Weisbard said that the living wage campaign advanced to the sit-in because the powers that were didn’t listen to PSLM’s early protests.

“I hope that the state legislature is a bit smarter,” Weisbard said, adding “I know it’s a longshot.”

And Weisbard said that a takeover was in order of state politics.

“The takeover won’t be measured in weeks, like the Harvard sit-in was,” Weisbard said. “It will be measured in two year terms.”

Cambridge’s Democratic State Representative Jarrett T. Barrios ’90—who recently announced that he wouldn’t run a “clean campaign” for 2002 because it would be unfeasible—came out to the rally yesterday in support of the law.

“You’re going to have to yell a lot louder if they’re going to hear you down at the State House,” Barrios told the crowd in brief remarks that avoided controversy.

“Granny D.”—91-year-old Doris Haddock, famed for walking across the country to demonstrate her support for Campaign Finance Reform—came out for the event, although she had some trouble making the step up onto the podium.

“It is really a historic walk” Haddock told the crowd, referring to the march. “It really depends on you in Massachusetts to keep this public funding going.”

—Staff Writer Lauren R. Dorgan may be reached at dorgan@fas.harvard.edu.