|
we must not forget the outrageous abuse at the hands of the police thursday! but how can we realisticly keep these powerful, moving ideas in our minds? i ask this because i can already feel the energy and emotion fading from myself, and i DO NOT want this to happen! what i saw thursday was appalling -- i am at a loss to describe it. it was like some sort of preminition of an inevitable tyranny. everything i thought was a right concerning protest, free speech, and free assembly, was washed away in tear gas, pepper spray, batons, and rubber bullets -- right before my eyes. i simply CAN NOT let this pass. but how can we keep ourselves reminded? it is a great thing to do, to post and share stories and photos, follow up legal actions, and even undertake your own other actions; but what about in the streets? friday, i was lucky enough to show up at the 5pm protest that marched to city hall. it was small (maybe 50?), but the drums banged (thanks drum corps!) and signs were held high -- and i hated to see it end. what about saturday? and sunday? perhaps a memorial of sorts? at 5th and taylor? or maybe city hall? or both? a sign and flowers? candles? watched over by the random flow of supporters. neverending. something simple, and realistic; so we never forget and the public at large can know we havent gone away, all is not right. so i never forget the girls next to me crying, swiping at their faces; the robot animals (i can not rightly call them "humans") i saw across the fence pulling triggers and spray-can levers; and, most importantly, the brave faces that confronted them. i know that i would do what i could towards upkeep of a little vigil of sorts; maybe the whole community would ... hang out there with a candle, rather than somewhere else downtown one day; maybe eat lunch there every so often; stroll by in the middle of the night and check on it, etc. so we never forget. and they never forget that we will remember what they have done! (thank you for hearing out my ideas. and thanks to everyone brave enough stand their ground, and clued in enough to think for themselves.)
| 
1. Join or help the portland police accounability campaign pac-2002.org
2. Go the meeting of the Mass Media multinationals in Seattle on Sept 15-17 [the NAB]. There will be a massive anti-corporate media protest and training by we the alternative press
3. Spread the word, lets make other cities get on the bandwagon. For all their effort, California should have been able to pull more than a few hundred demonstrators. Thanks for coming out those of you who did though! :)