A message to all the fine folks at the IMC\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>
A message for all the fine people who gave their time to the\r\nIndependent Media Center before, during, and after the Democratic\r\nNational Convention, August 14-17, 2000. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
First of all, I want to give a loud<\/b> shout out to all of\r\nyou. You, who were able to recognize the importance of donating\r\nyour time, your talents, and your efforts, for such meaningful\r\ncauses. You, who could find more value in your long hours of work\r\nthan a mere paycheck could justify. For, there is no value\r\nhigher than humanity<\/i> and, the ability to understand this\r\ntruth far exceeds that of personal gain. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
My name is Rob Morie and I, too, was there trying to do my\r\npart amidst the hustle and confusion. You might remember me as\r\nRob, or you might just remember me as the guy in the rasta hat\r\nwith the \"sure you can trust your government, just ask\r\nany Indian\"<\/i> t-shirt. Or, maybe you don't remember me at all,\r\nbut no matter. I shall continue to face the sun whether I cast a\r\nshadow or not.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For now, I would like to cast upon you a short moment that really stuck\r\nout in my mind; More than the rally to save the Iraqi Children, (which\r\nbrought tears to my eyes)<\/i>, more than being caught up in the\r\nmiddle of intense police interventions, (where one of our own\r\npeople got run over by a bike cop)<\/i>, even more than the\r\nSweatshop Workers \/ Immigrants rally and march (the funkiest,\r\nmost dope-smokin'-ist, good time protest I've <\/i>ever<\/i><\/b>\r\nbeen to)<\/i>, was a single, uneventful matter of three or four\r\nminutes witnessed by myself alone.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On the way out to the Sweatshop Workers' rally on Thursday,\r\nAugust 17, (also the ninth wedding anniversary of my wife, Nancy, and I),\r\n<\/i> I passed a homeless man on the sidewalk outside of the\r\nStaples Center. Hispanic, appearing to be in his mid-twenties, he\r\nstood there with his hands together in prayer, crying. I\r\napproached him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Hello, sir.\" He said, \"I am homeless.\"\r\nThough his tears did not permit it, I knew he had more to say.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Are you okay?\" I asked him. He did not respond. I\r\nproceeded to explain to him that these people, the protesters,\r\nthe people carrying signs, were there for him. I said, \"These\r\npeople are here from all over the world because they care for\r\nyou and for all people who suffer from misfortunes.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The man gripped his praying hands tightly, unable to make out\r\nhis feelings in words but I knew. There was a time when my wife\r\nand I were homeless with two children and a third on the way.\r\nMany of my friends have been homeless and to this day, many of\r\nthem remain one short step away from going back onto the streets.\r\nI looked up to the Staples Center and my stomach turned. Why does\r\nthis have to be? Why must this man stand here, stripped of all\r\ndignity?<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now, this is the part where my reluctance steps in. I don't\r\nwant to toot my own horn, so to speak, but I cannot continue this\r\nstory without making it sound as though I do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After a few trips on the Blue and Red Line that day, I had a\r\nmere fifty cents to my name. I wanted to help this man, to help\r\ntake his mind off his pain and misfortune.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Here,\" I told him, handing him my bottle of water,\r\n\"Please take this.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I do not want to take from you, sir.\" the man said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Please,\" I responded, \"I want you to have this.\r\nIt's very hot and I do not want you to get heat stroke out here.\r\nIt is very important to me that you have this. Take it, please.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He reluctantly took the bottle of water and thanked me. I didn't\r\nfeel that I deserved the thanks.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
I was soon on my way again, bitter at the sight of the Staples\r\nCenter and all the people coming and going from within. It makes\r\nme sick when they say they want a better America but do whatever\r\nthey can to avoid the people whose lives really need help. Every\r\ntime I see a golf course or a wal-mart parking lot, it puts a bitter \r\ntaste in my mouth to imagine how all that wasted land could be used to\r\nbenefit the homeless. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
I was ashamed; ashamed of myself and ashamed of my country,\r\nand given a much better appreciation of the flag burning I'd\r\nwitnessed the day before. When an American flag is burned, it\r\nrepresents a sort of retribution for all the people who have been\r\nburned by the corporate government and all it's greed. It does\r\nnot say \"we hate America\". I love America and will\r\nalways stand by my fellow American, even if I am labeled by some\r\nas an upstart for caring enough to criticize it. For, I have\r\nalways believed in the Korean War motto, \"FREEDOM ISN'T\r\nFREE!\"<\/b> We have just begun to pay the price, and we\r\nshould not be afraid to march forward en route to a better\r\ntomorrow for every one of our Mother Earth's children.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In closing, let me just say this:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Before I moved to L.A. a few weeks ago, I lived in a low-income\r\narea in southern Wisconsin where hopelessness and apathy towards\r\nthese issues ran amok. Coming here and working with the IMC has\r\nbeen one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. I\r\nimplore you all, Please<\/b> don't let this end. When you all\r\ngo home to your respective cities and countries, don't forget why\r\nyou were here, and don't assume that there's enough being done\r\nwithout you. Most of all, don't let me slip back into my\r\napathetic shell of hopelessness. email me, Visit my web page,\r\ndrop me a line. I love you all; You are a bright beacon of\r\nhope in such darkened times. Okay, enough with the stoopid\r\nmetaphors. Thank you for taking the time to read this.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Peace, Love, and POWER TO THE PEOPLE!<\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n
LE ESTOY MUY AGRADECIDO<\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n
-Rob \"Jack Of Slack\" Morie<\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\n","contact":"brainworm@disinfo.net","link":"http:\/\/thebrainworm.tripod.com\/","address":"1543 Hill Drive Los Angeles, CA 90041","phone":"323-258-3991","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/html","summary":"I wanted to express my appreciation for getting to work with all you fine folks at IMC, and I would like to share with you a bit of my own, personal experience.","numcomment":2,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2000\/08\/toimc.html","filesize":"6.0 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2000\/08\/2936.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":2938,"heading":"Praise","article":"I want to thank the independent media center as well as those members of the media and general public who contribute to the website. After experiencing each day of the convention via the streets, I have been able to log on to la.indymedia.org and find out the truth about protests, issues, police misconduct, you name it.\r\n\r\nYou provide an extrememly valuable service to the community and to democracy in general. I have been spreading the word from the moment I attended the Shadow Convention at Patriotic Hall. More people need to see, hear, and read what is happening in LA and around the country.\r\n\r\nOnce again, thank you for your commitment to justice and awareness.\r\n\r\nAppreciatively,\r\nTatian Greenleaf\r\nCosta Mesa, CA","author":"Tatian Greenleaf","parent_id":2936,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2000-08-20 19:46:23","modified":"2000-08-20 19:59:25","fileurl":""},{"id":2948,"heading":"IMC-This is what democracy looks like!","article":"I want to add my appreciation for all the hard work that went into the Indy Media Center efforts. Other obligations have kept me away from Seattle, DC, Philly and LA, even as I had friends who went and marched. IMC is a vital link in building a new society, far better than the one we have. IMC lets everyone participate in the building of a vision of a society which includes everyone and leaves no one behind.\r\n\r\nEveryone can help keep the ball rolling by doing what they can in their own communities. Locally, we have an active LPFM radio movement and folks rying to organize our own Indy media Center. It needs to be done everywhere, in order to destroy the root of corporate power, their domination of the media. Think about it and then act to bring an IMC to your own town soon.","author":"rebelmike","parent_id":2936,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2000-08-20 21:31:37","modified":"2000-08-20 21:55:29","fileurl":""}]}