Over 120,000 people showed up to the Boston Women’s March

A steady stream of people continued into the march long before the scheduled events started.

102,000 participants registered for today’s march, but an estimated 120,000 people actually attended. Boston Common was overflowing with people.

Marchers came with friends, family, children, and their pets, too. People of every age, race, and gender were in attendance. They attended for various reasons, from wanting to make a statement to spreading love.

“The march is so overwhelming in all the best ways,” said Mackenzie Peña, a 22-year-old participant. “To see everybody standing together in solidarity reminds me that regardless of who is in office, our future is bright because we have one another.”

“I’m fearful for equality,” said one young woman. “That’s why I’m here.”

“It is so inspiring to see so many like-minded people come together for social justice,” said 18-year-old Amy Milner. “It made me feel like a part of something so much bigger than Republican or Democrat or left or right, and I’ll remember this moment of unity forever.”

People of all ages were so passionate about humanity. There was a lot of love and fight in every single person in the crowd. An 80-year-old women stood next to an 8-year-old, together singing “America the Beautiful” and talking to each other as if their age gap was non-existent.

“I thought it’s supposed to be a women’s march,” said one little girl, “but I see a lot of boys here!”

Police officers working the event around 10:25 a.m. said the march was peaceful and everyone was very relaxed. At the end of the event, another police officer standing outside of the Boylston T station said the same thing.

“It remained peaceful the entire time and went without a hitch,” said the officer.

News and police helicopters flew over the march and circled the perimeter of the Common.

Dozens and dozens of bright orange buses and chartered buses attempted to parked along the Common. Some waited over an hour to unload event-goers.

Event marshals chanted, “Tell me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!” Their neon vests and pom-pom hats were lost in a sea of colorful costumes and signs.

Protesters yelled numerous chants, including “Hey, hey, ho, ho! That fascist prick has got to go,” “No fences! No walls,” “We are the people! We are democracy,” and “Love trumps hate!”

Soon after 11:15 a.m., a majority of the buses in the area were unloaded, and the crowd grew to an unbelievable size. Everywhere was packed- photographers shoving cameras in any open space they could, signs staying in the air because their holder could not lower his or her arms, and parents keeping their children (and dogs) close in an effort to not lose them in the shuffle.

With so many people in the park, it was difficult to hear the speakers and performers, let alone see them.

Numerous women performed on stage for the march, including a singer/songwriter and a dance troupe.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh attended and spoke at the event, too.

“America is great,” said Walsh. “It’s the greatest nation in the world!”

Senator Elizabeth Warren was met with cheers and applause even before she stepped up to the microphone.

“What I am about to say is controversial in Washington,” said Warren. “We believe in science!”

“We can whimper, we can whine, or we can fight back and I’m here to fight back,” continued Warren. “We fight for basic dignity and respect for every human being period… We come here to stand shoulder to shoulder to make clear: we are here! We will not be silent. We will not play dead. We will fight for what we believe in!”

In one area, younger attendees climbed up a backstop to get a better view. Over two dozen balanced on the angled piece, while others clung to the side. One commented his worries that the fencing would break soon if too many more people tried to sit on the backstop.

At one point, the crowd was asked to look a complete stranger in the eyes and communicate unity to them only through that look. Being able to look someone in the eyes for minutes at a time and feel no discomfort because they had the same fight in their eyes was empowering to many. A man began to cry from the moment of silence after locking eyes with the woman next to him.

The main hill in the common was covered in people. The statue at the top of the hill had people holding on and climbing up it, and was surrounded on every side.

The grass along the bottom 20 feet of this hill had all been ripped up, leaving only mud. Attendees attempting to walk down the hill carefully instead slid, their shoes and clothing caked with the mud.

When the official march began, it was difficult for people to move. Some people tried to leave the Common through any gate they could with little to no luck. The march took up almost all of the streets surrounding the park, and people were unable to exit because of it.

The crowd was so thick in areas, at least one girl fainted. Her friends were unable to get her out, so they made enough room to lay her on the ground.

After realizing there was no chance of leaving the park through most of the gates, numerous people resorted to climbing the spiked fence. Some made it over without any trouble, while others need help from friendly strangers or fell between the spikes.

If you were able to get out, your ran into more problems. It was near impossible to cut through those marching, and to make it even more of a suicide mission, frustrated cyclists sped through the area, without worrying if they hit someone.

The T was backed up, too. On the outbound train, it took over 20 minutes to go from the Boylston stop to the Arlington stop (for reference, it normally takes two minutes).

The marchers stayed kind and friendly throughout the day. Strangers hugged and danced, others sang and talked for hours.