Was it our country starting an unjust war in 2003, when I was a sophomore in high school – beginning for me the realization that America is not the land of the free?

Was it in 2008, when President Obama bailed out Wall Street?

In 2016, when the DNC torched Bernie Sanders’ campaign? Or when they did it again four years later?

Was it George Floyd’s death in 2020, when even after worldwide protests the police remain untouchable?

Was it earlier this month, when the draft of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe was leaked, putting many people I love in direct danger?

On Tuesday, 19 children and two adults were massacred beyond recognition in an elementary school.

Well, that nearly did break me.

Another AR-15. The police did nothing for nearly an hour. Our representatives still offer no action, 10 years after Sandy Hook. Our children hide under desks, our teenagers lose hope and find shared bitterness in communities of fascism and hate. Our young adults, with broken hearts and voices silenced since 2016, stay home instead of going out to vote. The phones remain silent.

Corporatocracy, or fascism? What a bleak choice. Get loud, Democrats. Be yourselves. Show us we can believe in you.

To my fellow young adults? Vote anyway. Pay attention to what’s going on in our City Council. Take care of your hearth, and bring the extra banana bread to one that doesn’t have any. Have courage, and keep caring.

Dylan Gallagher
Portland