who do you serve who do you protect

I think it is more productive to disrupt an institution that is not as blatant in its abuse of the country’s political system.  I do not believe that we have the time to elect something that offers only the slimmest of possibilities for productive lasting change.  However, I could not justify paying gas or a bus ticket just to get arrested in Denver and then in November watch the individuals who I was protesting get elected anyway. Instead, I started preparing months ago to attend the RNC in Minneapolis. Somewhat foolishly, I thought that it would be a productive use of my second week of school.  Cause chaos. Whoopee. These preparations ended when a taxi postponed my athletic ability to escape from pursuing police.  I was working as a bike courier in NYC where the battle against taxis is far more real than one would like to believe. 

Today a friend, who I was going to meet up with in the Twin Cities, sent me a link (http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/26-14) that caused me even more irritation at my knee’s ill-timed demise. The video was taken during the first day of the DNC and shows a crowd of demonstrators marching and chanting their way to the convention center. They are cornered by cops dressed in full riot gear who, without fair provocation, start shooting pepper spray.

The power balance is particularly thought provoking. The police are covered head to foot in black battle armor carrying truncheons, shields, and bundles of extremely painful (though efficient) zip ties.  Not to mention their guns, pepper spray and tasers.

Then look at the protesters. They are mostly dressed in t-shirts and jeans. The lucky ones have vinegar socked bandanas, but the rest are left vulnerable to the peace enforcing law abiding Denver protection force.

adjustments

I went to Little Africa today. My roommate paid, as a belated birthday present. Though ideologically I do not approve of eating out or buying food I will accept gifts. I also admit that unfortunately I often the lack of willpower to live my beliefs.

When I was living in New York, my primary source of food was the dumpsters of any grocery store or bagel shop or bodega I felt like diving because everyday trash is trash day.  My finds ranged from full bottles of soymilk, to silk tofu, to black bags overflowing with hours old cut up fruit salad from Whole Foods, to the expected rotting meat and broken glass.

Skiplicking in Grand Rapids has been less than terrific, as most grocery stores are large corporations that compact their trash and the bakeries lock their dumpsters. I also had the unfortunate discovery that dumpstering is illegal around here, trash is the property of the city and I am a robber. In NYC the trash collectors will circle to the next block if they see us eating, and the cops just wiz by.