In the light of day

[rebeccmeister]

Last night was rough for a host of reasons. I could hear sounds of explosions but I can never tell what kind of explosions they are - fireworks, gunfire, I don't know what else.

This morning I realized I do need to compile a list of local radio stations to check. The internet is too dependent on sifting and sorting and who you know, the newspaper too slow. The radio won't be perfect, either, but at least it won't be TV news.

For me personally, this is the first time in my life where I've had the direct thought that it would be utterly futile to call 911*, followed by a thought I have had before, about what it is like for people where this is always true, not just true at one point in time.

It's different to live close enough to directly hear this kind of activity. I have lived in other places with high crime (see: Farmer House, Villa Maria House) but never so close to protest zones.

I also keep thinking: people can't learn if they don't feel safe. This is first and foremost in my mind as an educator. Beyond anything I seek to teach, I have to prioritize safety, whether in the context of infectious disease or in the context of deeply-rooted racism and injustice. So once again I have no choice but to be political and an advocate, and work with others for substantive change.

This is going to be a long summer.


* i.e. how do you call 911 when the noises you're hearing are most likely a clash between protesters and the police?

Comments

[moodyduck]

I looked up news in your area last night and it sounded like fireworks were involved at some point, but that did not exclude other possibilities.

Living at the end of the earth like I do, things are very quiet around here. The closest we ever come to protests are clusters of retired folks with signs standing around the main intersection. (Maybe they have been, I've no idea, since I don't go to work anymore.) And our police spend most of their time tracking down white drug users/dealers and their various property crimes and assaults.

But I'm thinking a lot about the cities I know. Even Sioux Falls(!) and Omaha which never struck me as hotbeds for violent riots, though a protester was shot and killed after attacking a business owner across the street from one of my favorite restaurants there.

[bluepapercup]

I learned to avoid calling 911 when I lived in Oakland. That was where I first started getting truly educated on the long and terroristic relationship that the police have with Black people. I also lived there during Occupy Oakland, and remember all too well the days when we would have a police helicopter over our neighborhood for eight. goddamn. hours.

I knew my attitudes were starting to change was on one hot night, my boyfriend at the time and I were sitting on his front stoop drinking and enjoying the evening. Suddenly a young Black man came running by at high speed, looking terrified, and casting quick looks back toward the main avenue. A few minutes later we heard a siren out on the main avenue. Aaron and I looked at each other for a very long moment and I said slowly, "I didn't see anyone" and he nodded and said, "me neither."