What are you doing?
"If you ever wondered what you would do during the Civil Rights Movement...you are doing it now!"
That's what the sign says in this poignant picture taken near the office of D.C. Senator Paul Strauss at 16th & L in Washington D.C. as protesters were met by uninvited, active military in our nation’s capital. 1968, during the uprising after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., was the last time the federal government sent troops into D.C. Not exactly enough to deduce a pattern, but it does make one think...
Also, if they were a state, the Governor would have to approve deploying federal troops in D.C., but it's not a state, and though Mayor Bowser has repeatedly said they are not needed or wanted, they didn't need her approval and entered the city.
What else is wrong with this picture? There are no clearly identifying emblems or a name on the uniforms of the troops. Not even an American flag on the arm! There are also reports that some being brought in were federal prison officers from all over the country because they were under the control of the federal government. Did this put an unnecessary strain on staffing at the federal prisons? I'd like to know.
If I have not outraged you yet, this should... A sitting President ordering peaceful protesters tear gassed prior to curfew, without warning according to the NBC news analyst covering live as it happened, so the President could get a photo op in front of a church holding a bible is a gross misuse/abuse of the power of the Presidency! This is not about who the President is, or what party they belong to. This is about the future of the role of the Presidency. NO President, as a leader of ALL the people should use his office in such a self-serving manner at the expense of other Americans' right to free speech and peaceful protest. It is a slippery slope down a very dark road we travel when we allow this to happen and don't speak up!
So what are you going to do?
This young woman's sign was the best one I have seen and is a great question. With the pandemic scare we are all living with, it is not easy, or safe, for everyone to get out and march in a protest, but there are other things you can do.
The worst thing you can do is nothing.
Stand up! Speak up! Be Strong!
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