Demonstrators & cops show that we as humans are stronger than corporate bullies.
At the end of a long, victorious day for demonstrators, a small group of about 12-15 cops and an equal amount of activists ended up in Pershing Square, cleaning up & talking things over. When the two groups got together & made efforts to listen to one-another there was no problem developing & building on a mutual respect. This was an instance of human beings showing that under the right circumstances, corporate bullies cannot smother the power of *ALL* people to bargain & educate each another. The police stated that they don't understand why so many protesters have to cover their faces. When one woman explained the usage of vinegar solution, a few officers said, quite honestly I believe, that they had never heard of that. Police also showed concern that many protesters do not vote. They believed that many were there without proper knowledge of their purpose, but the police also admitted that they have little specific knowledge of the policies adopted by the businessmen and politicians that they are protecting. A few officers expressed disappointment at not getting to see the Rage Against the Machine show & gave smiles and respect to protesters, ending the discussion with words of encouragement.
Let us not forget that we cannot expect the police to respect & attempt to understand us unless we do the same for them. We are the leaders of this movement and we need to bring all people together to fight the real bad guys--the multinational capitalists, the criminal gangs of globalization.
Original: Communicating for Peace