no hay ser humano ilegal
i was at an immigration rights rally and march yesterday in denver. it was also international workers day and a day of remembrance for the haymarket martyrs of 1886.
one of the speakers after the march said that police had estimated 8,000 people and another source had estimated 15,000. there were a lot of kids and families and a wide age range in general. and that was good to see. the march did not seem to be the most energetic march, especially considering the large numbers of people. But, all the same, it was an unmistakable expression of the human desire for freedom and a demand for equality and dignity.
some folks in fort collins arranged a free bus that took people to and from the rally in denver. that was really nice. i rode my bike to the meeting place, hopped on the bus, and rode right to the gathering place in denver. and after the rally, it brought us all right back.
i was feeling a bit bummed out off and on at the rally....i'm not really sure why, maybe the lack of energy i felt was there (maybe others had a different experience). sometimes i get in a cycle during which i feel like nothing makes a difference, i don't know what to do, and that capitalism co-opts almost everything. but these are just momentary funks i get in and maybe that had something to do with my feelings at the march. i recognize these feelings as being encouraged by our system, in which to have a meaningful existence is to be a successful capitalist. isolation, uncertainty, and the basic response of 'what are you wasting your time for' that is so often the attitude of mainstream entertainment and even individuals that are sometimes in our lives, all function to produce these feelings.
so, i know that those feelings are there for a reason. i get to feeling isolated and politically, socially alone because that is one of this system's defense mechanisms. and it probably sounds a little silly but during the march and rally two individuals, strangers to me, said thanks for being a part of this. i'm sure they didn't know it, but that really turned me around. it made a huge difference in the way i was feeling. and i am very grateful to them.
in that context, the march was a great success--thousands of people, from many economic classes, genders, ethnicities, and other labels got together and took it to the streets. people really do surmount the obstacle of isolation and the traps of greed and capitalism to get together and create movement that transforms our lives and this world. of course, one march isn't the end but it is one step of many.
one of the speakers after the march said that police had estimated 8,000 people and another source had estimated 15,000. there were a lot of kids and families and a wide age range in general. and that was good to see. the march did not seem to be the most energetic march, especially considering the large numbers of people. But, all the same, it was an unmistakable expression of the human desire for freedom and a demand for equality and dignity.
some folks in fort collins arranged a free bus that took people to and from the rally in denver. that was really nice. i rode my bike to the meeting place, hopped on the bus, and rode right to the gathering place in denver. and after the rally, it brought us all right back.
i was feeling a bit bummed out off and on at the rally....i'm not really sure why, maybe the lack of energy i felt was there (maybe others had a different experience). sometimes i get in a cycle during which i feel like nothing makes a difference, i don't know what to do, and that capitalism co-opts almost everything. but these are just momentary funks i get in and maybe that had something to do with my feelings at the march. i recognize these feelings as being encouraged by our system, in which to have a meaningful existence is to be a successful capitalist. isolation, uncertainty, and the basic response of 'what are you wasting your time for' that is so often the attitude of mainstream entertainment and even individuals that are sometimes in our lives, all function to produce these feelings.
so, i know that those feelings are there for a reason. i get to feeling isolated and politically, socially alone because that is one of this system's defense mechanisms. and it probably sounds a little silly but during the march and rally two individuals, strangers to me, said thanks for being a part of this. i'm sure they didn't know it, but that really turned me around. it made a huge difference in the way i was feeling. and i am very grateful to them.
in that context, the march was a great success--thousands of people, from many economic classes, genders, ethnicities, and other labels got together and took it to the streets. people really do surmount the obstacle of isolation and the traps of greed and capitalism to get together and create movement that transforms our lives and this world. of course, one march isn't the end but it is one step of many.
posted by matt iv at 6:47 AM
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