Jim and Sue L.
Junior Ranger
What the heck happened to May Day? Where is the May Pole with all the children dancing around dressed in their best? Where are the flower parades, pet parades and picnics in the park? When did May cease to be a celebration of Spring and turn into a day of violent, anti-government protest?
As my daughter would so succinctly put it, "WTF?"
Now I am definitely for free speech, peaceful protest and the right to "petition the government for a redress of grievances". Throughout our history, thousands and thousands of our best and brightest have laid down their lives to protect these rights and I am proud of that history, but what's with the senseless destruction of private property? What has torching five parked cars in a row and looting a Shoe-locker have to do with social reform?
Today a homogeneous group of protesters marched all over downtown Oakland and San Francisco. We had the local SEIU Union, nurses, transit workers, some of the Occupy group and everyone was carrying different signs and yelling about different things...heck, they even had a brass band and jugglers. A total circus. And, of course, there was the violent element hiding in the crowd.
It didn't take long for that element to usurp a semi-peaceful march and start smashing widows and spray painting buildings. Naturally the local police responded with arrests, the crowd turned nasty (How dare you arrest us and violate our civil right to smash cars!), tear gas was tossed and everything went to hell.
Hardworking, middle class people took the brunt of the destruction with damaged cars, broken windows and vandalized small businesses. And nobody got their point across except the vandals.
I want the May Pole back.
Sue
Yeah, yeah-I know. This is political, the forum is not the place for this and it won't happen again. But damn, I'm tired of the violence.
As my daughter would so succinctly put it, "WTF?"
Now I am definitely for free speech, peaceful protest and the right to "petition the government for a redress of grievances". Throughout our history, thousands and thousands of our best and brightest have laid down their lives to protect these rights and I am proud of that history, but what's with the senseless destruction of private property? What has torching five parked cars in a row and looting a Shoe-locker have to do with social reform?
Today a homogeneous group of protesters marched all over downtown Oakland and San Francisco. We had the local SEIU Union, nurses, transit workers, some of the Occupy group and everyone was carrying different signs and yelling about different things...heck, they even had a brass band and jugglers. A total circus. And, of course, there was the violent element hiding in the crowd.
It didn't take long for that element to usurp a semi-peaceful march and start smashing widows and spray painting buildings. Naturally the local police responded with arrests, the crowd turned nasty (How dare you arrest us and violate our civil right to smash cars!), tear gas was tossed and everything went to hell.
Hardworking, middle class people took the brunt of the destruction with damaged cars, broken windows and vandalized small businesses. And nobody got their point across except the vandals.
I want the May Pole back.
Sue
Yeah, yeah-I know. This is political, the forum is not the place for this and it won't happen again. But damn, I'm tired of the violence.
