BTW

one word is a really fun writing project. Highly recommend.
barrier
I couldn’t see beyond the row of masked and helmeted police to the street beyond. The worst of it was that I’d seen my wife slip around the side of the quickly forming line just before the riot control shields had been locked into place and the rest of us useless public trash had been forced back by the —

contrast
The thing that makes me realize how differently I travel compared to the way other people do is walking speed. Contract my rate of streetside travel to someone elses and you’ll quickly see most left in the dust.
I can see, be seen, wander, but I feel as though I’m in a quagmire most times at other people’s rates of speeds.