, I wondered if the momentum of the past protests had begun to dissipate. Moving uptown, however, I encountered the main body of the parade. They had initially split equally between Broadway and 7thAvenue, but were now merging together just north of the square forming a bottleneck. The crowd was massive, inching forward with little of the joyful determination that I’d seen in the past. The would be king is out of control.
