I should have known better. I just wanted to deposit some books into the little library outside Longbranch, the local coffee shop. This is another one of those events for folks to update their Facebook profiles of them waving flags wearing handkerchiefs to prove their political leanings. I thought. But my belief in community compelled me. Then the thrill seeker trumped the rational and even though the voice said Why are they handing out explosives instead of bandanas and signs? Fireworks seem violent, I shot one off. Why did I expect discipline from such an event? I spoke to Patricia, a black mother and community member, and she was equally bewildered at the bottle rockets, roman candles and firecrackers. I'm not sure if more chaos is beneficial but then again, the folks handing them out kept their identities hidden. With images of the RAF and the line "the U.S. government will always win a test of who can do the most violence" echoing in my head, I left; lesson learned.
And then Facebook blew up!
The college town that I live in is in the middle of a rural expanse with a mixed demographic but contains many a good ol' boy with racist, sexist and closed-minded opinions. As the march progressed after I left, one of these individuals slowed his car to a halt to recognize why and with whom the street was blocked and decided to drive into the crowd. In doing so, a young black man either was scooped up by the car or jumped atop the vehicle and was carried ten yards. He was not injured and leaped from the hood, later releasing a statement where he said he was holding on and would not press charges because of his desire to eradicate the prison system. The driver exited his vehicle and began shouting "All lives matter." A crowd of protesters gathered around him and the video accounts do not clearly record whether he threatened them or merely acted aggressively towards the nearest individual. I do not wish to document what I cannot fully ascertain. The eventual results were that he was hit in the face and other demonstrators had to protect him. Mutterings of "I'm gonna break his jaw" can be heard in the video. All while this was happening, another protester opened his passenger door and threw a smokebomb inside!
Throughout the next day, I read various accounts and responses from members of my own community. I was saddened, enraged and felt that the leaders of the local Infoshop that vanguarded this protest did not approach it with the necessary discipline. I commented on the similarities of this march's methods with those of agent provocateuers and the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization protesters. I questioned the use of fireworks, the black eye the driver received, the use of the smokebomb and why at some point during the protest, "R.I.P Alton" and "FTP" were spray painted across both public and private property. I wanted a dialogue, critical thinking and an evaluation of the events to aid in furthering the BlackLivesMatter movement rather than muddying it. In response to a stream of posts about getting the driver fired from his job as a teacher at the University (in actuality, he is a cook), I wrote "This man is not a teacher. He is a human full of error and ego. Are these responses filled with trolling negativity and hate beneficial? When humans "..are enslaved by violence it is only because they themselves live and have lived by violence, and do not recognize the eternal law of love inherent in humanity." I tried to draw upon Leo Tolstoy's Letter to a Hindu. It was written to Tarak Nath Das about the colonialism and treatment of Indians. My efforts barely made a ripple in the Facebook mob mentality.
"In May 1963, movement organizers assembled black children , some still in pigtails, to march through the streets of Birmingham and confront Bull Connor’s violent police force. It was a controversial tactic within the movement, but organizers must have known that images of jailed, beaten and cowering children would affect hearts, force a response from officials and move the movement toward its goals," stated Simone Sebastian in in a recent article for The Washington Post. Had those children caused rather than received bruises, I doubt it would have had the same effect.
Before further direct action protesting happens, please remember that responding with violence negates the validity of the march and that covering your face, vandalism and explosives resemble black bloc tactics (even if hiding your identity is meant to protect yourself from further harassment). To support these notions, here a few excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
"We began a series of workshops on nonviolence, and we repeatedly asked ourselves: "Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?" "Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail?"
"I hope you are able to see the distinction I am trying to point out. In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. That would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law."
To see more for yourself, here is a link to the best video of the event I can find and a link to another news article.
As for myself, I will stick to nonviolent civil disobedience, solidarity, initiatives, referendums, community calls to action, education, dialogue and seeking to enrage not incite. If I participate in a protest, I will accept violence without returning it.
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