As I squeeze through narrow channels between shoulders and arms, taking some shots with my camera, I am pushed out to the perimeter of the crowd by some reverse force repelling me from the epicenter of the struggle, letting others enter. A sudden surge of motion in the crowd raises this conflict to nearly a riot. The young activist is shoved and tousled, but sustains a defense without striking back. His female assailant shouts and pulls and kicks and fights to rip up his sign. Only inches away, people watch and listen.
All eyes fix on flailing arms.
Tight jaws garble bitter words. Increasing tiers of onlookers stretch their necks, stand on pointed toes, stuck in this moment, waiting to see what will happen next. But the scuffle ends in a second and tensions are spent by the short-lived eruption. The young abortion activist walks quietly away, examining the dangling corner of his poster. Newscasts, headlines run through my mind.