On August 15, 2009 we took a detour into Grand Junction, CO to drop a friend off at the airport. Minutes after depositing her at the terminal, she called to inform us that her departure had been delayed because Air Force 1 was landing within the hour. After a bit of research, we discovered that President Obama was holding a health insurance reform town hall at Grand Junction’s Central High School later that day. If the President was going to be there, why shouldn’t we?
Tickets to the town hall were distributed via lottery prior to the event. There was zero chance we were getting in. This condition was shared by a couple hundred activists and protesters who had gathered on a street outside the school to vocalize their opinions on what would eventually become the Affordable Care Act. In this video, I play (really) amateur documentarian by capturing the sights, sounds and spirit of the afternoon. Signposts are provided below the video if you’d like to skip ahead.
0:50 – A walk along the ranks of the opposition
3:27 – A visit with the supporters of Obamacare
7:10 – Both sides claim “freedom” as their value premise
This video is part of a larger American Southwest gallery. Click the link to see more great videos, photographs and interactive panoramas.
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