Another Perspective on Property Values and Smashing Windows

 It is very difficult to see "property" objectively when we live in a society and country that for at least 400 years has put the ownership of property over the lives people.

We have all internalized the glorification and pursuit of property, placing a much higher value on property than any other thing on this planet from human life, to clean water, to fresh air to breathe, to trees, soil, food, plants, insects - all the things Mother Earth provides for our survival. These ALL take a back seat at best - often they're not even in the vehicle - to the quest for the holiest grail of PROPERTY.

Before you claim you're not one of those, if we didn't value property over life, we would no longer be putting gas in our cars, using plastic or any chemical, only buying organic.

Furthermore, the value of the human being is in direct correlation to the value of the property that human has stolen, 'worked' for by exploiting the labor of others, horded for himself.

So human beings are not valued in our society because they are sacred life - or if you're religious, children of the creator.

But they are valued if they have extreme amounts of property - the more property they own, the more they are valued.


So we come to the destruction of property. We need a paradigm shift here. Is the destruction of property really violence?

I think not. I think it is the destruction of property. Why do we continue, in the light of knowing police are murdering Black people - women, children, and men - EVERY DAY as well as murdering mentally ill people, poor people, autistic people, deaf people, disabled people - all the 'weaker' members of our society, why do we continue to value property over everything else?

Police don't kill the 'stronger' people - or even people equally armed. There is no equality, no fairness in an encounter or fight with police. They are armed and dangerous.

But I digress - i don't want to talk about the police but it is the destruction of property and the definition of violence I'm talking about here.

Why do we continue to buy into the valuing of property so highly? Why do we have time to even think about property when lives are at stake, AND not just human lives here but the life of the planet is at stake.

We live in a society that values PROPERTY over ALL else.

PROPERTY is NOT important: LIVES are important.LIFE is important.

Furthermore, why does society - i.e. the wealthy - get to define "violence"? 

We need to define "violence" and wells farto is VIOLENT; crate & barrel is VIOLENT; all slave & child labor, all manufacturing practices, all banking practices that defile human life and cause irreparable damage to our planet and to human lives is VIOLENCE.

Tossing stones at property is a response to capitalism, racism, injustice. Who is to say that those of us who choose not to toss stones are responding correctly to the killing forces that prevail?

Have you ever walked around union square at night & seen destitute hungry people in rags hanging out on sidewalks in front of windows sporting a $300 vase and $4000 shoes and want to toss a brick thru that window? 

I certainly have been so enraged at the cruelty of depriving humans basic needs so someone can spend thousands on what, a pair of shoes??? that I've wanted to smash windows.

I have often wondered how people who have so little can be peaceful in the face of such wonton ugly 'luxury' and blatant deprivation of their ability to survive and thrive.

And lastly, it is the power of the media that forces us to address labeling smashing windows "violence" while ignoring and even circumventing our SHUT IT DOWN message from getting out to the broader public.

It is the power 'speaking' back to our uprising that focuses us on the smashing of windows and demands we spend our energy first agreeing with them that smashing windows is violent, and second dividing us from those who choose to smash windows as their response to the real violence of murder.

I am not advocating the smashing of windows. I am advocating awareness of divide and conquer tactics of those in power - they've had centuries to hone and sharpen this tactic that helps keep them in power - and of our never allowing these powers to move us off message.

And our message is BLACK LIVES MATTER & SHUT IT DOWN!