Thank you, Matthew and Irna, for this long and thoughtful conversation. It's a privilege to watch it.
I pretty much figured, based on police behavior towards protesters in the last 10 years, that much of the "looting" and probably the Molotov cocktails are the work of agents provocateurs. Your comments about the police arresting the protesters trying to PREVENT looting don't surprise me at all, Matthew. I'm not proud of being so cynical, and I am! The American Friends Service Committee has just posted a videotaped conversation with one of their staff in Saint Louis, who reports hearing that white men in a truck were handing out Molotov cocktails to young African-American men. That, too, outrages me, and does not shock me. It would be totally consistent with police and FBI tactics at the NATO summit protests, at Occupy in Cleveland, the framing of Muslim men in Syracuse, the 2008 RNC protests, and so on.
Building from your stories about the huge fines for minor traffic violations in Ferguson, I have a thought to throw into the mix. Probably someone there is already onto this idea, and if not, I'd love to offer it. The idea is a boycott of driving within the city limits of Ferguson. Poor people/people of African descent would park their vehicles outside the city limits, and only ride buses or bicycles within the city limits. The point would be to starve the city government of the revenue stream of fines until some demand is met (dismiss the chief of police, reform the court system, or something else important). In order to make the threat credible, supporters from around the country could be asked to contribute bicycles, bicycle trailers, helmets, snow tires, and other parts and accessories which would help the citizens of Ferguson to boycott for a long time, if necessary.
I think of you often, Matthew, and wish you lots of strength (and sweet dreams from time to time!)
Thank you, Matthew and Irna, for this long and thoughtful conversation. It's a privilege to watch it.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much figured, based on police behavior towards protesters in the last 10 years, that much of the "looting" and probably the Molotov cocktails are the work of agents provocateurs. Your comments about the police arresting the protesters trying to PREVENT looting don't surprise me at all, Matthew. I'm not proud of being so cynical, and I am! The American Friends Service Committee has just posted a videotaped conversation with one of their staff in Saint Louis, who reports hearing that white men in a truck were handing out Molotov cocktails to young African-American men. That, too, outrages me, and does not shock me. It would be totally consistent with police and FBI tactics at the NATO summit protests, at Occupy in Cleveland, the framing of Muslim men in Syracuse, the 2008 RNC protests, and so on.
Building from your stories about the huge fines for minor traffic violations in Ferguson, I have a thought to throw into the mix. Probably someone there is already onto this idea, and if not, I'd love to offer it. The idea is a boycott of driving within the city limits of Ferguson. Poor people/people of African descent would park their vehicles outside the city limits, and only ride buses or bicycles within the city limits. The point would be to starve the city government of the revenue stream of fines until some demand is met (dismiss the chief of police, reform the court system, or something else important). In order to make the threat credible, supporters from around the country could be asked to contribute bicycles, bicycle trailers, helmets, snow tires, and other parts and accessories which would help the citizens of Ferguson to boycott for a long time, if necessary.
I think of you often, Matthew, and wish you lots of strength (and sweet dreams from time to time!)
Betsy