This morning I called to invite my son, Joseph out to breakfast. It has been awhile and he had been on my mind. We met at one of my favorite breakfast haunts and he asked me how I was. I launched into telling of my experience of being one of the organizers of a march for families and children. We as part of Occupy Oakland parents and allies committee wished to show support for a larger action – where members of Occupy Oakland planned to talk over a building, which had been long abandoned , and use it as a community center as well as to provide shelter for homeless persons..
Our committee very much supported the action as it would serve to point out the national crisis of homelessness in the land of supposed plenty. But we and the move in committee as a whole had concerns about how our committee could reasonably participate. The Oakland Police department had already shown a complete disregard for the rights of citizens. We had already experienced rubber bullets and tear gas being used on unarmed protestors. We were not confused about that fact that the police would not hesitate to be brutal.
The decision was made to hold a family march. Which would gather with the entire group and march with them to a point, and then branch off to a nearby park to hold a family picnic and speak out on housing justice.
On move in day, we gathered and a crew of several hundred people assemble themselves. Our family committee met with signs that had been created the night before. I attempted to make contact with families who had gathered that day- letting them know that we families would be walking together and inviting them to join us. I shared our plan to march with the larger group up to a point and then branch off for family activities . Many families were grateful for our presence and linked up with us.
The march proceeded with great fanfare and happiness. It was moving day and occupy oakland was going to claim a new home! There was a marching band and many people cheering and chanting as we all walked together. I shared with my son my underlying sense of dread. I had not wanted to participate today. I remembered what it felt like to hear the pop of tear gas canisters and know that rubber bullets were being fired into a crowd that I was a member of… I did not want to experience that ever again.
There were those on our committee who felt that that police would not do that again that especially if they saw children in the crowd that they would respond with concern and professionalism. I unfortunately knew otherwise. During the week I had occasion to recall the police handling the Move commune in Philadelphia in the seventies. That group had been singled out as a problem in their community by the powers that be – there was a standoff between this group and police and although the police was completely aware that women, small children and elders were in the building – the police response toward them was brutal and resulted in many deaths.
Mainstream media had down a very good job in portraying the occupy oakland group as a problem group. The encampment was dirty and attacked fleas and rats. The camps were full of violence it was reported. The grass surrounding the city hall was being destroyed. They didn’t have a specific commitment to nonviolence as their only tactic. There was graffiti and drinking and pot smoking and on and on and on. All of this was reported over and over as an attempt to hypnotize the public with the vision of the encampment and occupy Oakland as the “other”. The other is expendable. “The other “is dangerous. It’s ok to destroy the other, as the other is code for : not human.
So I was quite sure that the police would not hesitate to be brutal, however I was comforted a bit I the plan we had agreed to as this plan would walk the children away from where we all felt the main friction would take place, which was the entrance to the building.
However as we came to about 3 blocks away from the turn off point. I became aware of a heavy police presence on the street. My granddaughter who was walking with me became frightened. I had her close to me and bid her to keep moving. That we were leaving the area and all would be well. One of our group was a father who took it upon himself to scout the area on his bike. He came upon me and said ” they are creating a perimeter, penning every one in – you will soon be trapped. You need to get out of here. “ I moved quickly and alerting the others on the committee. What I needed to communicate was that we need to turn off approximated a block earlier that our plan in order to avoid being penned in with the rest of the protest. Precious time was lost as I attempted to explain to the other committee members why we needed to make this change. By the time we were all on the same page, if not joined in agreement, the line of police had closed in behind us. Two of our group asked the police to please allow the group of families and children to leave the area. They hesitated at first but then made room for the parents, children and strollers to pass them. One of our members said to the police. “Please don’t hurt anybody. There is no need to hurt them.”
We walked a block away and regrouped. Members of our group grieved and showed upset that we had changed our route feeling that our leaving gave permission for the police to brutalize people we loved. I told her that it felt clear that that were going to do that any way. That our focus had to be the kids and families in our care.
At this point in my story I was I tears. I shared with my son how we moved on to our picnic location . Once we found a sunny spot in the grass I taught all of the families how to use a healing technique known as emotional freedom technique EFT. As the parents tapped their acupuncture points and that of their children, the mood lifted . Smiles returned and little babies dropped off for a sweet restorative nap.
I told my son that it was at once a horrible and beautiful moment and the most poignant was a point when our resident musician strummed her guitar singing a song which asked what sound does a helicopter make? As the sound of police copters were clearly heard over her head. And that approx 30 people attempted to create peace for small children while at that very moment – four blocks away, People we knew and loved were being chased, beaten, gassed, and arrested.
It was surreal I sighed to my son, wiping my eyes, and shaking my head.
A woman next to me politely interrupted our conversation. She apologized but let us know that she had over heard my conversation, she asked if I would be kind enough to allow her to pay for my breakfast. She said that she had been to the encampment in its early days and that she felt so bad about everything that was happening, that she had so much respect for folks who were hanging in there with Occupy Oakland . She said that if we were in a bar she would have bought me a drink. But since we were here- she would buy like to pay for my breakfast.
Her kindness filled me with emotions. I burst into, tears and couldn’t in that moment say anything more. She patted my arm and left some money on our table. She thanked me again and left with her companion. As she left what I wished to say to her dawned upon me. I hate moments like this. When you remember after the fact what needs to have been said and now could not be…
What wish I had said was this. I do not need you to pay for my breakfast. What this movement needs is your involvement. Don’t watch it on TV or curl up with the media spin of what’s happenings, this not a spectator sport, this revolution. It will not succeed if those who say that they support true change do nothing. It will not succeed if you have a run into discordant voices in a Facebook group, are at a GA (general assembly) and decided that it’s not worth your time.
If you see strategies you don’t agree with being played out, know this. A leaderless movement means that you personally have the ability to come and raise your voice in the struggle as you wish. And if you did so you would find many kindred spirits to work with you. And failing that, that the bear minimum (though powerful) level of participation would that you have is the ability to make phone calls and write letters, and emails. That fact that the city and federal governments phones aren’t ringing off the hook with outraged citizens clamoring to know why citizens who were unarmed and at the time of their arrest and were not breaking any laws took place with great violence once again on the streets of their city, Is a mystery to me… And even if you believe that what was being done was unlawful, when did it become acceptable to fight local crime with weapons of war?
No I do t want you to assuage your guilt by letting you buying my breakfast. I want us all, every member of this community to not fall for the same old trick used by oppressive governments since the beginning of “civilization”. Don’t believe in the myth of the other and don’t relax into your life leaving others to fight your battles for you. I want somehow to shake my fellow citizens out of the twilight sleep of this society. I want to invite everyone out of the surreal mist and into the the reality of our lives. Our futures and that of our children are being formed there. And every voice is needed.
– L. Samsarah Morgan, DD, Cht., LC
Click links to see videos:
Parents walking past police line away from police brutality taking place a few blocks away
Teaching what is right – while surrounded by what is wrong..