I know people all over the world. When the tsunami struck Japan I worried about an old friend, actually my first boyfriend. I have not been in touch with him for years, but that does not mean I do not care whether he lives or dies. I was filled with anxiety until I found out from a mutual friend that he was alright. Last night was another bit of a scare. There is a guy I know, not too well. I may have talked to him once personally but I follow his blog and I admire him for his commitment to social justice and his willingness to endanger himself to stand up for what is right. He has been involved in the occupy DC protests for months now.
Last night was a real scare. The police tore down their tents and rode through the crowd on horses. There was screaming. People were hurt. I watched it live. The last tweet there was by him was just before they broke up the camp he said he was going to go to their library tent and try to convince the police to let them save the books. Then there was nothing by him for a long time. Turned out the library tent was the only one declared to be in compliance and let stand still he was pushed and kicked.
The occupy protests have been going on for months and no one cares. The media does not report on them as much as they should and my fear is that these peaceful protests will not remain peaceful forever. The protesters have already been there so long they will not just quit and declare all these months wasted. My acquaintance will have the patience to remain peaceful, I am sure. Not all there are as patient as him and things may get ugly.
Let’s not ignore these protests. These are real people standing up for what they believe in. It does not matter if you agree with what they have to say, they still deserve to be heard and their concerns addressed it is their right in a democracy. You may not have someone you know there like I do but you should still care.
Here are a few sites that do live streaming, at least they did last night when the tents were demolished and the protesters chased out of the park. www.ustream.tv/occupydc and http://www.ustream.tv/channel/occupiedair
This is my acquaintance’s blog: http://lambswar.blogspot.com/
