I’m glad I was tear-gassed at the anti-Trump rally

The images from Tuesday’s Trump rally in Phoenix are seared in my brain — along with the sensation of being unable to breathe.

I was one of many who were tear-gassed.

It was a warm and muggy evening. A typical dusk following a scorching, 100degree day. Dusty roads. Sweat.

There were mothers with strollers. Adolescents. Heavily tattooed young folks with long black hair. Men and women in fatigues. Beautiful, mature ladies bitterly complaining of doing this in their golden years yet again. Elegant gray-haired men. Folks in scrubs just done with their shift. Girls in hijabs. Men in turbans, hats and wigs. Earnest protesters with water bottles for all.

There was music. Balloons. And signs galore, from patriotic flags that urged unity to irreverent ones making fun of the presidential tweet, proclaiming “we will not heel” to those denouncing racism. “Si Se Puede: yes we can.”

Scores of policemen. All polite but watchful.

Getting into the downtown area, I was surrounded by like-minded folks who disapproved of the direction of the country, focused on marching in solidarity against the blatant racism that the president’s words have unleashed.

A few thousand people from all walks of life descended in downtown Phoenix and surrounded the convention center to display their angst in the wake of Charlottesville. There were people all over chanting and protesting peacefully.

From the almost kumbaya atmosphere leading to the beginning of the planned march to the sudden sounds of explosions, the air filled with bitter teargas clouds that rapidly engulfed us, creating a panic. There were multiple explosions and crowds rushing to get away.

People yelled friendly advice to breathe through wet cloths. There were hands helping older folks cross barricades. A young woman on the sidewalk gasped for breath. I stopped and assessed her.

I yelled, “Does anyone have an inhaler?” A girl stopped, gave the poor woman her inhaler and continued to run. We stabilized the young woman and continued.

A black woman was lost and could not find her car. A white-haired white woman offered our group an escort while she waited for her friend.

As I headed home, I was forced to replay the flurry of images in my head. I saw the very best of America. I saw America the proud, America the fair.

I saw America the desperate to correct wrongs with more wrongs. I saw America the restrained — from the police officers who prevented any significant harm to the Trump supporters and protesters standing strong but resolute.

But most of all I saw America the troubled.

My tear-gassed throat and eyes smarted with something else. Despite the lack of leadership that stands up to the mob, there was a thread of humanity that made most of us display our goodness. We saw the very best and the very worst of human nature at the rally.

Getting off my couch and getting tear gassed taught me that most folks on both sides are common folks like me. They are decent and display far more restraint than our president. I am hopeful that despite everything happening around us, we still have people displaying remarkable sense.

It is time to bring back civil discourse. I am not going to be reduced by the swirling vitriol.

I have a voice and vote, and that is the only tool that I will use. I know that I have thousands, if not millions, like me on both sides who have a clear understanding of right from wrong.

Dr. Priya Radhakrishnan, MD, FACP is an internal medicine physician practicing in Phoenix. Find her on Twitter: @DocPhx.