Mickey Z. -- World News Trust
Aug. 19, 2013
"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."
Key word: Peaceably.
Activists of all stripes love to brandish the First Amendment as a shield, but in reality it’s just a jumble of words vague enough to validate, say, the NYPD tear-gassing the unarmed humans who ran a public kitchen that operated on bicycle-generated energy and supplied free food for the homeless.
As long as our enemies control the definition of the word “peaceably,” justice will remain elusive if not impossible. Like a casino, the game is rigged and house plays only to win -- and this often means re-imagining language itself.
You might even call it the “Dictionary of the 1%.”
Define “Peaceably”
I remember back in October 2011, when NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly told tales of (unarmed) protestors (purportedly) "targeting" (heavily armed) cops at the original Zuccotti Park occupation.
"These people wanted to have confrontation with the police for whatever reason. Somehow, I guess it works to their purposes," Kelly told WCBS in New York before adding the obvious: "They’re going to be met with force when they do that."
Kelly went on to add: "We’re going to accommodate them as long as they do it peacefully and in accordance with the laws and regulations."
He had no comment, of course, on members of his police force “peacefully” remaining in accordance with any “laws and regulations.”
Over the years, I've often heard activists talking (boasting, even) about how peaceful they are. Without getting into the pros and cons of dissidents being so proud of obeying laws, I will confidently declare that dissent in the U.S. is definitely not peaceful.
There's nothing truly non-violent about any environment surrounded by heavily armed defenders of the corporate status quo -- no matter how many folk songs you sing or organic banana peels you compost.
The reason why the Zuccotti Park occupation was perceived by most as a non-violent protest is because the mercenaries of the 1% created a ring around it -- filming the occupiers' every move and threatening immediate and unrestricted violence towards anyone it deemed as a worthy target.
The occupiers may have displayed almost exclusively peaceful behavior but the brutal logic of violent deterrence was a 24/7 factor influencing this choice. If someone in OWS had wanted to try a different tack, well, Ray Kelly already explained that one: "They’re going to be met with force."
Enter the Blue Bloc
They dress alike.
They often hide their faces behind masks.
They even hide their identities.
They are armed, well armed.
They have demonstrated an irrefutable willingness to utilize their weapons.
They travel in groups. They sometimes travel alone.
They act in groups. They sometimes act alone.
They interpret or ignore laws as they see fit.
They are infiltrators and provocateurs.
They watch your every move.
They have been terrorizing certain communities since, well… forever.
They are a clear and present threat to nearly everyone's freedom.
They are the Blue Bloc.
Made up of the local, state, and federal law enforcement (sic) officers and agents, the Blue Bloc possesses a wide array of taxpayer subsidized, military-style weaponry -- including biological (pepper spray) and sonic (LRAD) -- in the name of taking on an enemy (sic) armed (sic) with signs, chalk, musical instruments, cameras, and mobile libraries and kitchens.
The Blue Bloc is ever ready to unleash a coordinated, relentless assault on the sacred tenets of the First Amendment -- and its members are deeply conditioned to believe in this often unlawful mission.
"Disparate groups are being conflated, across ideological and tactical divides, and presented as a united 'threat,'" writes Will Potter, thus explaining how the FBI "creates terrorism threats by directly training agents to believe they exist."
Define “Order”
Here in NYC, when Mayor Bloomberg's private army goes on an arrest binge, the ostensible reasons range widely (obstructing traffic, making signs, wearing masks) but the old standby is: disorderly conduct.
In other words, it's illegal to conduct oneself in a disorderly manner. But who's discerning disorder from order?
In the Land of the Free™, this task is delegated to those heavily armed men and women wearing blue costumes. The unarmed folks sharing free food, playing guitars, and setting up think tanks? They allegedly have no say in deciding how order is defined.
What the 1% calls "order" is threatening all life on the planet and thus requires the 99% to embrace militant noncompliance… pronto. The future is counting on us to remain disorderly because orderly conduct is not going to stop the 1% from sabotaging the future.
Many times during my public talks over the years, I've presented this bit: "How many of you think the ecosystem and most forms of life in it are in peril?" (All hands are raised).
Then: "How many think those in power -- those most responsible for putting the planet in peril -- will voluntarily relinquish their power any time soon?" (No hands raised.)
At this point, I deliver the predictable punchline: "So, if most of us think the planet is in peril but the elites are not going to surrender their power, I have one more question: How much more are we willing to tolerate before we act?"
Suggestion: Become the “disorder” you wish to see in the world.
Outrage + Outreach = Outcomes
In the face of such deception and disinformation, we need to relentlessly reach out to the 99% so they can decide for themselves who is and isn't a "terrorist."
This will require a broad gamut of informed activists fully aware of their rights and hip to the tactics that will be employed against them as they struggle for global justice. We don't need any more political prisoners.
We must work in tight cohesion within our trusted community, e.g. support our allies and always ensure that no one in our circle is marginalized and that all within your group understand the obligations of solidarity.
Unity and trust among activists can help serve as a bulwark against inevitable and extralegal law enforcement devices. Once we have reached that point, another world is truly possible -- a world in which peaceably will mean peaceably, disorder will reign, and the entire planet will be a designated free speech zone.
#shifthappens
NYC Event Alert: Mickey Z. will give a talk after a screening of The Cove on Aug. 31 at Bluestockings. Join us to discuss how all our grievances and all our solutions are connected… and please spread the word.
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Mickey Z. is the author of 11 books, most recently the novel Darker Shade of Green. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on an obscure website called Facebook. Anyone wishing to support his activist efforts can do so by making a donation here.
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