On Wednesday I attended a prayer vigil outside the Allegheny County jail, focussing on the destructive effect of current U.S.A. immigration policies on families. Today I heard that my favorite department store gave money to support a candidate who is outspoken against immigration reform (unless it involves a more militarized border) and against marriage and other civil rights for gays and lesbians. Below is a letter I wrote to Target's corporate headquarters in Minnesota.
"I am very disappointed in Target! I read that you gave a very large amount of money to MN Forward to support Tom Emmer's campaign. Tom Emmer is quite outspoken against human rights for segments of our population including immigrants and gays and lesbians. I have long been very enthusiastic about Target and have encouraged others to shop there because you support the communities where you locate and you support your employees. I usually prefer to use local stores, and Target has long been my exception. I have seen evidence that you care about the communities you are in, and you have good quality products. This recent donation is a far cry from the standards I expect from Target. Your donation is a slap in the face to many people who work and shop in your stores. Your statement said the donation was in support of economic issues. Denying the humanity and civil rights of major segments of the U.S.A. population does NOT help our economy!
"I am sorry to say that I no longer want to shop at Target. I try hard to have my shopping habits match my beliefs. I can not spend my volunteer time working for immigration reform and civil rights for gays and lesbians, and then spend my dollars at a company working against my friends. If I see evidence that you have changed your minds or at least are trying to balance your giving, I will reconsider. I will miss Target, but I miss my friends being deported even more!"
Friday, August 13, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Action Request From Students
Facebook Post Friday, October 2, 2009 at 1:05am
This is not just for Pittsburghers. Everyone, please call!
Please call and get answers from our elected officials, and the University of Pittsburgh chancellor. My main ministry this past week has been to listen, to help people process, and to validate and support victims' experiences. You can help! Just ask questions and listen. The Pitt & CMU student appeal is below.
"The mayor, county executive, Pittsburgh police, and the University of Pittsburgh need to make clear the policies and command structure they had in place that led to the mass arrests (primarily of Pitt & CMU students) on Thursday and Friday nights. Specifically, they need to address the following questions :
1. What were the people in Schenley Plaza, on each of those nights, doing that was illegal?
2. Why were there so many security forces present?
3. Who was in charge, what were the orders, and were they followed?
4. Given that most people have injuries on their backs, were police firing indiscriminately, or were they purposefully firing on people attempting to disperse?
5. Why the violently enforced curfew?
Chancellor Mark Nordenberg : 412-624-4200
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl : 412-255-2626
County Executive Dan Onorato : 412-350-6500 (just announced he wants to be PA governor)
City Police Chief Nate Harper : 412-323-7800
Capitol Switchboard (for your rep. or senator) : 202-224-3121
White House Comment Line : 202-456-1111
White House Switchboard : 202-456-1414"
This is not just for Pittsburghers. Everyone, please call!
Please call and get answers from our elected officials, and the University of Pittsburgh chancellor. My main ministry this past week has been to listen, to help people process, and to validate and support victims' experiences. You can help! Just ask questions and listen. The Pitt & CMU student appeal is below.
"The mayor, county executive, Pittsburgh police, and the University of Pittsburgh need to make clear the policies and command structure they had in place that led to the mass arrests (primarily of Pitt & CMU students) on Thursday and Friday nights. Specifically, they need to address the following questions :
1. What were the people in Schenley Plaza, on each of those nights, doing that was illegal?
2. Why were there so many security forces present?
3. Who was in charge, what were the orders, and were they followed?
4. Given that most people have injuries on their backs, were police firing indiscriminately, or were they purposefully firing on people attempting to disperse?
5. Why the violently enforced curfew?
Chancellor Mark Nordenberg : 412-624-4200
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl : 412-255-2626
County Executive Dan Onorato : 412-350-6500 (just announced he wants to be PA governor)
City Police Chief Nate Harper : 412-323-7800
Capitol Switchboard (for your rep. or senator) : 202-224-3121
White House Comment Line : 202-456-1111
White House Switchboard : 202-456-1414"
My Personal Venting
Facebook Post Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 11:54am
I am wondering why the entire country is not rising up in outrage at what happened in Pittsburgh Friday night. I can only assume it is because of the lack of mainstream news coverage, although there is plenty on the web about what happened. If a single crazy person had attacked students, it would have been front-page news everywhere, but a large force of police officers attacking students and others gets almost no press at all. When one public official sexually harasses an employee, women's organizations all over get in an uproar, but when multiple young women felt threatened with rape while under arrest, no one says anything. Does someone have to die in order to get any attention? Friends, this is VERY SERIOUS!! Please spread the word! Ask your elected officials why this happened. Ask what pressure is being put on Pittsburgh for accountability of innocent people hurt and wrongfully arrested. Your town may be next!
I know from my own personal experience of sexual harassment that validation of an experience is crucial in beginning to heal. It is important to hear from others that this is serious and important and that others care.
I am wondering why the entire country is not rising up in outrage at what happened in Pittsburgh Friday night. I can only assume it is because of the lack of mainstream news coverage, although there is plenty on the web about what happened. If a single crazy person had attacked students, it would have been front-page news everywhere, but a large force of police officers attacking students and others gets almost no press at all. When one public official sexually harasses an employee, women's organizations all over get in an uproar, but when multiple young women felt threatened with rape while under arrest, no one says anything. Does someone have to die in order to get any attention? Friends, this is VERY SERIOUS!! Please spread the word! Ask your elected officials why this happened. Ask what pressure is being put on Pittsburgh for accountability of innocent people hurt and wrongfully arrested. Your town may be next!
I know from my own personal experience of sexual harassment that validation of an experience is crucial in beginning to heal. It is important to hear from others that this is serious and important and that others care.
How To Be An Anarchist In The Government's Eyes
Facebook Post Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 10:11am
The note below was written by someone else in Pittsburgh. However, there is much truth in the satire and it sums up many experiences last week, so I pass it along here.
-- S.L.B.
"DISCLAIMER: although this is a somewhat sarcastic comedic piece, I want to note that this is REALISTIC in the sense that this IS how we were classified and arrested by the police, and it IS how we were classified in the news in the days to follow.
"Our wonderful Police force has teamed up with our news stations to throw out those good old Merriam-Webster definitions and to create a new, modern, description of what constitutes as an anarchist in our democratic and free country.
"an ANARCHIST is, but is not limited to, anybody who:
1. Rides, or is in possession, of a bike.
2. Talks through a megaphone. Offenses include telling people to be peaceful, not resist, and follow orders.
3. Tries to exercise the right or free speech without inducing or suggesting harm or violence to any individual or establishment.
4. Tries to talk to the police. Common offenses include, but are not limited to:
'Why are you doing this to us?'
'How can I peacefully leave?'
5. Takes video, pictures, or is in possession of a camera that might document the truth.
6. Tries to help/care for those who are in immediate danger or harm.
(e.g. see Iraq medical war veteran, and helpful towers residing pitt student)
7. Is in possession of any object that will protect them from tear gas.
8. Buys a lighter on a Friday
9. Follows police orders by walking, rather than running.
"One will be happy to discover that in order to become a PROTESTER, you no longer need to have anything to protest!
"a PROTESTER is:
1. anybody who leaves their residence on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night.
2. anybody who stays in their residence, but looks out their window or stands on their porch.
3. anybody who dares to hang out in the lobby of their own residence hall.
"So as you can see, these wonderful new classifications let ALL Americans be anarchists and protesters in their own right! What a wonderful democratic society where we can include and not discriminate against anybody!
"Any additions to add?"
The note below was written by someone else in Pittsburgh. However, there is much truth in the satire and it sums up many experiences last week, so I pass it along here.
-- S.L.B.
"DISCLAIMER: although this is a somewhat sarcastic comedic piece, I want to note that this is REALISTIC in the sense that this IS how we were classified and arrested by the police, and it IS how we were classified in the news in the days to follow.
"Our wonderful Police force has teamed up with our news stations to throw out those good old Merriam-Webster definitions and to create a new, modern, description of what constitutes as an anarchist in our democratic and free country.
"an ANARCHIST is, but is not limited to, anybody who:
1. Rides, or is in possession, of a bike.
2. Talks through a megaphone. Offenses include telling people to be peaceful, not resist, and follow orders.
3. Tries to exercise the right or free speech without inducing or suggesting harm or violence to any individual or establishment.
4. Tries to talk to the police. Common offenses include, but are not limited to:
'Why are you doing this to us?'
'How can I peacefully leave?'
5. Takes video, pictures, or is in possession of a camera that might document the truth.
6. Tries to help/care for those who are in immediate danger or harm.
(e.g. see Iraq medical war veteran, and helpful towers residing pitt student)
7. Is in possession of any object that will protect them from tear gas.
8. Buys a lighter on a Friday
9. Follows police orders by walking, rather than running.
"One will be happy to discover that in order to become a PROTESTER, you no longer need to have anything to protest!
"a PROTESTER is:
1. anybody who leaves their residence on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night.
2. anybody who stays in their residence, but looks out their window or stands on their porch.
3. anybody who dares to hang out in the lobby of their own residence hall.
"So as you can see, these wonderful new classifications let ALL Americans be anarchists and protesters in their own right! What a wonderful democratic society where we can include and not discriminate against anybody!
"Any additions to add?"
Police Brutality In Pittsburgh
Facebook Post Monday, September 28, 2009 at 12:25pm
This is what I have heard from eyewitnesses and victims, through the screen of my own views and commentary.
I wanted to believe that some police had simply given in to the stress of the week and went nuts Friday night. In fact, what happened was a well-coordinated attack on innocent students and Pittsburgh residents. This was not a few police officers venting, this was organized oppression. Let me be clear. The little bit of news coverage I have heard and seen has referred to police action against "protesters." Chief of police Nate Harper referred to "the anarchists." The majority of people hurt and arrested were NOT protesters. They were people going about life in Pittsburgh.
Setting the scene : Pittsburgh has been militarized for hosting the G-20. Some of the official G-20 events were at Phipps Conservatory in Schenley Park, just over the bridge from Schenley Plaza in the heart of university territory. The main branch of the Carnegie Library, the concert hall, the museum complex, the Stephen Foster building w/theatres, the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning, and more buildings overlook Schenley Plaza. The plaza has food vendors, benches, a grassy area, etc. -- lots of space to hang out. All over Pittsburgh the national guard in camouflage and the police in riot gear have been something of a tourist attraction, a curiosity drawing many cameras and onlookers. Some Pitt & CMU students were not happy at the militarization of their campus. Thursday night some students got too close to the line of police, the police rushed them to push them back, and an impromptu demonstration developed to reclaim the space. Teargas and arrests followed. So a few students said they would have a demonstration Friday night to protest Thursday night's police actions.
Who was actually on Schenley Plaza : I think from what I have heard that there were a few protesters, angry about Thursday night's events. Otherwise, life started getting back to normal. Some people came out to see what was happening. The big activity was a bunch of people playing a large game of Duck,Duck, Goose. Bypassers were invited to join in. Some friends of mine were on their way to a concert to unwind. Someone went to return library materials in the book slot outside the library. A professor was going home. Some students were hanging out chatting. Some people were simply walking from one place to another, with the plaza in between. It was a typical Friday night scene.
What happened : The police completely surrounded everyone and issued a warning to disperse since this was an unlawful assembly. (Since when has Duck, Duck, Goose been against the law?! Watch out, kindergartners!) The city parks close at 11 p.m., but this was before 11, and the attack happened before 11. People knew they were in trouble when they saw the tear-gas canisters coming out and weapons being aimed. People tried to get away and were not permitted to do so. Students and others were severely beaten, shot multiple times with rubber bullets, tear-gassed, and more. Innocent people were arrested with hands bound very tightly in plastic (for some bruising and numbing their hands), bussed to a holding area, and kept all night on the busses. Many were verbally abused. Sexual harassment and sexual abuse has been reported. On one bus the captors reviewed the young women and singled out the "hot ones." People who spoke to others and tried to comfort or tried to organize were silenced, being told they would not be released if they did not keep quiet. People in the buildings were not allowed to come out, so stood and witnessed this atrocious attack.
Please note that all of this happened AFTER the G-20 leaders left, most of the out-of-town protesters left, and the most of the out-of-town media left. During the legal march Friday afternoon when we march along streets lined with officers, hundreds of cameras were documenting the well-behaved police. Once the cameras switched off, late at night, someone (I do not know who) seemed to think it was now safe to order a vicious attack on unarmed students and Pittsburgh citizens.
Some people here are suddenly realizing firsthand what people in occupied countries are experiencing on a regular basis, connecting what happened here with what is happening in Honduras and Palestine and Iraq and Colombia and Afghanistan and elsewhere. This was not an isolated incident. We got a small taste of the harassment and brutality which people around the world face daily when trying to survive within government systems who fear their own people. "Preemptive strikes" before someone can hurt us seems to be the only motive I can come up with for Friday's attack. Let's beat up and terrorize people before they even think of becoming protesters. Let's make sure they never want to be part of a public demonstration against the powers that be.
I think this should be national news. I think this should be international news. I've been having flashbacks to when I was 9 years old one evening in May, with my sister off at college not far from Kent State, and my mother in a hysterical panic that she didn't send her daughter off to college to get shot. It is the only time I can ever remember my mother in a hysterical panic. It seemed to me later that the crime of students at Kent and Jackson State was being young and being students. So, now the weapons have changed. For this first time this week, a sonic noise weapon was used against civilians in the U.S.A. Rubber bullets were used, so people just got injured instead of killed. Some new type of gas is being used instead of the old teargas. However, it's still apparently a crime to be young, or to be anywhere near young students.
Please send me news reports you hear about this beyond Pittsburgh. I would like to know what (if anything) is actually being said.
I am really upset about what is happening in Honduras. I am aware that this attack in Pittsburgh is small compared to the suffering people are enduring elsewhere, but I do believe it is tied in and we need to speak out every opportunity we get.
This is what I have heard from eyewitnesses and victims, through the screen of my own views and commentary.
I wanted to believe that some police had simply given in to the stress of the week and went nuts Friday night. In fact, what happened was a well-coordinated attack on innocent students and Pittsburgh residents. This was not a few police officers venting, this was organized oppression. Let me be clear. The little bit of news coverage I have heard and seen has referred to police action against "protesters." Chief of police Nate Harper referred to "the anarchists." The majority of people hurt and arrested were NOT protesters. They were people going about life in Pittsburgh.
Setting the scene : Pittsburgh has been militarized for hosting the G-20. Some of the official G-20 events were at Phipps Conservatory in Schenley Park, just over the bridge from Schenley Plaza in the heart of university territory. The main branch of the Carnegie Library, the concert hall, the museum complex, the Stephen Foster building w/theatres, the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning, and more buildings overlook Schenley Plaza. The plaza has food vendors, benches, a grassy area, etc. -- lots of space to hang out. All over Pittsburgh the national guard in camouflage and the police in riot gear have been something of a tourist attraction, a curiosity drawing many cameras and onlookers. Some Pitt & CMU students were not happy at the militarization of their campus. Thursday night some students got too close to the line of police, the police rushed them to push them back, and an impromptu demonstration developed to reclaim the space. Teargas and arrests followed. So a few students said they would have a demonstration Friday night to protest Thursday night's police actions.
Who was actually on Schenley Plaza : I think from what I have heard that there were a few protesters, angry about Thursday night's events. Otherwise, life started getting back to normal. Some people came out to see what was happening. The big activity was a bunch of people playing a large game of Duck,Duck, Goose. Bypassers were invited to join in. Some friends of mine were on their way to a concert to unwind. Someone went to return library materials in the book slot outside the library. A professor was going home. Some students were hanging out chatting. Some people were simply walking from one place to another, with the plaza in between. It was a typical Friday night scene.
What happened : The police completely surrounded everyone and issued a warning to disperse since this was an unlawful assembly. (Since when has Duck, Duck, Goose been against the law?! Watch out, kindergartners!) The city parks close at 11 p.m., but this was before 11, and the attack happened before 11. People knew they were in trouble when they saw the tear-gas canisters coming out and weapons being aimed. People tried to get away and were not permitted to do so. Students and others were severely beaten, shot multiple times with rubber bullets, tear-gassed, and more. Innocent people were arrested with hands bound very tightly in plastic (for some bruising and numbing their hands), bussed to a holding area, and kept all night on the busses. Many were verbally abused. Sexual harassment and sexual abuse has been reported. On one bus the captors reviewed the young women and singled out the "hot ones." People who spoke to others and tried to comfort or tried to organize were silenced, being told they would not be released if they did not keep quiet. People in the buildings were not allowed to come out, so stood and witnessed this atrocious attack.
Please note that all of this happened AFTER the G-20 leaders left, most of the out-of-town protesters left, and the most of the out-of-town media left. During the legal march Friday afternoon when we march along streets lined with officers, hundreds of cameras were documenting the well-behaved police. Once the cameras switched off, late at night, someone (I do not know who) seemed to think it was now safe to order a vicious attack on unarmed students and Pittsburgh citizens.
Some people here are suddenly realizing firsthand what people in occupied countries are experiencing on a regular basis, connecting what happened here with what is happening in Honduras and Palestine and Iraq and Colombia and Afghanistan and elsewhere. This was not an isolated incident. We got a small taste of the harassment and brutality which people around the world face daily when trying to survive within government systems who fear their own people. "Preemptive strikes" before someone can hurt us seems to be the only motive I can come up with for Friday's attack. Let's beat up and terrorize people before they even think of becoming protesters. Let's make sure they never want to be part of a public demonstration against the powers that be.
I think this should be national news. I think this should be international news. I've been having flashbacks to when I was 9 years old one evening in May, with my sister off at college not far from Kent State, and my mother in a hysterical panic that she didn't send her daughter off to college to get shot. It is the only time I can ever remember my mother in a hysterical panic. It seemed to me later that the crime of students at Kent and Jackson State was being young and being students. So, now the weapons have changed. For this first time this week, a sonic noise weapon was used against civilians in the U.S.A. Rubber bullets were used, so people just got injured instead of killed. Some new type of gas is being used instead of the old teargas. However, it's still apparently a crime to be young, or to be anywhere near young students.
Please send me news reports you hear about this beyond Pittsburgh. I would like to know what (if anything) is actually being said.
I am really upset about what is happening in Honduras. I am aware that this attack in Pittsburgh is small compared to the suffering people are enduring elsewhere, but I do believe it is tied in and we need to speak out every opportunity we get.
Police Restraint Disappeared
Facebook Post Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 2:22pm
Well, after stressful days for our law enforcers, once the G-20 leaders and most out-of-town G-20 protestors were gone the police seem to have lost patience and gone WAY overboard! Last night a large crowd of students in Schenley Plaza (outside the main library and museum complex between the Pitt and CMU campusses) were told that it was an unlawful gathering, and the result was that students were gassed, shot with rubber bullets, and arrested. Students trying to get away could not do so fast enough to avoid the onslaught. Many were held on busses all night at SCI (the old Western Penitentiary) and are now either being arraigned and released there or most are being taken from there to ACJ to be processed/arraigned and hopefully released. There are likely many students from Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) in this bunch who probably have never been arrested in anything like this before, were not intending to get arrested, and will need support.
If you are reading this in Pittsburgh and would like to help with food, warmth, listening ears, help filling out forms, etc. please call the PGRP Legal Hotline.
Well, after stressful days for our law enforcers, once the G-20 leaders and most out-of-town G-20 protestors were gone the police seem to have lost patience and gone WAY overboard! Last night a large crowd of students in Schenley Plaza (outside the main library and museum complex between the Pitt and CMU campusses) were told that it was an unlawful gathering, and the result was that students were gassed, shot with rubber bullets, and arrested. Students trying to get away could not do so fast enough to avoid the onslaught. Many were held on busses all night at SCI (the old Western Penitentiary) and are now either being arraigned and released there or most are being taken from there to ACJ to be processed/arraigned and hopefully released. There are likely many students from Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) in this bunch who probably have never been arrested in anything like this before, were not intending to get arrested, and will need support.
If you are reading this in Pittsburgh and would like to help with food, warmth, listening ears, help filling out forms, etc. please call the PGRP Legal Hotline.
Personal Challenges And Thoughts
Facebook Post Friday, September 25, 2009 at 2:17am
So here is some of what I've been dealing with personally :
Discernment can be hard in the midst of activity and stress! I was interested in presenting an idea a few weeks ago, watching excitement grow, watching it morph into two other ideas instead, watching one of those ideas of a nightly listening project develop and fade (partly due to my energy level), then grow, then fade, then grow... I tried to lay down the project, and it wouldn't die. Just when I told volunteers it would not happen, someone else told me they needed us, but then it didn't go anywhere because we could not get back in touch with the clinic who supposedly wanted us. When everything fits together easily I figure I'm headed in the right direction. When everything fails, I figure that's a message to re-examine my priorities and pay attention. When things go back and forth like this, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing! I am much more comfortable with clear directions!
There have been numerous alternative summits, educational events, and collaborative meetings between activists on many issues, economists, union leaders from several countries, scientists, and more. I missed many of the events this week since I was both working at my job and working on plans for other events this week. I did attend the final session of the People's Summit on Tuesday night. (If you Google "People's Summit" you'll find both the website listing speakers and several news stories about the panels.) I generally agreed with much of what the speakers said, but did not appreciate the tone. During questions, one audience member commented on the stereotypes and anger and asked how we could win over our opponents rather than demonize them, to truly build the peaceful world we are envisioning. Every one of the speakers said one of the following (paraphrased) : they do not have time to convince people, it is dangerous to take time for that, some people are so evil they can't be changed and are beyond redemption, and evil is evil! Adding to that was the day's update on events in Tegucugalpa, so I left in tears, feeling quite depressed. So much pain and violence in Honduras, and then we waste our privilege here with hatred against each other. This kind of division is not what I'm working for. To me, nonviolence includes rather than excludes people. The system we live in tries to divide us. We are giving in if we let that happen. I walked home thinking about stories of radical transformation I've heard from the African Great Lakes Region, from former combatants I met in Colombia, from Friends I met in El Salvador. I believe we should all be angry at the many deaths caused by our current economic system. We should all be angry at the life-and-death decisions made by a few for the entire world. However, to say that opponents themselves are evil rather than their actions, to say that anyone is impossible to change, and to say that people are not worth our time, is to say that someone is no longer human. I will not say that something is beyond God's ability, and I keep on seeing and hearing proof of God's ability to transform impossible situations and people who have committed truly evil acts. In our nonviolence workshops, we've been talking about the two parts of active nonviolence, resistance and constructive change. One involves saying "Stop!" while the other, taking most of our time and energy, involves reaching out to those we are resisting. Many people here are great at saying "Stop!" but don't seem to share my vision of building a community which includes the people I don't like. Where is the love in their vision?
Yesterday afternoon I listened to a couple of "People's Voices" panels. This panel was more what I needed to hear. Among several good speakers, Leo Gerard, president of the International Steel Workers Union, gave a more unifying speech. John Welch, a friend of mine and president of the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network (among many other titles), gave a wonderfully challenging, faith-filled speech on the responsibility of each of us in the room. I've heard Leo Gerard speak before, but this time he filled me with hope. He was the first person I had heard from a podium this week who focussed on the evil of the system rather than stereotyping groups. He spoke of the "teabaggers" (who have been mentioned numerous times this week) as people who have a right to be angry, who have good reason to be scared, and who have simply been misdirected in the cause of their troubles. He spoke of China trying to capture the world market on new green technology sales by setting prices lower than production costs to undercut the U.S.A. market, and that our enemies are not the Chinese workers, but the global system we have set up which creates strategies harmful to workers on all sides. I kept hearing him talk about who is NOT the enemy, instead of who is, and the need to get beyond that to focus on changing the system in which we live. Yea!!
I have been saddened by divisions this week among the "peacemakers" of Pittsburgh. A couple of friends of mine have been hurt (emotionally). We have different attitudes about what is involved in working for justice, different definitions of nonviolence, and different goals in being involved in activities around the G20 summit. It is much easier to focus on a perceived enemy than it is to do the hard work of getting along with our friends. Some see the "us/them" division between protestors and police as unifying for the protestors. I see "us/them" scenarios making it much easier for more and more "us/them" divisions, so that it's easier to divide and conquer. No one ever said that working for justice would be easy! Why are we willing to do the very hard, exhausting work of planning a large march, but we are unwilling to the the very hard, exhausting, but exhilerating and rewarding and joyful work of strengthening alliances, figuring out common ground, and learning to work with people we don't always agree with?
Some organizers for the march tomorrow have a stated attitude of respect for differing methods. Rather than say that others are wrong for different approaches, they merely state that for this particular march, we have set expectations for behavior and other approaches are for other times. The specific nonviolent guidelines (written by a Pittsburgh Friend) have been posted online and are being distributed to the crowd. There are also stated principles about not speaking against various other groups of demonstrators. For me, I think there can be a balance between objecting to an action without objecting to a group, but the fact that they are trying to focus on the march rather than on who has done what so far, is one reason I feel I can be part of this march. My goal is not to argue about which justice issue is most important. My goal is not to demand that the police respect my right to march. My goal is not to blame someone for "giving in" to a police demand, nor to blame someone for standing up for the truth as they understand it. My personal goal is to offer my voice for the many in our world who are not being given a voice at the G20 summit.
The nonviolence training went well today. It was a very small group, but engaged, with lots of great experience and wisdom the participants brought into plans for Friday's march. (One participant is a young adult Friend from my own yearly meeting. It was nice to have a familiar face!) My planned co-facilitator needed to step back, and after initial panic (thank you Daniel and Celia for helping me think this through and convincing me that I could do this), I did find another co-facilitator. We did not take time to coordinate well, so I made some goofs, but I felt fairly calm and collected before, during, and after the training. (Having "calm yourself" as part of the training is a helpful reminder to me!)
I am planning to be a "peace guide" for the march. There will be three teams working in various parts of the march to keep us moving, watch for signs of possible trouble, and help de-escalate tension. Roles will vary depending on what section we're assigned to. I've been holding back on plans, but the media came to our peace guides meeting this evening, so it's now public who the team leaders of each section will be. A Pittsburgh Friend, Scilla, will coordinate the front team of peace guides, up front in the march, and has asked other Friends to be part of her team.
I have been feeling the results of all of the love coming my way from around the country and around the globe! Wow! In the past two days I have calmed down significantly, started taking better care of myself, taken more time for thinking and centering, listened more, found more that I respect and admire in some people with whom I've been very frustrated, and have found myself facing new challenges with a sense of God's presence in the midst. Do I still feel unprepared? You bet! I'll have people around me I trust, and more grounding than I've felt in a while to help me through whatever comes. If everyone else can be similarly transformed in two days, we'll have an absolutely amazing, earth-shaking march tomorrow! :)
So here is some of what I've been dealing with personally :
Discernment can be hard in the midst of activity and stress! I was interested in presenting an idea a few weeks ago, watching excitement grow, watching it morph into two other ideas instead, watching one of those ideas of a nightly listening project develop and fade (partly due to my energy level), then grow, then fade, then grow... I tried to lay down the project, and it wouldn't die. Just when I told volunteers it would not happen, someone else told me they needed us, but then it didn't go anywhere because we could not get back in touch with the clinic who supposedly wanted us. When everything fits together easily I figure I'm headed in the right direction. When everything fails, I figure that's a message to re-examine my priorities and pay attention. When things go back and forth like this, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing! I am much more comfortable with clear directions!
There have been numerous alternative summits, educational events, and collaborative meetings between activists on many issues, economists, union leaders from several countries, scientists, and more. I missed many of the events this week since I was both working at my job and working on plans for other events this week. I did attend the final session of the People's Summit on Tuesday night. (If you Google "People's Summit" you'll find both the website listing speakers and several news stories about the panels.) I generally agreed with much of what the speakers said, but did not appreciate the tone. During questions, one audience member commented on the stereotypes and anger and asked how we could win over our opponents rather than demonize them, to truly build the peaceful world we are envisioning. Every one of the speakers said one of the following (paraphrased) : they do not have time to convince people, it is dangerous to take time for that, some people are so evil they can't be changed and are beyond redemption, and evil is evil! Adding to that was the day's update on events in Tegucugalpa, so I left in tears, feeling quite depressed. So much pain and violence in Honduras, and then we waste our privilege here with hatred against each other. This kind of division is not what I'm working for. To me, nonviolence includes rather than excludes people. The system we live in tries to divide us. We are giving in if we let that happen. I walked home thinking about stories of radical transformation I've heard from the African Great Lakes Region, from former combatants I met in Colombia, from Friends I met in El Salvador. I believe we should all be angry at the many deaths caused by our current economic system. We should all be angry at the life-and-death decisions made by a few for the entire world. However, to say that opponents themselves are evil rather than their actions, to say that anyone is impossible to change, and to say that people are not worth our time, is to say that someone is no longer human. I will not say that something is beyond God's ability, and I keep on seeing and hearing proof of God's ability to transform impossible situations and people who have committed truly evil acts. In our nonviolence workshops, we've been talking about the two parts of active nonviolence, resistance and constructive change. One involves saying "Stop!" while the other, taking most of our time and energy, involves reaching out to those we are resisting. Many people here are great at saying "Stop!" but don't seem to share my vision of building a community which includes the people I don't like. Where is the love in their vision?
Yesterday afternoon I listened to a couple of "People's Voices" panels. This panel was more what I needed to hear. Among several good speakers, Leo Gerard, president of the International Steel Workers Union, gave a more unifying speech. John Welch, a friend of mine and president of the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network (among many other titles), gave a wonderfully challenging, faith-filled speech on the responsibility of each of us in the room. I've heard Leo Gerard speak before, but this time he filled me with hope. He was the first person I had heard from a podium this week who focussed on the evil of the system rather than stereotyping groups. He spoke of the "teabaggers" (who have been mentioned numerous times this week) as people who have a right to be angry, who have good reason to be scared, and who have simply been misdirected in the cause of their troubles. He spoke of China trying to capture the world market on new green technology sales by setting prices lower than production costs to undercut the U.S.A. market, and that our enemies are not the Chinese workers, but the global system we have set up which creates strategies harmful to workers on all sides. I kept hearing him talk about who is NOT the enemy, instead of who is, and the need to get beyond that to focus on changing the system in which we live. Yea!!
I have been saddened by divisions this week among the "peacemakers" of Pittsburgh. A couple of friends of mine have been hurt (emotionally). We have different attitudes about what is involved in working for justice, different definitions of nonviolence, and different goals in being involved in activities around the G20 summit. It is much easier to focus on a perceived enemy than it is to do the hard work of getting along with our friends. Some see the "us/them" division between protestors and police as unifying for the protestors. I see "us/them" scenarios making it much easier for more and more "us/them" divisions, so that it's easier to divide and conquer. No one ever said that working for justice would be easy! Why are we willing to do the very hard, exhausting work of planning a large march, but we are unwilling to the the very hard, exhausting, but exhilerating and rewarding and joyful work of strengthening alliances, figuring out common ground, and learning to work with people we don't always agree with?
Some organizers for the march tomorrow have a stated attitude of respect for differing methods. Rather than say that others are wrong for different approaches, they merely state that for this particular march, we have set expectations for behavior and other approaches are for other times. The specific nonviolent guidelines (written by a Pittsburgh Friend) have been posted online and are being distributed to the crowd. There are also stated principles about not speaking against various other groups of demonstrators. For me, I think there can be a balance between objecting to an action without objecting to a group, but the fact that they are trying to focus on the march rather than on who has done what so far, is one reason I feel I can be part of this march. My goal is not to argue about which justice issue is most important. My goal is not to demand that the police respect my right to march. My goal is not to blame someone for "giving in" to a police demand, nor to blame someone for standing up for the truth as they understand it. My personal goal is to offer my voice for the many in our world who are not being given a voice at the G20 summit.
The nonviolence training went well today. It was a very small group, but engaged, with lots of great experience and wisdom the participants brought into plans for Friday's march. (One participant is a young adult Friend from my own yearly meeting. It was nice to have a familiar face!) My planned co-facilitator needed to step back, and after initial panic (thank you Daniel and Celia for helping me think this through and convincing me that I could do this), I did find another co-facilitator. We did not take time to coordinate well, so I made some goofs, but I felt fairly calm and collected before, during, and after the training. (Having "calm yourself" as part of the training is a helpful reminder to me!)
I am planning to be a "peace guide" for the march. There will be three teams working in various parts of the march to keep us moving, watch for signs of possible trouble, and help de-escalate tension. Roles will vary depending on what section we're assigned to. I've been holding back on plans, but the media came to our peace guides meeting this evening, so it's now public who the team leaders of each section will be. A Pittsburgh Friend, Scilla, will coordinate the front team of peace guides, up front in the march, and has asked other Friends to be part of her team.
I have been feeling the results of all of the love coming my way from around the country and around the globe! Wow! In the past two days I have calmed down significantly, started taking better care of myself, taken more time for thinking and centering, listened more, found more that I respect and admire in some people with whom I've been very frustrated, and have found myself facing new challenges with a sense of God's presence in the midst. Do I still feel unprepared? You bet! I'll have people around me I trust, and more grounding than I've felt in a while to help me through whatever comes. If everyone else can be similarly transformed in two days, we'll have an absolutely amazing, earth-shaking march tomorrow! :)
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