A commenting dialogue with Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall sent my attention back to an adventure in activisim I had promoting Single Payer health care and protesting Obamacare two years ago. Here are some comments [with a few edits] I made just after the experience on madamab’s blog at correntewire wire 3/28/10.
It was amazing how many the four of us impacted during the course of that one and a half hours, including each other.We were educating "them" and they were educating "us" and we were also coaching and educating each other. And I was amazed at the degree of engagement. Of the 100 flyers, we only had maybe 5 left. Who knows how many will read them, an awful lot of words.Yet we spoke to many. And many who did not take one saw us there, we who were concerned enough about the bill, angry enough about the abortion restrictions against women, to be out there with two cops as escorts on a Saturday afternoon to show our conscience and distress. To point out this was Carolyn Maloney's office. One of our Cong. reps!!!I had thought of listing Congressional addresses and then got so involved in the issues -- the flyer was so overloaded on both sides of the page with them -- I forgot to do that. Next time.I think it was a great opportunity to learn and do something at the same time.What an eclectic sampling of citizens we engaged with. I needed to experience it all after breathing in so much informed commentary on the truth-to-power cyber sites. I needed to appreciate how things were perceived within the non-blogging world.Though we met many sharp people on the street, there are clearly many out there living in suspended confusion thanks to the media and the politicians with their omissions and disinformation as to WTFthe 2500 page monster bill [Obamacare] actually is and does. Clueless even to the degree of bribery and selling out of our Prez and Congress. My flyer was just catching some of the early talking points of it. But it sent the message, question authority and be ready to protest for change of this sucker.
Among the four of us, we had our own priorities, styles of approach, etc. In a way we were far more approachable than if we had been a louder and larger protest group. We would not have been approached as readily or people may have crossed away from the busy sidewalk. It would have been a different experience.The steely-faced and -postured police presence in that small area, on both sides of Carolyn's building entrance. The officers reminded me of the two lions at the main branch of the NY public library. There to protect Carolyn, who was actually NOT there, from little old us (!). It actually gave us a certain cachet for the passersby. Some people asked us why the police were there and took more respectful notice. I saw one woman ask the police why we were there before coming near us, though she did take a flyer. Some people deliberately came by twice. They were curious but did not take a flyer the first time.One man went off, read it, and came back to talk to me about it. He was excited and angry and wanted to know what to do and what could be done now. I wish I had responded to that with more confidence and authority, though I encouraged contacting reps and I pointed out correntewire url address at the top of the flyer and the single action payer and pnhp sites referenced, too.One young Asian man kept saying, so what are you telling me to do? I looked at him. I realized I wanted to spread my distress about the bill and wished I had included more info on protesting with him, too. One young guy was a med student so disgusted with the bill and I realized I had a hole in my awareness as to the issues the docs will have.I appreciated the Young Republicans woman who was pro-choice. I appreciated the obvious activists and bloggers who gave us the thumbs up for our efforts. The one guy who obviously had done serious time in activism and was bitter and refused to read the flyer. Had loudly given up. Obama exasperated him even more than Obama exasperated me, clearly.I appreciated those who were earnestly willing to hear more, and showed how obtuse I was dropping words like "Single Payer" that I assumed the world is clued in on... and they are so not. The press and pols did a good job, and also I needed to empathize harder. Madamab was great at coaching me or stepping into my enthusiastic rush of words to translate... Medicare for All...when they looked dazed at my Single Payer references, etc.There was one woman, a well-dressed matron, who when she heard the concept of universal health care began stomping and wailing "NOOOOOOOOO!" with her hands over here ears. That was quite a show for a minute or so. One of the cops shot me a warning look.We could have had more action perhaps at another time or place. We were not yelled at for being baby killers. We had quite a benign group we spoke with and those who ignored us looked more timid than hostile or indifferent.A few hostile men walked by and hurled insults but kept on moving. I realized the cops were there for us, too, supposedly and hopefully. (Though ever since that one Puerto Rican Day parade when women were being mauled and the cops did not respond... I do not make that assumption and also having been close to wearing those plastic cuffs during a march with permit at Republican Convention... when people were rounded up and spent the night in jail... I missed that but it was close. I had to go to work and left a group marching to Madison Square Garden that were soon and illegally ambushed.)Years ago, I mean decades, I went in a car with some friends to see this folk singer a friend was so excited about. His name was Pete Seeger and he was performing at some ski resort during the summer on a mountain top. As we went through the small town, and came to the base of the mountain, four friends all excited about our road trip, a huge group of the angriest small town's people with signs and fists swept around the car, not only ours, but all those lining up to finish the drive to the concert, and we locked the doors and closed the windows, as those people screamed at us through the glass, yelling vile things at us, and rocking the car and carrying signs about Pete the communist. Except for one friend, the rest of us were clueless as to what hell we had just moved into and why these people hated four girls going to a folk concert. The memory still is sobering. You hear about the hatred of people, but to feel and see the threat of it inches away from your face is far more impactful.I did see one of my neighbors in the area, but was surprised that was the only familiar face. It was interesting, though, standing in one's own neighborhood in a political context and stance. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. When madamab and I were in a Duane Reade pharmacy later I felt I wanted to automatically hand flyers to the customers and begin my pitch one more time. Activism as a healthy addiction? Also having the great support and company made it easier. Courage is contagious. One person exhibiting personal courage can really inspire another.At one point there was not much pedestrian traffic, but our pnhp friend, a very gentle and sharp woman, had moved 4 inches in front of the unused door of the health food store, not blocking it since NO ONE was there. One of the officers came over dramatically and told her to move. This was early on. That was a bit sobering and a reminder of the POLICE authority. Their gratuitous flexing and reminding us to "behave". More cops would come later on the edges, a few we thought for us, but then presumably for nearby pizza (or maybe not), and then the commander of these guys in his white shirt came back to check out how things had gone. I was impressed that our madamab had created a stir in the circle of NYC power with this demonstration. As a citizen she was flexing and it made me proud of her and us.It took some courage to be there. Some grim-faced police officers had interviewed madamab initially there on the sidewalk. The two of us were, comically, seriously outnumbered by the police presence at our kick-off so to speak. They had shown up as we were "officially" starting timewise, though we were not in the groove yet, hadn't refined the art of getting people to accept our flyers. The police had driven up suddenly in a white, shiny SUV with a Homeland Security label on the doors that flew open with the men dramatically tumbling out. I gulped in alarm, spilling some of my coffee on the sidewalk as well as on one of the flyers.It was only then I noticed the pile of blue wooden sections of barricades that had been deposited on the curbside in front of the health food store. I hadn't put them together with us. We were after all such a small crew, only two at the moment, and I was not sure if any other NYC correntewire cyber buddies would show. What did I think? Those planks were simply left over from the St. Pat's parade?I had left a huge bowl of dry food for my cats, which I had done with other political demonstrations.. a superstitious ritual?... laughing at myself nervously and telling myself and the cats I am not going to wind up in jail for a night but just in case, after all... who knows.. Having read in information clearing house how "radical populism" is such an enemy, especially now in South and Latin America, and how the US is so "chummy" with those trying to squelch it by calling the "peasants" trying to fight for rights, mostly for the ill-paying of jobs, terrorists, narco-terrorists, revolutionaries, whatever, who knows. Four smart and friendly NYC women standing on a Saturday afternoon sidewalk in a mixed commercial/residential upper east side neighborhood considered "domestic terrorists"? Come on! Yet America has much darkness of xenophobia and jingoism and cruel religiosity and corporatist elitism and it sponsors horrifying militarism and covert black ops, etc.I thought of the courage of those in non-blue cities and states, standing on the streets and protesting particularly the abortion restrictions of Obamacare. I confess, I was far shyer than madamab in launching with more specific angry talking points about that, though the poster she was carrying was VERY dramatic and compelling and helped assert that issue. She also had said, and I hadn't even considered it, that our verbalizing on the street we had issues with Obamacare would encourage people to assume we were Tea Party women ... until they saw the clear PRO-CHOICE poster madamab displayed and then got it. Well done, madamab!
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This sentence brought back vivid memories and reminded me why my impatience and intolerance for people like fRANK rages on: ". . . left a group marching to Madison Square Garden that were soon and illegally ambushed.
In NYC, of all places, Vietnam peaceful gatherings were often convened at the Isaiah Wall across from the U.N.; the peaceful intent of the gathering highlighted by the Biblical inscription thereon: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
On more than one such occasion, I would arrive in the vicinity, only to find police in riot gear on every corner of THIRD Avenue, a full two blocks from the U.N. Playing unaware, I would ask the police why such a presence and would be told, that the U.N. was off-limits to all but diplomats, with no further explanation.
Not to be deterred, I would wriggle my way through alleyways until I reached the site, and once there, would find familiar faces, the same old crew who refused to allow such obvious police obstructionism to stop their exercise of their Constitutional rights.
By such means, demos that would have numbered in the thousands, were turned into numbers in the hundreds, if that, and therefore went unreported.
Those who made it through would then be subjected to another familiar tactic. The police would then push those blue wooden beamed cordons into the crowd, so that a crowd of hundreds would now be sectioned off into small groups of ten to fifteen, whence those who did not flee would be arrested.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
It is NO recent phenomenon that this basic right has been rescinded, only the means by which it is abridged have become increasingly more devious and violent.
Sorry to clog Your excellent blog post with such a long comment.
-R-
In NYC, of all places, Vietnam peaceful gatherings were often convened at the Isaiah Wall across from the U.N.; the peaceful intent of the gathering highlighted by the Biblical inscription thereon: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
On more than one such occasion, I would arrive in the vicinity, only to find police in riot gear on every corner of THIRD Avenue, a full two blocks from the U.N. Playing unaware, I would ask the police why such a presence and would be told, that the U.N. was off-limits to all but diplomats, with no further explanation.
Not to be deterred, I would wriggle my way through alleyways until I reached the site, and once there, would find familiar faces, the same old crew who refused to allow such obvious police obstructionism to stop their exercise of their Constitutional rights.
By such means, demos that would have numbered in the thousands, were turned into numbers in the hundreds, if that, and therefore went unreported.
Those who made it through would then be subjected to another familiar tactic. The police would then push those blue wooden beamed cordons into the crowd, so that a crowd of hundreds would now be sectioned off into small groups of ten to fifteen, whence those who did not flee would be arrested.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
It is NO recent phenomenon that this basic right has been rescinded, only the means by which it is abridged have become increasingly more devious and violent.
Sorry to clog Your excellent blog post with such a long comment.
-R-
Thanks, Mark. Since I wrote the above comments on that day 3 years ago I have become a lot more jaded and cynical about the over-militarization of the police, especially in NY. But I was hoping these comments showed people the vulnerability and excitement one feels stepping out from the end of one's comfort zone to do something citizenish. It was only one and one half hours but it was exercising my right and concern as a citizen and it felt great! Thanks for your comments. Yes, this happened on Third Ave., too, and I know what you are saying about protests and the excessive insulting "herding" and sabotaging of protesters. Our permit was only for one and one half hours. The police were so heavy-handed and even though we were such a tiny tiny group there was that cold remoteness, we are WATCHING you vibe and presence. I once went to a candle-light vigil in Central Park to protest the Iraq War and when I got there it was over. I asked how can it be over, it is still daylight. It is a candlelight vigil. A guy still there said, well, the permits are not for all that long any more. So it goes. best, libby
correction on comment to mark. 2 years ago i wrote those comments, not 3. sorry. typo. libby
toritto, i am looking forward to reading your commentary. IRL pushing at me and I have fallen behind at os with that reading. thanks for your comment. yes, knowing the genius and humanity of single payer and then wading through the sabotaging pro-corporate nonsense of obamacare, so much of it, and witnessing the absolute ignorance of the conservatives who want their medicare and ss and decry socialism at the same time and even attribute it to obama, would that he were remotely one, leaves one with such frustration and a sense of futility. What is it gonna take, for heaven's sake? best, libby
I'm glad you posted this. I would hate to think people would mistakenly take you for an armchair activist.
Stuart, thanks. I actually posted it to share what it is like to be an activist newbie. But how quickly one starts getting into the momentum and how alive it makes one feel. They say life begins at the end of your comfort zone. I don't go there enough.
My friend madamab was the feisty one who presumed to get a permit, who chose location and got me fired up. When there were at first only two of us, she shrugged and said, "So what? Keep on going." The police didn't phase her, the topic of abortion didn't tongue tie her. A great mentor.
I had a great time and really got into it. At first it was so weird trying to get people to talk about health care. But soon enough they did. It was less demoralizing than hawking for the Green Party at election time with people just tossing off, "You won't win, so why would i vote Green?" Or sometimes, "I ONLY vote Green" which was far nicer to hear.
We also had a protest about hunger in America, the empty plates special, later on in the year, maybe around Tday, I can't remember, but a Detroit correntewire cyberfriend did it there so we tried it in NYC.
We stapled the flyers with hunger statistics to empty paper plates and passed them out. Had a few Greens come and help us out. That was a good afternoon, too. No police this time. Just some rain at times. It was in front of B&N on Union Square.
Most interesting moment was a clearly very rich woman who went off on us in a rage and I couldn't figure out why. Of course Green leafletting always brings out the Nader haters, too, blasting us for Nader keeping Gore out of the WH and Bush was all his fault. That is getting old in my opinion. Nader was so right about MUTUAL CORRUPTION of both legacy parties! Though I hope he has stopped cozying up to Bloomberg!
Thanks for visiting! Best, libby
My friend madamab was the feisty one who presumed to get a permit, who chose location and got me fired up. When there were at first only two of us, she shrugged and said, "So what? Keep on going." The police didn't phase her, the topic of abortion didn't tongue tie her. A great mentor.
I had a great time and really got into it. At first it was so weird trying to get people to talk about health care. But soon enough they did. It was less demoralizing than hawking for the Green Party at election time with people just tossing off, "You won't win, so why would i vote Green?" Or sometimes, "I ONLY vote Green" which was far nicer to hear.
We also had a protest about hunger in America, the empty plates special, later on in the year, maybe around Tday, I can't remember, but a Detroit correntewire cyberfriend did it there so we tried it in NYC.
We stapled the flyers with hunger statistics to empty paper plates and passed them out. Had a few Greens come and help us out. That was a good afternoon, too. No police this time. Just some rain at times. It was in front of B&N on Union Square.
Most interesting moment was a clearly very rich woman who went off on us in a rage and I couldn't figure out why. Of course Green leafletting always brings out the Nader haters, too, blasting us for Nader keeping Gore out of the WH and Bush was all his fault. That is getting old in my opinion. Nader was so right about MUTUAL CORRUPTION of both legacy parties! Though I hope he has stopped cozying up to Bloomberg!
Thanks for visiting! Best, libby
Great read, libby! Warms the cockles of my activist heart and takes me back to those feelings of being glad to be a part of the thoughtful committed citizens trying to make a difference. You would have enjoyed the Pride marches in South Carolina in the early 90s...thanks for sharing again!
If most people knew what was going on they would be outraged and it might be easy to spur them to action if enough people work together. Ironically you might not be able to do as much to motivate them as the corporations and the government have done by being so incompetent.
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