Teacher Tom: This is Not About Peace: This is About Power and Control

Teacher Tom: This is Not About Peace: This is About Power and Control

This is Not About Peace: This is About Power and Control

For several nights this week, Seattle has had a curfew. It started with 5 p.m., then 6 p.m., then 9 p.m. On each of those nights righteous protesters violated the curfew making the determination that, in the balance of things, Black lives matter more than some ad hoc law. They remained in the park where they had gathered, they remained in the street. By all accounts, including what I've seen with my own eyes, they have been peaceful. A few were arrested, most, however, were violently attacked with pepper spray, tear gas, explosives, and the hands and feet of police officers.

When one engages in the long tradition of civil disobedience, like staying out after curfew or inconveniencing motorists by marching in the streets, the calculation one makes is to "take the consequences." When participating in a protest, I always advise people to know in advance what the consequences of certain actions will be and to likewise know in advance what consequences one is prepared to accept. The consequence of blocking traffic, according to our laws, is a citation. The consequence of disobeying a legal order by the police, like an order to disburse, is arrest and trial. I'm not certain of the legal consequence of breaking curfew, but I am certain that it is not to be attacked with gas and explosives. I am certain that being beaten by cops is not a legal remedy. What has been happening in Seattle, across the US, and around the world is an extralegal, meaning an illegal, attack on our rights to assemble, speak, and protest, carried out by the police, and now, in the case of Washington DC, the military, and sanctioned by our elected representatives, Republicans and Democrats alike.

There are some who respond to these illegal attacks on CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: This is Not About Peace: This is About Power and Control