Gaza and Grant

I was at a demonstration this week, across the street from my house, for Oscar Grant--a young unarmed Black man shot by BART police. Soon after I left the demonstration, some other people left to march and soon after a "riot" ensued. I say "riot" just because I'm not too trust-worthy of the media and regular folks' opinions of such matters. There were looters and many businesses, some owned by people of color, were destroyed, but I'm not sure if "riot" is the appropriate term.

I didn't know what happened after the peaceful portion of the demonstration until the following day. And I was shocked. A few things stood out: the quotes from people who destroyed the businesses, saying things like "Oscar Grant lost his life; they could lose a little store;" and the folks from "Revolution Books" in Berkeley in the mix. Both things pissed me off. We never seem to get what solidarity means or even having someone's back, in either case. We hurt each other and ourselves. In the case of "Revolution Books," it sickens me (of course assuming this is even true) that these elders weren't looking out for the youngsters of color on the street, now with criminal records if they didn't have one already.

When I was working with the young people today, they naturally had a lot to say about Grant. And I let them talk for a while. They argued about whether the cop had a 9mm or a 35mm. Definitely a 35mm, one said, and the rest agreed. They knew this based on the fuzzy video recording and their extensive knowledge of handguns. They live in Oakland. They argued about the type of cuffs the police used, plastic or metal. Well, he wouldn't be able to move his arms that way if they were metal, one said, and they all agreed. They argued about his record and how quickly BART police would find out that information compared to Oakland P.D. They argued about the different markings on police cars and how you know the rank of the officer. They argued about police jurisdictions and tactics. They live in Oakland. I stared at them amazed, shocked really. This is their reality. And I looked at the assignment I had for them to practice reading comprehension, a letter from Rachel Corrie, one that she wrote just a month before a bulldozer made in the United States ran her over in Palestine.

So I asked the kids if they knew what was happening in Gaza and if they knew about Palestine and Israel. They didn't. I explained. In my mind I kept thinking about the posters at the demonstration earlier that week, comparing Gaza and Oakland. At the time, I was a bit unsure about the comparison. Then we read Corrie's letter where she talks about how the school children feel, never knowing if they will be bombed, not having a safe place to go, always cautious.

"What does she mean when she says 'global power structure'?" I asked. "That the U.S., the government, forever be meddling with people. Here too, you know? I mean, folks trying to party on New Years and stay safe, so they take the BART. But then they get shot there too. Folks over there too...getting shot for not doing anything."