It was a wonderful life in Boise. Let’s hope we can somehow get it back
It’s that time of year to return to Bedford Falls as reruns of “It’s A Wonderful Life” play during the holidays. We look in on George Bailey’s life as he throws himself off a bridge, wishing he never lived. Of course, Clarence, his guardian angel, rescues George and grants him his wish, returning George to a Bedford Falls where George never existed.
I’ve been thinking about Bedford Falls and George lately as I think back to my arrival in Boise in 2003. In comparing the Boise of today and the Boise I met in 2003, I remember retrieving my luggage from one small carousel in an equally small and undistinguished airport. And the size of the airport was hardly the only difference between then and now.
There’s the traffic on our streets that increased over recent years, the profusion of out-of-state license plates and the aggressive driving that too often seems to go with them. Then there’s the size of downtown Boise’s buildings as they reach greater heights with each project. And let’s not forget the growth of the Treasure Valley’s eateries, bars and brew pubs that have changed social life in Boise.
Just like George who goes door to door searching for his old Bedford Falls, I search for the Boise I first met. And traffic, buildings or eateries are hardly the first things that come to mind. Instead, it’s all about what happened to “Boise Nice.” That’s what Kathy and I call treating people with dignity and respect even if you disagree with them. It was even apparent to me when I first visited the Legislature almost 20 years ago and found Idaho’s politics to be so civil compared to my days in the Illinois Legislature when at one point I actually witnessed legislators storming the speaker’s podium to take him out.
George Bailey got his wish that he never lived and he awoke to a Bedford Falls fallen on hard times with an angry and pugilistic citizenry, all because George wasn’t there to help and support citizens of Bedford Falls. Lately, there are times when I wonder where the Boise of my earliest memory has gone.
Today, armed vigilantes appear at peaceful rallies. Crowds of angry citizens, some of them armed, show up to protest in front of public officials’ homes, intimidating families and scaring young children. Earlier they stormed the Legislature, shattering a glass door and gaining access to the legislative chamber all permitted by the Speaker of the House. Pickup trucks cruise through Boise downtown waving confederate flags. Anti-maskers threaten small businesses trying to keep their premises free of the deadly coronavirus. Our Anne Frank Memorial was defaced with swastikas, the ultimate insult to a city memorializing those who died at the hands of a Nazi regime that embodied the same evil intent as white supremacists today.
For the last four years, President Trump has encouraged this kind of behavior at his base rallies, and most Republican officials have remained silent about his outrageous and dangerous behavior. (Remember when he invoked the Second Amendment in reference to Hilary Clinton as though his supporters should take up arms against her.) Too many of the vigilantes who show up on Boise’s streets find solace and instruction in the words of Donald Trump as they now storm about confusing common-sense measures to save lives during a pandemic with loss of their “freedom.” Although some are residents of other Idaho cities, they brand Boise as a dangerous and intolerant place not unlike the Bedford Falls a confused and disoriented George Bailey discovers in a life without his civic goodwill.
Clarence eventually returns George to the Bedford Falls he knows and loves, but it won’t be that easy to get the Boise back we knew and loved. Even though Trump is on his way out of office, the damage has been done. Too many of our leaders have lost the will to challenge those who intimidate and threaten. Idaho’s governor sets the example, making pitiful pleas with his constituency to wear masks in the face of a pandemic requiring stronger action. Thank goodness the Boise mayor has the spine lacking in so many others.
The Boise we first knew and loved would never have seen crowds demonstrating and scaring children at the homes of neighbors who are serving their community and making tough decisions at a tough time. We respected the boundaries of an elected official’s public and private life and respected those who were elected to serve, even if we didn’t agree with them.
Oh, how we wish Boise’s guardian angel could transport us back to the Boise of just a few years ago. That’s unlikely to happen, but there are way more George Baileys in Boise than there are unruly and impolite protesters. It’s time for all of us to speak up against those who use threatening language or intimidate their citizens in front of their homes. It’s going to take a concerted effort in Boise, our capital city, to renew our commitment to the civic virtue of yesteryear. It will take Democrats and Republicans together committing to a new and revitalized civic spirit that both celebrates and models how to disagree without threatening and scaring its citizens.
Every time I watch “It’s a Wonderful Life,” I come away thinking that its producer and director, Frank Capra, was reminding us that communities are only as good as the people in them. And one person can make a difference in the life of a community. Boise is no Bedford Falls, but recent vigilante actions like protesting in front of public officials’ homes and brandishing weapons at peaceful protests and local health district meetings are quite simply out of character for the Boise I met in 2003.
Perhaps there is still time for Boise’s guardian angel to bring us back to the Boise we know and love, and the person who can do that is reading this column. Happy holidays to the best of Boise!