It was truly heartening to see how many came together in solidarity with the Palestinian people and practiced community care, especially since the people in my own department tend to forget their humanity and not care about issues past their own individual needs. I was not able to support the encampment in person, so I followed updates on social media, sharing information with others off-site. I saw footage of "counterprotestors" physically assaulting and verbally harassing protestors with antiblack, racist, misogynistic, dehumanizing language. I saw footage of "counterprotestors" literally attempt murder by bringing dangerous allergens to the encampment. The night "counterprotestors" (read: domestic terrorists) brutally attacked the encampment, I remember watching an independent journalist's livestream in horror as countless assaults were caught on camera. I remember seeing someone share that they had been trying to call the ambulance for people who were injured — whoever picked up the phone said they were unable to help and hung up. I remember seeing students share their Venmos as they went to buy medical supplies for their peers. That same night, there were also reports of men carrying weapons roaming the dorms, who assaulted at least one person. The very next night, the police descended upon the encampment. I stayed up to watch livestreams once more, this time prepared to save footage of any police brutality or arrests I witnessed — looking back, how messed up is it that we were expecting our peers to be brutalized? The arrests quickly became too many for me to keep track of — later, I learned that 210 members of the encampment were arrested while none of the supremacists who were recorded harassing, assaulting, and trying to kill people have been. As the sun rose over the wreckage of the encampment, I listened to the ABC7 newscaster mourn the "damage done to Royce Hall" and praise the police for a job peacefully and well done. I felt like I should continue combing through footage, but I also had to prepare for a group project meeting — my instructors did not make any adjustments to deadlines, so I still had work due the next day. I slept for a couple hours, woke up, recorded some news footage, then did my meeting. I also listened to Gene Block blatantly lie in the Alumni Townhall that there were no severe injuries caused by the police sweep and praise the Zionist demonstration for being peaceful and getting a permit for the Jumbotron. Even though I was not physically at the encampment those two nights, I was unable to sleep for more than two consecutive hours for weeks following the attacks and have only been able to sleep with the assistance of anxiety medication. I hallucinated the sounds of screams and crashes and gunshots around me while restless in bed. This is nothing compared to what the Palestinian people must go through, who experience real violence every single minute in their homeland and even if they manage to escape, who have lost entire bloodlines to most-documented genocide in history, who have no homes to return to, who people still deny the humanity of. To those who were radicalized by the attacks on the encampment, don't let your solidarity begin and end with university encampments — keep resisting, learning and unlearning, for a liberated Palestine.
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It was truly heartening to see how many came together in solidarity with the Palestinian people and practiced community care, especially since the people in my own department tend to forget their humanity and not care about issues past their own individual needs. I was not able to support the encampment in person, so I followed updates on social media, sharing information with others off-site. I saw footage of "counterprotestors" physically assaulting and verbally harassing protestors with antiblack, racist, misogynistic, dehumanizing language. I saw footage of "counterprotestors" literally attempt murder by bringing dangerous allergens to the encampment. The night "counterprotestors" (read: domestic terrorists) brutally attacked the encampment, I remember watching an independent journalist's livestream in horror as countless assaults were caught on camera. I remember seeing someone share that they had been trying to call the ambulance for people who were injured — whoever picked up the phone said they were unable to help and hung up. I remember seeing students share their Venmos as they went to buy medical supplies for their peers. That same night, there were also reports of men carrying weapons roaming the dorms, who assaulted at least one person. The very next night, the police descended upon the encampment. I stayed up to watch livestreams once more, this time prepared to save footage of any police brutality or arrests I witnessed — looking back, how messed up is it that we were expecting our peers to be brutalized? The arrests quickly became too many for me to keep track of — later, I learned that 210 members of the encampment were arrested while none of the supremacists who were recorded harassing, assaulting, and trying to kill people have been. As the sun rose over the wreckage of the encampment, I listened to the ABC7 newscaster mourn the "damage done to Royce Hall" and praise the police for a job peacefully and well done. I felt like I should continue combing through footage, but I also had to prepare for a group project meeting — my instructors did not make any adjustments to deadlines, so I still had work due the next day. I slept for a couple hours, woke up, recorded some news footage, then did my meeting. I also listened to Gene Block blatantly lie in the Alumni Townhall that there were no severe injuries caused by the police sweep and praise the Zionist demonstration for being peaceful and getting a permit for the Jumbotron. Even though I was not physically at the encampment those two nights, I was unable to sleep for more than two consecutive hours for weeks following the attacks and have only been able to sleep with the assistance of anxiety medication. I hallucinated the sounds of screams and crashes and gunshots around me while restless in bed. This is nothing compared to what the Palestinian people must go through, who experience real violence every single minute in their homeland and even if they manage to escape, who have lost entire bloodlines to most-documented genocide in history, who have no homes to return to, who people still deny the humanity of. To those who were radicalized by the attacks on the encampment, don't let your solidarity begin and end with university encampments — keep resisting, learning and unlearning, for a liberated Palestine.
This is really well done and a great message, too.
Wow. This is beyond incredible and so vital, Free Palestine!
based as hell, will deff check this out further. Free Palestine!!