# Vapers' Rally Washington DC - 9 Nov.



## Hooked (8/11/19)

*WHEN: 9 Nov. 2019
WHERE: WASHINGTON D.C.
TIME: 
Midday - 4pm Washington D.C. time
7pm - 11pm South African time*

I'll be glued to CNN as I'm sure they'll cover it.

Seems like this is going to be a huge rally/protest. I've been following FB and vapers from across the USA are flying and bussing to Washington DC. 

They're incredibly well-organised - just read through the info below.

https://vaping360.com/vape-news/85886/are-you-going-to-the-vaping-rally-nov-9th-in-d-c/

"What are you doing on Nov. 9? If you want to be part of history, and you can find a way to get to Washington, D.C., you should be a part of the United Vapers Alliance Rally. Thousands of vapers are expected to be there.

The rally will run from noon to 4:00 p.m. at The Ellipse, the 52-acre park also known as President’s Park South. It is just south of the White House south fence, and just north of the National Mall.

The park is visible to the occupants of the White House—and that’s the point, visibility. We want President Trump and our other elected officials in Washington to know that we exist, that we’re real people, that we vote, and that we’ll remember them come election time next year.

It’s all about vapers—and the 35 million smokers who will be further punished if vaping is no longer (easily) available as a choice for them. Vapor madness is running at fever pitch now, with studies suggesting that vaping advocates are bots, and widespread vaping product bans. It’s the perfect moment to turn the attention onto us.

“We want our voices heard,” Matt Culley says.

The event will feature speeches, both by well-known vaping advocates like AVA President Greg Conley and CASAA CEO Alex Clark, and by regular people who happen to be vapers.

*Logistics: make a list, check it twice*
There’s a private United Vapers Alliance Facebook group you should join if you consider attending. It has a lot of valuable information, do’s and don’ts, and suggestions from the rally organizers. They really have done a good job planning this event, but it’ll be up to the people who show up to make it successful.

The Facebook page has an announcements section with a lot of details, like advice on how to get there, what to bring, what not to bring (guns, knives, wooden sticks attached to your signs), and where to find bathrooms (bad news: not in the park) and food (ditto). Hey, the rally is only four hours long, so eat before you get there, and don’t have two large coffees with your breakfast.

The Facebook group has printable flyers and handouts for vape shops to post and give to customers. Please promote the event! The organizers are pulling off this huge undertaking without any advertising or sponsorships, so please consider donating to the cause.


There is also a car pooling thread where people without rides are encouraged to make connections with those who have extra space. It’s a nice reminder that while vaping is harm reduction and it’s attached to an industry, it’s really a movement and a community. Vapers care about each other.

The average high temp in Washington on Nov. 9 is about 60 F with an 8 MPH wind. That’s brisk, especially for people from the south or southwest. It could rain too. Your best bet is to check the weather just before the event and plan accordingly. Take two jackets and rain gear just in case.

There’s no free parking anywhere close, so you may want to do a little research in advance to find a parking place on the D.C. outskirts then take a train to the event. Washington is also chock full of cabs, and Uber and Lyft rides. The point is, think about these things in advance and you can save some money and make the experience easier.

Everyone who enters the park is subject to searches by the U.S. Park Police or Secret Service. Don’t be offended. The Ellipse lies directly across from the White House, and the park is managed by the National Park Service, and subject to White House security measures.

The rally ends at 4:00 p.m., so if you live within 300 miles or so, you’ll easily be able to get home Saturday night. But if Washington is far enough from home that you need to stay overnight, the city is full of hotels.

Even better, there are lots of Airbnb options. A quick search found many homes with space to sleep four available for the weekend (Friday-Sunday) for $100-200 a night. There will be no shortage of impromptu get togethers after the rally, and you may be glad you decided to stay an extra day.

*Be proud, you’re representing millions of vapers*
There will be reporters and cameras there, and we want them focused on a group of passionate consumer advocates coming together to protest peacefully—not on a few knuckleheads acting stupid. So if you see people doing that, help them remember the reason we’re there. The vapers at the rally are representing millions of others.

If counter-protesters show up, ignore them. They have a right to their beliefs, but Nov. 9 is a day that should be focused on vapers. Arguing with anti-nicotine zealots—or, even worse, teenagers brought in by tobacco control groups—will only diminish the power of vapers’ voices. This is a day for anger, but not anger directed at misinformed individuals. We should be happy to be together speaking out loudly_ for_ vaping, not_ against_ something else.

Media-trained vaping advocates will be there to handle interviews. However, if someone sticks a microphone in your face, be calm and polite and tell the truth about how vaping helped you. Don’t try to tell them the history of the Master Settlement Agreement, or explain your pet theory about Matthew Myers and Big Tobacco, or blame all of our problems on JUUL. Those are nuanced discussions you won’t have time for. Keep it simple, and say you’re here to stand up for the thing that helped you.

“We’re really sick of being marginalized,” says Nick Green—and that’s a great point to emphasize to anyone who wants to understand why we’re there.

Millions of people who used to smoke found a way to solve the problem for themselves, without pharma help or the FDA. Now we’re fighting for the right to_ not smoke_—and we’re doing it together. In Washington. On Nov. 9, 2019.

_Photo of Texas rally courtesy Gregory Conley, American Vaping Association._

United Vapers Alliance@AllianceVapers
November 9th a day that history will remember a bunch of bots became humans. Humans that vote!





https://twitter.com/AllianceVapers/status/1186658239997345792


Everyone who enters the park is subject to searches by the U.S. Park Police or Secret Service. Don’t be offended. The Ellipse lies directly across from the White House, and the park is managed by the National Park Service, and subject to White House security measures.

The rally ends at 4:00 p.m., so if you live within 300 miles or so, you’ll easily be able to get home Saturday night. But if Washington is far enough from home that you need to stay overnight, the city is full of hotels.

Even better, there are lots of Airbnb options. A quick search found many homes with space to sleep four available for the weekend (Friday-Sunday) for $100-200 a night. There will be no shortage of impromptu get togethers after the rally, and you may be glad you decided to stay an extra day.

*Be proud, you’re representing millions of vapers*
There will be reporters and cameras there, and we want them focused on a group of passionate consumer advocates coming together to protest peacefully—not on a few knuckleheads acting stupid. So if you see people doing that, help them remember the reason we’re there. The vapers at the rally are representing millions of others.

If counter-protesters show up, ignore them. They have a right to their beliefs, but Nov. 9 is a day that should be focused on vapers. Arguing with anti-nicotine zealots—or, even worse, teenagers brought in by tobacco control groups—will only diminish the power of vapers’ voices. This is a day for anger, but not anger directed at misinformed individuals. We should be happy to be together speaking out loudly_ for_ vaping, not_ against_ something else.

Media-trained vaping advocates will be there to handle interviews. However, if someone sticks a microphone in your face, be calm and polite and tell the truth about how vaping helped you. Don’t try to tell them the history of the Master Settlement Agreement, or explain your pet theory about Matthew Myers and Big Tobacco, or blame all of our problems on JUUL. Those are nuanced discussions you won’t have time for. Keep it simple, and say you’re here to stand up for the thing that helped you.

“We’re really sick of being marginalized,” says Nick Green—and that’s a great point to emphasize to anyone who wants to understand why we’re there.

Millions of people who used to smoke found a way to solve the problem for themselves, without pharma help or the FDA. Now we’re fighting for the right to_ not smoke_—and we’re doing it together. In Washington. On Nov. 9, 2019."

Reactions: Like 4 | Winner 1


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## Vaperite South Africa (9/11/19)

I missed the rally by days. I was in DC last week and will be there again on Thursday. Piss poor timing on my part

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


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## Adephi (9/11/19)

Going live at 8pm today. Might keep an eye on the stream.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Adephi (9/11/19)

Mike Vapes currently streaming as well.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Hooked (9/11/19)

What a "vape meet"! Gave me goosebumps. It upset my dog terribly though, because I was shouting, "We Vape, We Vote" along with them!!

Oh nooooo the link isn't working! Says page doesn't exist. Rubbish!!

https://www.facebook.com/7b1506a2-673b-4be9-a548-d312b5203ac5

Reactions: Like 1


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## Adephi (9/11/19)

Hooked said:


> What a "vape meet"! Gave me goosebumps. It upset my dog terribly though, because I was shouting, "We Vape, We Vote" along with them!!
> 
> Oh nooooo the link isn't working! Says page doesn't exist. Rubbish!!
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/7b1506a2-673b-4be9-a548-d312b5203ac5



If you look on Mike's channel there is another stream video. More speaches but can't really see the stage and sometimes can't hear that well.

Some highlights: he bumped into most popular reviewers like Jai Haze and RIP Trippers who was practically in disguise. And Trump made a fly-over with his Military 1 helicopter. That disrupted the first hour of the rally but at least we know he saw them there.

Edit: I see all streams have been removed now. Most likely YouTube's policy on vaping.

Reactions: Like 2


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## RenaldoRheeder (10/11/19)

Adephi said:


> If you look on Mike's channel there is another stream video. More speaches but can't really see the stage and sometimes can't hear that well.
> 
> Some highlights: he bumped into most popular reviewers like Jai Haze and RIP Trippers who was practically in disguise. And Trump made a fly-over with his Military 1 helicopter. That disrupted the first hour of the rally but at least we know he saw them there.
> 
> Edit: I see all streams have been removed now. Most likely YouTube's policy on vaping.



There are quite a few on FB still this morning. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Reactions: Like 1


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## Hooked (10/11/19)

Adephi said:


> If you look on Mike's channel there is another stream video. More speaches but can't really see the stage and sometimes can't hear that well.
> 
> Some highlights: he bumped into most popular reviewers like Jai Haze and RIP Trippers who was practically in disguise. And Trump made a fly-over with his Military 1 helicopter. That disrupted the first hour of the rally but at least we know he saw them there.
> 
> Edit: I see all streams have been removed now. Most likely YouTube's policy on vaping.



What is YouTube's policy on vaping? Didn't know they had one.

There are hundreds of other vaping videos on YouTube, so it can't be because of any policy. More likely orders from the White House!!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Raindance (10/11/19)

Land of the brave, yes.
Home of the free, well, does not seem like that is any longer so...

Regards

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## RichJB (10/11/19)

Mike Vapes and Vaping Fagan's streams are still on their sites. I don't think any vids were removed, there is a natural lag between a live stream and YT processing it as an archived video on the streamer's site.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Adephi (10/11/19)

I also see they are on now. But there were a few minutes last night that they were off. Maybe just a glitch somewhere.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jean claude Vaaldamme (10/11/19)

I think there is more cases or vaping related lung illness n the US than people showing up for this rally


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## Adephi (10/11/19)

Jean claude Vaaldamme said:


> I think there is more cases or vaping related lung illness n the US than people showing up for this rally



Actually no.

Reactions: Like 3


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## RichJB (11/11/19)

I thought the turnout was decent considering it was nearly freezing and people are also reluctant to fly in to attend a four-hour event. If it had been a two-day expo, they would have attracted more people as it then becomes worthwhile to travel for it.

I'm not sure what was achieved, though. There has been very little news coverage, just a few local DC/NY stations who had articles on it. Those who reported downplayed it, saying that only "hundreds" attended the rally while Mike, Fagan and others were estimating it at a few thousand. Trump wasn't at the White House and it's doubtful any White House staff would even have noticed the protest or known what it was about. 

The speakers presented passionately but they're preaching to the converted. A message only has impact when it is broadcast to those who disagree with it or haven't heard it before. Vapers assuring each other that a flavour ban is wrong doesn't accomplish much. There will be some broader distribution of the message via the videos taken there. But again, it's mostly vapers who will search for and find that material on YouTube.

I think the bigger win for vaping recently was the successful challenging of the "emergency" state flavour bans in court. That did receive media coverage and allowed the industry to make the point that the recent illnesses have nothing to do with flavours.

I'm not sure what more the industry can do. Clive Bates was on Regulator Watch recently and made the point that the media and government are doing a very effective job of smearing vaping and turning people away from it. Although Clive also couldn't resist taking a dig at DIY again and saying that a flavour ban would induce people to start buying their own flavours and "mixing up juice in the sink at home, and what could happen then?" Indeed, Clive, what could happen other than a million-strong DIY community that enjoys mixing their own tasty juice at a fraction of the price, and doesn't need to worry about vitamin E acetate or counterfeit products because they source all ingredients themselves and thus have total control over what is in the juice. The horror, the horror.

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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## Jean claude Vaaldamme (11/11/19)

Ok so the reporters say a few hundred and the vaping interest say few thousand. So who do we believe? Maybe I missed it, but footage I saw seems to show small bundles of people, if their was thousands, then surely some of the vaping guys would have takes a wide shot to prove their point?
Maybe someone can post a pic or video of the thousands?


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## RichJB (11/11/19)

There are some panning shots in the videos (particularly Mike Vapes' footage) which indicate quite a large crowd. I have no idea how to estimate crowd sizes but I attended a school of about a thousand where we all used to gather for assembly and I'd say the rally crowd was probably double that size. So I think 2k is probably a decent estimate. I think Mike's estimate of 3k is a bit optimistic but I'd also say it was more than the "hundreds" quoted by the media.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## RichJB (11/11/19)

Here's a panning shot from Mike Vapes' coverage.



That is a decent crowd.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## Adephi (11/11/19)

Seems like somebody did notice

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 2


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## RichJB (11/11/19)

Trump was already back-pedaling on the proposed flavour ban prior to the rally, though. Kellyanne Conway addressed the media about vape shops being exempt on Wednesday, three days before the rally.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Hooked (11/11/19)

Adephi said:


> Seems like somebody did notice
> 
> View attachment 182582



Problem is that the people with whom he will be meeting are probably as ignorant and biased as he is. But yes, it does seem as if he's stepped down a bit from his initial stance.

Reactions: Agree 1


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