Dear fellow Oakland protesters, and others
The sort of legitimate protester I went to support
Dear fellow protesters in Oakland, thank you for coming. I know you’re angry, so to not waste your time I’ll get to it:
What is the point? Your point. Your purpose. Your goal. Why are you here?
Are you here to express your frustration with race and class relations in this country, advocate for justice and change, and oppose the militarization and impunity of a segment of the police?
Good job, now some minimum wage kids can’t go to work for awhile.
Or do you just want to burn shit?
Because the two are mutually exclusive. Standing for the former entails NOT doing any of the latter, and doing the latter destroys the voice of the former.
Are you here to protest, or riot? They are fundamentally different. Is your enemy hate crime, or Starbucks? Do you want to build something better, or just smash what’s here? Do you want to oppose those responsible, or just harm your neighbors?
The War on Trash Cans
My opinion? This War on Trash Cans accomplishes nothing but toxic fumes. This aggression towards all police officers does nothing but further inhibit dialogue and progress. I see demonstrators and police pushing each other into simplified extremism, and it makes me sad. I’ve known good cops. Men and women who I was glad were there to back me up.
When will you learn that violence does not have the effect you wanted it to when you were an angry 16 year old? It’s time to grow the fuck up.
Just an excuse for their ugly little tags
As you may have guessed, angry violent “protester”, I am sick of your shit. You are not a protester. You are a hooligan. And I will not stand by you. So tonight, as the helicopters again drift overhead, despite my desire to finish what I’ve started and demonstrate my conscience, I am staying home. It’s not because I’m scared, not afraid of being arrested again, but because last night looked to me like a movement degraded, a legitimate grievance lost in petty vandalism, and I will not participate in that, even tacitly.
Legitimate protesters with something to say were there too
To those actual protesters, both previous night, and probably tonight too, I thank you for caring. Apathy is the great enabler of discord and abuse.
And to those who have come to Oakland to hide behind your coward’s mask and make trouble in someone else’s community… Violence breeds violence, so please don’t tempt me.
It’s sad that those are the ones that are getting air time and causing such strife.
I hear you on your stand and applaud you for it. I guess for the other’s they are hoping that even amongst the chaos their voices will be heard to be peaceful and strong.
One can hope right?
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Absolutely. One can always hope, and the rational voices matter, even if they don’t get as much attention…
The devilish thing though? On the other hand, I understand an urge to smash. We have so damned much experience of peaceful protests going past without even being reported, making no difference whatsoever. If you smash something…you get on the news. Is that better? I personally don’t believe so, because humans are not like Hollywood, so “All publicity is good publicity” doesn’t work for us.
I try to believe the progress is slow but inevitable, and it’s worth all the peaceful protests, but at the same time? Part of me? Kinda wants to throw a brick through the window of Inaction.
One thing I kept saying throughout this, sometimes to other people, sometimes just over and over to myself, was “We’re yelling at the wrong people.” Now if only we could figure out who the RIGHT people are. (My suspicion? It’s ourselves.)
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I can certainly see why you feel this way and you speak a lot of sense. Sadly some people are so frustrated, inarticulate and unable to peacefully protest. When emotions are as high as they are things can sadly drop to the lowest form of protest.
Stay safe.
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I would love it if we had some other, more productive way for everyone to articulate their recognition of problems, and desire for change. The ballot box just isn’t doing it. Smashing stuff may be cathartic for some, in the moment, but I wonder at its lasting effect. Tough problems. Thanks for reading, and let me know if you figure out the answer!
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I have a feeling that some want to voice their deeply held views and others just want to release stress and still others want to take advantage of the situation to loot stuff. Unfortunately, the latter two completely overcome the first, and end up setting everyone back further.
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I wanted to ask the people who were smashing stuff if they were doing it out of a genuine belief that it would help, or if they just wanted to see what it felt like. If it’s the former, then even though I disagree, we can talk about it, but if it’s the latter? Go get a job in a junkyard or something. Thanks for reading, as always Georgia!
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Well said!
Cousin Dave Isleb
_____
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Thank you, cousin!
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