Occupation is something Americans came to be familiar with over the last decade. We've been doing it to other countries for years. We saw it happen in the domino-effect revolutions of the Arab Spring. Standing your ground has been a powerful way of saying "no more". In Iraq and Afghanistan, we made that stand (correctly or not) against terrorism. In Egypt and other countries we saw citizens claim their land with little more than their feet, signs and sometimes, blood.
I watched the scenes from Tahrir Square in awe. I was amazed that people would stand before the police while being gassed, run down with trucks and horses, beaten, arrested and tortured. It reminded me of the lone man standing before a column of Chinese tanks... but with thousands of brave souls doing the same. (On a side note: That one Chinese guy had courage that I don't possess in my wildest delusions. Much respect.)
As I'm writing this, I'm watching coverage of the Occupy protests in Oakland being broken up with flashbangs and tear gas. I see reports that Atlanta might be on the verge of the same. We have seen New York cops using horses, motorcycles and mace on protestors. At first I wrote off the violence against the Occupy movement as overzealous cops abusing their power, sorta like LAPD does every time they stop a black guy. On reflection though, I realized why the response has been so violent so quickly. It's because I wasn't the only one watching with amazement what happened in Egypt.
They know that Occupation works. And they're scared. More to the point, they should be. The movement will win because of the response. Average Americans won't stand for police violence. It will be the catalyst that helps the message of injustice spread.
I can see it unfolding now. In the next few days or weeks we will have our first casualties. A protester will get hit with a "less than lethal" rubber bullet and will die. The public opinion, already swinging against the 1%, will gain momentum. Soon the polls will tell the story and the politics will follow. Scared of losing all power, the 1% will concede a few things. Once that starts, the protests will grow. The 1% will try to hold the line with another pushback. The 99% will stand firm. Eventually the 1% will learn that we can't be appeased or bought off. We demand fundamental change and we will get it.
I feel like I'm watching the start of something wonderful. The Occupation is here to stay and it's just what this country needs.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.
ReplyDelete-John F. Kennedy
The truth of the matter is- the USA really doesn't know what real protesting is all about! Now you can make an argument for the protests of 60's regarding Vietnam, but even that pales in comparison to middle east, and currently, Chile.
Like you, I personally think these protests are great for America. The fat cats and bureaucrats have become way too comfortable with the status quo and they need to remember that there are more of us than there are of them. Their ultimate fear would be if about 10 million armed and disgruntle people hit the streets demanding action and change! I guarantee you if this happened, even military action would be out of the question.
Times are changing!
Great post by the way!!