“Hundreds of taxi drivers in the District of Columbia are planning to descend on Freedom Plaza” warned The Washington Times the morning of Tuesday, October 28, 2014.

The Washington, D.C. Taxi Operators Association had previously aligned with “Teamsters” Local 922  in response to Vehicle-for-hire Innovation Act of 2014.  Taxi drivers oppose this first-of-its-kind piece of legislation because it formally condones the existence of app-based car services such as Uber.  To demonstrate their fury, this Teamsters/D.C. Taxi Operators Association alliance announced they would be stopping traffic by Freedom Plaza near the D.C. Council’s Wilson building at 10:30 a.m.

As a reporter for the Center for Worker Freedom, I rushed out of the office eager to get a first-hand look at the carnage, but was instead greeted with the sight of about two-dozen unenthused, sleepy, and seemingly embarrassed protestors littering on the Freedom Plaza steps.

In the lane nearest Freedom Plaza, a whole few dozen more protestors chilled in parked cars occasionally honking their horns while traffic flowed easily around them.

As joggers with earphones cruised by unaware of the not-so-mighty protest that surrounded them, I thought, ‘As far as city-wide disruption goes, this isn’t exactly the ending of The Avengers.’

Despite their best efforts, Local 922 failed to deliver the Washington, D.C. Taxi Operation Association an audible voice against Uber, Lyft, and the like.  The Vehicle-for-hire Innovation Act passed D.C.’s City Council 12-1 later that afternoon.

CWF’s Meagan Nelson wrote recently, taxicab union members should refer to “South Park” if they want to learn basic economics.  Reading some Shakespeare wouldn’t hurt either:  Macbeth’s description of life also holds true for this futile protest, “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

And memo to Teamsters, take some notes on a real protest to learn how to make an actual statement.