Security

I am politically and morally opposed to men doing "security", especially and most particularly "for" women.

All our lives, we have been told men will protect us, take care of us, keep us from harm.

We all know that men, most of whom have once claimed to love a woman, the men a woman knows are the ones who are most likely to harm, hurt, do violence against her.

How are men going to protect us from them?

We are more then capable of protecting ourselves, should we decide to claim our power and take the steps we need to take to do so.

I am tired of men stepping up, puffing up their chests, poking into other men, under the guise of "protecting" women.

The other issue I have with "security", is once again, after spending a month in D.C. at both Occupies, after traveling and visiting at least 6 or 7 Occupies on my way to Atlanta, returning to D.C. and visiting another 4 or so Occupies, and then traveling from D.C. all the way to Oakland and most likely stopping at 20 Occupies along the way, "security" too often is about protecting those that "have" from those that "have not".

"Security" is a term that is all too often used to mask racism, classism. The rush to make sure those that have so very little cannot "steal" from those who have more smacks of exactly what the 1% do: hire guards, build tall fences, put so much time, resources and energy into pilfering, hoarding, and protecting their goods from those that do not have them.

Are we, the "99%" not pointing the finger at the 1% and accusing them of taking too much, taking more then their share, taking while depriving the rest of us?

We do not need "security" to protect those that have from those that have not. We need to recognize and be willing to be accountable for layers of privilege and of oppression.We need "community liaisons", or "community builders" so we can really be the 99%, and care about oppression, foreclosures, police brutality, not just when we want to form a 99% union, not just when it impacts a here-to-fore thriving middle class, but from since the beginning of this country thru to now.

We need "security" to protect ourselves from patriarchy/misogyny/sexism that makes us feel incapable of taking care of ourselves, that undermines our self-confidence, that tells us we are not "safe" unless there is a man guarding us.

We need "security" to protect ourselves from racism and white supremacy that is addicted to the needs of superiority and inferiority, that fills whites with privilege, guilt, resentment, anger; that exploits and destroys the lives, communities, cultures of people of color.