In 2004, some friends and I got together to check out one of the Free Speech cages at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. The whole experience was sur

In 2004, some friends and I got together to check out one of the Free Speech cages at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. The whole experience was surreal. It was sparsely populated by a handful of disinterested people. It was like a cross between a Starbucks queue and a shelter. When we arrived there was a man who had taken to the makeshift stage and was reading something into the microphone. I don't remember what he said, but as best I could tell no one was paying attention whatsoever. Emboldened by the attendees lack of interest, we took to the stage after the other fellow had finished his speech. I also don't really remember what we said. What I remember, very distinctly, was that a man piloting a riding street vacuum, drove back and forth in front of us as we tried to speak to the assembled. Even running into the stage repeatedly and easily drowning us out with the industrial street cleaner. We wrapped up whatever we were saying, took another lap of the cage, and wandered off.