The day democracy died

Just after receiving an email from the son of a local anchor, a former student who supports Trump, that began, "checkmate!" and then conveyed the wish that my day had not been completely horrible, I drove to the Federal Building to wave a sign at the traffic with dozens of others. My sign read "I Like Democracy." There was some honking in support, but everything seemed muted until a white man in a nice car pulled over beside the bus lane I was next to. I could see his mouth working furiously at something. "I can't hear you!" I said, a couple times. Then I realized he was yelling "F You!" at me, over and over again, this man I'd never met who knew nothing of me. I drove through Iwilei on my way back, passing the shopping carts and tents and tarps and scattered people, past a ton of a police at a gas station in Kalihi and then past a bus stop where someone waited for the bus, old, hunched over, and wearing a MAGA cap. It's on.