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diff --git a/_posts/2020-05-30-denver-protests.md b/_posts/2020-05-30-denver-protests.md deleted file mode 100644 index 710987f..0000000 --- a/_posts/2020-05-30-denver-protests.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,161 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: >- - Denver Protests -description: >- - Craziness ---- - -# Saturday, May 30th - -We went to the May 30th protest at Civic Center Park. We were there for a few -hours during the day, leaving around 4pm. I would describe the character of the -protest as being energetic, angry, but contained. A huge crowd moved in and -around civic center, chanting and being rowdy, but clearly was being led. - -After a last hurrah at the pavilion it seemed that the organized event was -"over". We stayed a while longer, and eventually headed back home. I don't feel -that people really left the park at the same time we did; mostly everyone just -dispersed around the park and found somewhere to keep hanging out. - -Tonight there has been an 8pm curfew. The police lined up on the north side of -the park, armored and clearly ready for action. We watched all of this on the -live news stations, gritting our teeth through the comentary of their reporters. -As the police stood there, the clock counting down to 8, the protesters grew -more and more irritated. They taunted the police, and formed a line of their -own. The braver (or more dramatic) protesters walked around in the no-man's land -between them, occasionally earning themselves some teargas. - -The police began pushing forward just before 8 a little, but began pushing in -earnest just after 8, after the howling. They would advance, wait, advance, wait -again. An armada of police cars, ambulance, and fire trucks followed the line as -it advanced. - -The police did not give the protesters anywhere to go except into Capital Hill, -southeast of Civic Center Park. We watched as a huge crowd marched past the -front of our house, chanting their call and response: "What's his name?" "GEORGE -FLOYD". The feeling wasn't of violence still, just anger. Indignant at a curfew -aimed at quelling a movement, the protesters simply kept moving. The police were -never far behind. - -We sat on our front stoop with our neighbors and watched the night unfold. I -don't think a single person in our building or the buildings to the left and -right of us hadn't gone to protest today in some capacity. We came back from our -various outings and sat out front, watching the crowds and patrolling up and -down the street to keep tabs on things. - -Around 9pm the fires started. We saw them on the news, and in person. They were -generally dumpster fires, generally placed such that they were away from -buildings, clearly being done more to be annoying than to accomplish anything -specific. A very large set of fires was started a block south of us, in the -middle of the street. The fire department was there within a few minutes to put -those out, before moving on. - -From the corner of my eye, sitting back on the stoop, I noticed our neighbors -running into their backyard. We ran after them, and they told us there was a -dumpster fire in our alley. They were running with fire extinguishers, and we -ran inside to grab some of our own. By the time we got to the backyard the fire -was only smouldering, and the fire department was coming down the alley. We -scurried back into the backyard. A few minutes later I peeked my head around the -corner, into the alley, to see what happening. I was greeted by at least two -police in riot gear, guarding the dumpster as the fire department worked. They -saw me but didn't move, and I quickly retreated back to the yard. - -Talking to our neighbor later we found out she had seen a group of about 10 -people back there, and watched them jump the fence into another backyard in -order to escape the alley. She thinks they, or some subset of them, started the -fire. She looked one in the eye, she says, and didn't get the impression they -were trying to cause damage, just to make a statement. - -The fires stopped not long after that, it seems. We're pretty sure the fire -trucks were just driving up and down the main roads, looking into alleys and -stopping all fires they could find. In all this time the police didn't do much. -They would hold a line, but never chase anyone. Even now, as I write this around -midnight, people are still out, meandering around in small groups, and police -are present but not really doing anything. - -It's hard to get a good view of everything though. All we have is livestreams on -youtube to go on at this point. There's a couple intrepid amateur reporters out -there, getting into the crowds and streaming events as they happen. Right now -we're watching people moving down Lincoln towards Civic Center Park, some of -them trying to smash windows of buildings as they go. - -The violence of these protests is going to be the major story of tonight, I know -that already. That I know of there's been 3 police injured, some broken -windows, and quite a bit of graffiti. I do believe the the tactic of pushing -everyone into Cap Hill had the desired effect of reducing looting (again, as far -as I can tell so far), but at that expense of those who live here who have to -endure latent tear gas, dumpster fires, and sirens all through the night. - -Even now, at midnight, from what I can see from my porch and from these live -streams, the protesters are not violent. At worst they are guilty of a lot of -loitering. The graffiti, the smashed windows, the injured officers, all of these -things will be held up as examples of the anarchy and violence inherent to the -protesters. But I don't think that's an honest picture. The vast, vast majority -of those out right now are civily disobeying an unjust curfew, trying to keep -the energy of the movement alive. - -My thoughts about these things are complicated. When turning a corner on the -street I'm far more afraid to see the police than to see other protesters. The -fires have been annoying, and stupid, and unhelpful, but were never threatening. -The violence is stupid, though I don't shed many tears for a looted Chili's or -Papa Johns. The police have actually shown more restraint than I expected in all -of this, though funneling the protest into a residential neighborhood was an -incredibly stupid move. Could the protesters not have just stayed in the park? -Yes, the park would likely have been turned into an encampment, but it was -already heading into that direction due to Covid-19. Overall, this night didn't -need to be so hard, but Denver handled this well. - -But, it's only 1am, and the night has a long way to go. Things could still get -worse. Even now I'm watching people trying to break into the supreme court -building. Civic Center Park appears to be very populated again, and the police -are very present there again. It's possible I may eat my words. - -# Monday, June 1st - -Yesterday was quite a bit more tame than the craziness Saturday. I woke up -Sunday morning feeling antsy, and rode my bike around to see the damage. I had a -long conversation with a homeless man named Gary in Civic Center Park. He was -pissed, and had a lot to say about the "suburban kids" destroying the park he -and many others live in, causing it to be shut down and tear gassed. The -protesters saw it as a game, according to him, but it was life and death for the -homeless; three of his guys got beat up in the street, and neither police nor -protesters stopped it. - -Many people had shown up to the park early to help clean it up. Apart from the -graffiti, which was also in the process of being cleaned, it was hard to tell -anything had actually happened. Gary had some words about them as well, that -they were only there for the gram and some pats on the back, but once they left -his life would be back as it was. I could feel that, but I also appreciated that -people were cognizant that damage was being done and were willing to do -something about it. - -I rode around 16th street mall, down colfax, and back up 13th, looking to see if -anything had happened. For the most part there was no damage, save the graffiti. -A mediterranean restaurant got its windows smashed, as well as the Office Depot. -The restaurant was unfortunate, Office Depot will be ok. - -The protest yesterday was much more peaceful. The cops were nowhere to be found -when curfew hit, but did eventually show up when the protest moved down Colfax. -They had lined the streets around their precinct building there, but for the -most part the protesters just kept walking. This is when the "violence" started. -The cops moved into the street, forming a line across Colfax behind the -protesters. Police cars and vans started moving. As the protest turned back, -presumably to head back to the capitol lawn, it ran into the riot line. - -Predictably, everyone scattered. The cat-and-mouse game had begun, which meant -dumpster fires, broken windows, tear gas, and all the rest. Watching the whole -thing it was extremely clear to us, though not the news casters, unfortunately, -that if the police hadn't moved out into Colfax nothing would have ever -happened. Instead, the news casters lamented that people were bringing things -like helmets, gas masks, traffic cones, shields, etc... and so were clearly not there -"for the right reasons". - -The thing that the news casters couldn't seem to grasp was that the police -attempting to control these situations are what are catalyzing them in the first -place. These are protests _against_ the police, they cannot take place under the -terms the police choose. If the police were not here setting terms, but instead -working with the peaceful protesters (the vast, vast majority) to quell the -violence, no one would be here with helmets, gas masks, traffic cones, -shields... But instead the protesters feel they need to protect themselves in -order to be heard, and the police feel they have to exercise their power to -maintain control, and so the situation degrades. |