today david and i joined the denizens preparing to voice their opinions and witness the torch travel past. what we didn't realize is that we were a part of a ruse, a hoodwink, a deception. looking back, i can piece together the moments that didn't quite add up: the movements of cops, almost in parade fashion; or the snacks that were distributed--some sort of junkfood in individual packages--to cops in front of us; or the apparent disorganization as helmets were passed amongst the troops at the last minute; or the gang of moto cops that influenced the crowd to step forward, and the cops to push us back.
it wasn't until a man from above, hanging out his office window, yelled, "they went to van ness! it's over! the torch in on van ness!" that we realized the jig was up and we'd missed out.
later i learned that folks from our crowd had raced to the new location--tipped by text messages and phone calls--and teams of people were able to join up and follow through with their plans and be heard.
for me, the experience was a new one. i had never participated in a protest where the issues were more complex than clear to me. opinions were voiced--even those with which i didn't agree--and the reality that we were all in this country via different modes, for different reasons, and with our own perspectives was, well, it was okay. not perfect, but not a bad deal.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
disgraceful display of democracy.
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3 comments:
what's the point of this relay? to evade the people that want to see it because some of those people want to protest it? its so surreal.
yeah, i didn't really express how lame it all way in this post... it was really astonishing, how ridiculous it was: rushing into a car to a street where no one was, and then speeding off to the airport.
no one really won here. all parties--protesters and those wanting to see the torch--missed out.
it IS surreal.
yo. its sad. thanks for the comments on my blog btw! its great to hear from you. and your mom!
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