E-Mail This Article to a Friend 258 MILES OF ACTIVISM The long march BY CAMILLE DODERO

Somewhere between mile 123 and mile 135, Cory Fischer-Hoffman gets on the phone. The 21-year-old Evergreen State College student is in Connecticut — though she’s not sure where — amid the towns of Andover and Manchester, in the unmeasured abyss of Route 6.

Two Fridays ago, the day after the Democrats ended their nominating convention, about 80 radical activists left Boston to walk the length of nearly 3500 football fields, and Fischer-Hoffman is among those ramblers. As a member of the Olympia-based Next Step Collective, she’s one of the co-organizers of Democracy Uprising!, a 258-mile demonstration from the Boston Common to Madison Square Garden protesting both the DNC and the RNC — specifically the fact that neither major party represents "the interests of ordinary people and communities, but instead focuses on the needs of corporations and special-interest groups."

Eleven days down, Fischer-Hoffman says the 28-day march has gone "absolutely wonderfully." Even though they’ve traversed places like Dedham, and hunkered down in churches, YMCAs, and public fields, Fischer-Hoffman says that nearly everyone they’ve met has been welcoming. "People have come out of their houses," she says during a water break. "We’ve had families jump a mile ahead and set up lemonade stands and cookies for us. We’ve had people pull over on the side of the road and cheer; others donate water or money or invite us in to use their bathrooms."

So far, marchers have tried to stay on main roads to remain visible — some even detoured through a Connecticut Wal-Mart where they chanted and sang. And even though one of the banners being carried is an American flag emblazoned with the circle-A anarchy symbol, many suburbanites have been willing to engage them. "It’s so wonderful," Fischer-Hoffman says. "It just shows what an unalienating message we have. When we say politicians aren’t representing the interests of regular folks, people all over the place agree with that. They’re like, ‘Absolutely not.’"

There have been a couple of rough spots. Some Walpole residents assumed that since many marchers identify as anarchists, that meant terrorists were coming to town, so they encircled their SUVs and motorcycles to see the protesters on the streets. But the only significant problem has been the weather: during a 14-mile march from Walpole to North Attleboro, a torrential downpour soaked the procession and gave birth to countless blisters; after the trip’s longest stretch, an 18-mile excursion through Rhode Island, the camping coalition-members woke up in freshly soggy sleeping bags floating in two inches of water.

But for the most part, Democracy Uprising! has gone well — Fischer-Hoffman says there might even be some converts. "What’s really incredible is that there’s a sign that says GOVERNMENT IS VIOLENCE that has been with us the entire time and many people seem to appreciate it," she laughs. "We’ve had middle-aged families, people come out and talk politics with us, and when we tell them what anarchism is really about, they’re like, ‘Wow, I think I’m an anarchist!’"

To learn more about the Boston–to–New York protest march, visit www.dnc2rnc.org.