Code Pink Journals CodePINK Journals

Work 4 Peace,Hold All Life Sacred,Eliminate Violence! I am on my mobile version of the door-to-door, going town-to-town holding readings/gatherings/discussions of my book "But What Can I Do?" This is my often neglected blog mostly about my travels since 9/11 as I engage in dialogue and actions. It is steaming with my opinions, insights, analyses toward that end of holding all life sacred, dismantling the empire and eliminating violence while creating the society we want ALL to thrive in

Thursday, October 06, 2011

The people who choose and the people who have no choice

Thousands of activists showed up today at the plaza, along with lots of media, although I do not know if any mainstream media was there. Hopefully they were.

It is dark, late, close to midnight and I have returned to the truck parked in a neighborhood by Jenefer's home, to quickly grab my sleeping bag and pillow and I will return to the plaza. When I left the plaza, it looked like 50+ people were sleeping on the sides of the plaza already.

I walk the 1.8 miles to the truck, down Pennsylvania to Constitution, passed the Capitol, and the streets are strewn with bodies. Many are sleeping on benches, in alcoves, across doorways, only slight humps under their ratty sleeping bags or cheap polyester holy blankets; or occasional muffled hacking coughs from a pile of thin, warn blankets hinting at life under covers. Cement sidewalks or metal slatted benches become the mattress, huge umbrellas or folded newspapers the protection from light, chill, and potential rain.

The people who are choosing to 'sleep' outside, and the people who have no choice but to sleep outside. Let us count our privileges.

Hopefully not a foretelling....

The presence of white men is overwhelming. Their voice is predominant on the stage. The white womyn that are on stage are mostly for singing and entertaining.

It seems there are 2 men here for every one womon; and very few people of color. Sad, sad, sad.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be more diverse, at the very least on the stage!

The revolution has begun... to be continued

For true - we are thousands, from all over the U.S., some affiliated with organizations, some not. Some with backpacks, bicycles, rumpled t-shirts, wrinkled jeans; others empty-handed, evidence of near-by hotel rooms or local homes, in crisp shirts, a rare tie, and flowing skirts.The evidence of PINK abounds!

The plaza is a rectangle sitting maybe 12 or so small steps up from street level, 2 blocks from the White House in the west, with a clear, distant view of the Capitol to the east down a wide, old building & tree-lined street. There are four canopies bordering the longer north side of the plaza: legal, food not bombs, media/main organizers, and medical.In the center of the plaza, two long information tables stand parallel to each other overflowing with charts, sign-up sheets, calendars.

CodePINK has made an art center (actually lacking in the color pink), between the info tables and the last 1/3 of the plaza, on top of a round area of grass flourishing in the center of the marble and granite floor (like the counter tops in remodeled or new kitchens around the nation). We spread our hot pink banners on the ground around the circular western boundary and ring the edges of the circle with large refrigerator boxes that people spend the day painting as foreclosed houses and the ordinary shelters housing homeless people..

We will sleep in these 'houses' occupying the plaza.

The stage opens, general assemblies are being called, committees formed, Food Not Bombs feeds. Actions, strategies, plans discussed and shaped. Democracy in Action!

Lots of cameras in evidence, but little main stream media. Wikileaks has a small u-haul type truck, and the people's media has a large school bus painted white parked along the perimeter. I wish I can park my truck here but legal parking doesn't begin until 7pm and lasts only until 7a.m.

Dick Gregory speaks, Ann Wright speaks: every other speaker is white & male. Hopefully, this does not portend the shade & shape of future stage.

CodePINK Step Back!!! NEVER!

I have already heard at least three times that CodePINK is being accused of taking over - that we need to be quieter, step back, go behind, be behind.

I can't believe I am hearing this parroted from CodePINKers as well as others. We need to confront this as sexist, misogynist fears and demands.

Step forward, take over, lead!!!