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Friday, November 18, 2005
Day of Civil Disobedience
Today was National Stand Down Day. Locally, a group of about a dozen people volunteered to get arrested at a local Armed Forces Career Center, aka Deception and Murder Center. I was not going to get arrested, but three of us Women in Black stood with our banner out by the street. This was a planned event. The police and everyone knew that it was going to happen. The arrestable protestors were going to block the entrances to the Center until they were arrested. But the cool thing was that when we got there, we found that the Center, instead of staying open and dealing with the situation, was closed for the day. Kinda like Aikido - don't resist, just go with the flow. AND SO NO ONE WAS RECRUITED THERE TODAY!!! How easy was that?
But I have to say that I lost some respect for the police department. I REALLY try to give authority figures the benefit. I think that they start off meaning well. I also know that power can kinda go to anyone's head.
What caused me to shift a little about these guys is this: There was a group of non-arrestable protestors standing out away from the building in the parking lot. They had been there about an hour. We Women in Black walked away from our street spot and over to stand with the rest of the non-arrestables so we could observe and show support for the arrestees. Then Mr. Policeman yelled over his bullhorn that for all of us who didn't want to be arrested....well, the rules are now changed. Go out to the street and stand on the sidewalk or you will be arrested. The rules changed? What is THAT about? So I am not impressed - unless Mr. Policeman was wiser than I thought and he said that so that the sign-bearing folks would have to go out to the street for all of the traffic to see, which is really the best location for visibility anyway. If Mr. Policeman had visibility in mind, then in that case, my deep respect goes to him.
So I don't yet know the ending of the story for the people who were facing arrest. I will post that tomorrow. I just know that no one was recruited at the Sheridan St. Recruitment office today and thousands of passing motorists were made aware that we want NO MORE WAR!
But I have to say that I lost some respect for the police department. I REALLY try to give authority figures the benefit. I think that they start off meaning well. I also know that power can kinda go to anyone's head.
What caused me to shift a little about these guys is this: There was a group of non-arrestable protestors standing out away from the building in the parking lot. They had been there about an hour. We Women in Black walked away from our street spot and over to stand with the rest of the non-arrestables so we could observe and show support for the arrestees. Then Mr. Policeman yelled over his bullhorn that for all of us who didn't want to be arrested....well, the rules are now changed. Go out to the street and stand on the sidewalk or you will be arrested. The rules changed? What is THAT about? So I am not impressed - unless Mr. Policeman was wiser than I thought and he said that so that the sign-bearing folks would have to go out to the street for all of the traffic to see, which is really the best location for visibility anyway. If Mr. Policeman had visibility in mind, then in that case, my deep respect goes to him.
So I don't yet know the ending of the story for the people who were facing arrest. I will post that tomorrow. I just know that no one was recruited at the Sheridan St. Recruitment office today and thousands of passing motorists were made aware that we want NO MORE WAR!
posted by Carol at 3:03 PM
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