avekrieger
20200529-oakland.shots.24
I've spent the last several days attending protests, mostly to document, and partially to participate. I haven't always embraced the black half of my identity, despite it being the most visible and forward-facing part. But I have struggled with systemic racism, oppression, and specifically systemic issues with police my entire life.
On Friday the 29th, the group of peaceful protesters I was with in Oakland were teargassed and flashbanged. This isn't news, but I was fucking there and documented it between wiping my eyes and moving upwind from gas and away from explosives. For the thousands of peaceful protesters I saw, there were at most 10 individuals tagging (mostly boards), breaking, setting fires. This minority felt categorically different than the rest of the protesters and in no way was representative. This is the album of those photos.
From then on in Stanford, East Palo Alto, and San Jose, there were zero bad actors at the protests I attended. Completely energizing, excited, and lively, but peaceful and nondestructive. By. The. Thousands.
So take your complicit bullshit out of here if you're trying to legitimize or excuse or divert from police fucking murdering black people by waving around the tiny-ass percentage of people doing property damage. Seriously, what is wrong with y'all??!! The answer is systemic oppression.
The thing I've felt the most is hope. Hope that this will finally mobilize real change. America doesn't vote well (especially for legislators) and the Supreme Court doesn't move quickly enough. These are the primary legal actions for enacting change. So what the fuck are people supposed to do to stop our black brothers and sisters from getting brutally murdered if not this? There isn't another answer.
Read the resource guides people post. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, damn, but message me and I'll nonjudgmentally give you some. Go to a protest. Bring a sign. And water. And a towel to wipe the tear gas out of your eyes for when the cops think you need to get brutalized for showing up to stand up to their brutalization (protip: wait until it's dry).
20200529-oakland.shots.24
I've spent the last several days attending protests, mostly to document, and partially to participate. I haven't always embraced the black half of my identity, despite it being the most visible and forward-facing part. But I have struggled with systemic racism, oppression, and specifically systemic issues with police my entire life.
On Friday the 29th, the group of peaceful protesters I was with in Oakland were teargassed and flashbanged. This isn't news, but I was fucking there and documented it between wiping my eyes and moving upwind from gas and away from explosives. For the thousands of peaceful protesters I saw, there were at most 10 individuals tagging (mostly boards), breaking, setting fires. This minority felt categorically different than the rest of the protesters and in no way was representative. This is the album of those photos.
From then on in Stanford, East Palo Alto, and San Jose, there were zero bad actors at the protests I attended. Completely energizing, excited, and lively, but peaceful and nondestructive. By. The. Thousands.
So take your complicit bullshit out of here if you're trying to legitimize or excuse or divert from police fucking murdering black people by waving around the tiny-ass percentage of people doing property damage. Seriously, what is wrong with y'all??!! The answer is systemic oppression.
The thing I've felt the most is hope. Hope that this will finally mobilize real change. America doesn't vote well (especially for legislators) and the Supreme Court doesn't move quickly enough. These are the primary legal actions for enacting change. So what the fuck are people supposed to do to stop our black brothers and sisters from getting brutally murdered if not this? There isn't another answer.
Read the resource guides people post. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, damn, but message me and I'll nonjudgmentally give you some. Go to a protest. Bring a sign. And water. And a towel to wipe the tear gas out of your eyes for when the cops think you need to get brutalized for showing up to stand up to their brutalization (protip: wait until it's dry).