Talking to revcom.us
“I can’t sit it out any longer”
December 13, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
A correspondent for revcom.us/Revolution newspaper talked to people at Union Square in New York City who were gathered on Tuesday, December 9, for a flash mob action that was part of the December 8-14 Week of Outrage Against Police Murder. Here is some of what people said.
Young white guy, a recent graduate from a liberal arts college in Maine:
How can this wanton murder of unarmed youth by the police be stopped?
This is such an important issue and I wonder if there is a way that’s preventative of civil war. I don’t know another way of saying that. Protesters are getting a very aggressive response from the police.
Last night we were at Barclays Center [in Brooklyn]for the [NBA basketball] Nets-Cavalier game and police whipped out their batons, mace-ready, and pointed them at us. Police were making very intimidating comments to us and were clearly upset they couldn’t be more aggressive—that they were asked to refrain from that. They seemed to want to respond in a violent way. At Barclays last night they used an orange plastic fencing to corral protesters and were physically pushing us. We heard there was a confrontation with police in the subway. Also that they were using Stingrays to tap people’s phones. I’m not surprised that they’re violating our rights.
I think part of the solution is getting more than just the protesters that are already out here involved, not just the young people and the African-Americans and the civil rights activists that are already out here. We need more than that. We need people who don’t care. We do actions among them, but does it make them care? Looting, I understand, is a result of oppression, part of the history people have suffered. I don’t think we need aggressive protest and I hope the police respect that [laughs] but then they don’t know that word, even though it’s on all their cars.
I’m out here to show my support and I am listening to ideas. Blue-collar people seem to be overwhelmingly supportive. Then people sitting in their Mercedes are not caring at all. I was born in NYC and went to college in Maine. This is only my second day out here. I’m partly out here, too, because my younger brother has been in the midst of protests every day, coming home with all the stories, and I can’t sit it out any longer. He told me a few days ago he had glass bottles thrown at him from up in a building. My parents support our coming out to protests but they also worry a lot; they say, “Watch out, watch out!”
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Young Black guy, 23 , from the West Coast
Yesterday I led a group of 15 people from midtown [Manhattan] all the way to Barclays Center [in Brooklyn]. We grew to 30 people at one point on the way and made it there in one hour. This was great but it was my first time leading people from one spot to another and I found it very scary at times. Twenty of us actually made it all the way to Barclays Center because 10 people got split off when we marched through Chinatown where a series of back alleys and cops pursuing us made things difficult to stay together. I don’t know what happened to those 10 people. I feel responsible for the group I was leading.
It is great that people are coming together and there’s lots of room for leadership and for people giving direction. I’m looking forward to Saturday’s “Millions March.” I come to Union Square every evening 5-6 pm. People are starting to know each other’s faces, and when we see each other around we express appreciation. And that’s nice.
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