bevedog

Like all of you, I’m sure, I’m heartbroken by the fascist ICE killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez in Chicago. I spent too much time yesterday watching streaming coverage from Minneapolis with feds running wild in the streets. The day before was the day of the Twin Cities general strike which I found so inspiring.

Today Colorado Springs held a demonstration in sympathy. I went to make sure I was part of keeping our numbers high and in hopes of meeting up with friends. I have been to a bunch of these demonstrations, and today’s was the first that was a bad/weird experience for me. This post is gonna be kind of whiny, so if you aren’t in the mood for that, probably just skip it!

First of all, it was just cold. Not Minnesota cold, so I don’t want to complain too much, but 18F/feels like 9F is colder than I usually encounter. It did mean that it was comfortable to wear a fleece face covering. I’m feeling more paranoid about state surveillance than I have been for previous protests, so I was happy to have my face covered. I turned my phone off too.

The biggest problem with today was the same problem we have had for a while in COS, and in some ways it’s a good problem to have: the accustomed space for demonstrations, in front of City Hall, is completely inadequate. Participants are kept on a narrow sidewalk and now that we are routinely turning out multiple hundreds of people, it’s cramped, difficult to move, and altogether ineffective. I’m not sure why the organizers don’t move a few blocks south to the plaza of the Pioneers Museum.

I brought a sign to give a friend at the protest, but because of the crowd I couldn’t find her. I don’t normally like to carry a sign because I like to take photos instead, so I ended up just folding the sign up and putting it in my pocket.

One of the first things that happened once I joined the crowd is that someone tried to put something in my pocket. I turned around and asked what she was doing, and she said, “oh it’s a spice packet! You had your hands full so I thought I’d just put it in your pocket.” I was like “Um, OK, maybe don’t do that!” and the guy she was with also said “oh yeah, let’s not do that!” I did give her a copy of the zine I had with me on how to report ICE, so I hope I wasn’t too big a jerk to her.

I was taking photos with my old 35mm Nikon, and shot the last few photos on the roll, then went to change the roll. I had gloves on and had some trouble loading the film, and after I shot one exposure on the new roll, the shutter stopped working. Later when I looked at it, the shutter was damaged, so I think I stuck my cold, gloved finger through the shutter. So now my camera needs service before it will work again. Hope I won’t have to replace the camera completely!

I started taking photos with my new compact digital camera. People don’t always want their photos taken at demonstrations, but understand that there are dozens and dozens of people taking photos here; professional media with still cameras and video cameras, what look like hobbyists with professional gear and long lenses, and every tenth person has their phone out taking photos or video. But one person, a woman about my age, seemed to believe my camera and I were a threat. She asked to see my sign, “ALL YOU FASCISTS BOUND TO LOSE!” and asked if I was pro- or anti-ICE. I told her, probably rudely, I was anti-ICE and told her to leave me alone. She said that some people didn’t like having their photos taken, so I suggested she mask up like I did. She continued to try and fashjacket me, following me a short distance, saying I looked like a “coal roller,” and taking video of me up close. “Facial recognition will work on just your eyes,” she said. I told her in no uncertain terms to fuck off and leave me alone.

I spent the next half hour trying to walk to various places to take photos with my digital camera and remembering why I don’t like digital cameras. It seemed like everything I did with my clumsy gloved hands ended up randomly changing settings on the camera. I think I got a few decent photos (in this post), but nothing great.

I went home feeling frustrated instead of connected with my fellow COS antifascists, as I did after the “No Kings” protests. But it’s not all about me, so I’m glad Colorado Springs showed out in solidarity with the Twin Cities, and everyone who is resisting DHS and American fascism. It’s great in this right-wing city to see so many people in the street and getting so much support from passing motorists.