Below is a few excerpts from an email exchange between me and a police officer in Will County, Illinois who at one time was my partner, a person with a hell of a lot of integrity and heart. Someone I learned a lot from but someone I feared was misguided by the system. The emails exchanged contained more than just the following but this is specific to the 99% movement going on across the world so I took out the parts that were important. I have re-read the emails and there are typos that will not be corrected, this is verbatim.
After putting together these pieces of the email I once again was able to soften my resentment and disgust with the police. While this does not excuse the behavior of the police in New York City, Phoenix or anywhere else that they have used their position of power to abuse the freedoms, ideals and bodies of the public it certainly has hit a bit of a reset button on my compassion for them and reminded me that they are people too and may need more guidance, love and light than any other person during this time of great change in our world. They are the next people whose hearts we have to light up before we can get to the military or to the 1% that need the most love of all. The Universe softened me in San Francisco yesterday as I marched side by side with the police who were there to contain us on the right side of the street, for some of them I felt their fear, for others I felt their ego and unwillingness to allow the higher self to come through. Today I received an email from a loved one which I no longer speak with on a regular basis(she must have been the "returning old friend or loved one" from the 2 tarot cards and fortune cookie the other day)and through our exchange, my compassion expanded. I am thankful to her and to the Universe for assisting me in expanding the things I am asking for assistance with.
Here is the exchange...
Her: Your profile picture interested me. I see you next to a marine protesting. I'm glad you are getting out there! I can't read the signs though... the picture is too small. what/where was the protest? how did it turn out. how did you feel doing it and after?
Me: I am not sure if you have heard of the "Occupy Together" movement yet or the 99%(though I have a feeling being pretty socially conscious and a police officer you have, I've seen Joliet has had Occupy Joliet protests)but that is what the protest was. October 15th 2011 was a worldwide day titled "O15 Occupy The World" where people protested in over 1,000 cities on every continent(cept Antarctica)and in over 85 countries. The movement started on Wall St in NYC on Sept 17th and is an ongoing protest that has spread worldwide and will not stop until things change or the system collapses. The 99% movement is great because it's a blend of all types of people, hence the picture of me with the marine veteran. I personally like to thank soldiers who wear their uniforms to the protests(especially in NYC, where the NYPD has been brutally assaulting protestors)because we need the regimented police and military types to wake up and realize they are part of us and not the 1%(unless they choose to be). Basically, everything I have wanted to see come to life over the past few years is starting to. Soldiers from all of the branches assembled in NYC on Wall St in uniform and gathered together when the NYPD were pepper spraying peaceful protestors saying "let's see the police pepper spray a military veteran, that would be a good thing for the public to see on the news" people are fed up, the police are just afraid but the more we greet them with love and gratitude it will assist them in waking up and that's the way we can show them they are part of the 99%. Another good example was in Phoenix where 100 riot officers surrounded 40 peaceful protestors and started pepper spraying them and the protestors just chanted "we love you" as they were being pepper sprayed, it's all coming to a head. The marines sign says "The 99% is waking up and we are taking our country BACK!" also says "End the Fed" and "Welcome to the Revolution". My sign is a quote from Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" essay. I decided to align myself with the protest march in San Francisco for the O15 Occupy the World event because here in San Jose the movement was smaller. San Francisco's federal reserve bank is the biggest on the west coast and is in charge of the money for California and about 10 other states plus Guam, American Samoa and the Mariana Islands. We marched on the SF federal reserve then to city hall and marched on city hall, then back to the camp where people are sleeping and able to eat donated food, etc. The SF police were overall very civil with us for this particular march(with a few asshole officers, of course. I watched one try to run over 2 guys from Italy on their motorcycle)and the protestors were peaceful and I don't believe any arrests were made yesterday both just or unjust so that's good. We marched on Well's Fargo headquarters, Chase, Bank of America and US Bank too on the way back to camp. Thousands of people, I may be on the OccupySF website front page or videos cause I was right next to the people who were giving speeches on the megaphones on the steps of city hall(so if you see a dude in an orange bandana then you know who it is). The 99% movement is a very liberal movement but not a Democrat or leftist movement. It's liberal in the definition of the world seperate from the political ties just people who are simply tired of the status quo(though the Tea Party and right wing media has tried to label us as liberal, welfare loving hippies)I first hand have seen people of all ages, political and religious views out there saying "fuck you" to Wall St, the banks and telling the US gov(or gov's of the other countries) "if you won't fix the problem, we will." I say, come what may.
Her:
That movement sounds awesome! I'm going to have to look into it. I've actually had some interesting conversation with a few people I work with about this. Most of them believe that there will be some kind of civil war coming because they can feel the changes going on. Surprisingly, there have been some who are enlightened enough like me that they feel conflicted about their roll in all of this should some upheaval occur. I'm happy for you. I'm happy that you are doing something meaningful and you are making a difference like you always wanted.
Me: I too believe there may be a civil war between the classes based on wealth. That's why I believe it's important to help the police and military that aren't able to see through the BS they were sold on so they can embrace their authentic self and the side they are really on. I'd like to see the 1% and 99% unite but weve been shown time and time again that those in power will not relinquish it without it being taken. I think this grassroots movement is starting in a very healthy way but I think as time goes on tolerance for police brutality and government lies will be less and less tolerated, I'm hoping the protestors don't get violent(even though the police clearly have) but as I said before, come what may and whatever needs to happen will happen. Can't have vegetables to feed people or animals and sustain life without water. Can't have sunshine with the rain so to speak.
You wanting to be a cop has presented an interesting dynamic to my personal growth, I always pictured us being able to unite somehow in a protest but I always knew it may be hard decision to make for a police officer with integrity to be a go between for the movement and the police line while in uniform. I think ultimately the police will have to decide if they want to continue to serving the evil powers or join the side they are actually part of, it's an interesting fragmentation for sure. I think many police officers just believe that we as a species cannot self govern, I believe we can and though I think that's a bit down the pipe of evolution for now, I do see it happening, we have after all come this far and there is a huge spiritual awakening taking place behind all of this. I think the cops who want to march around and abuse their power driven by their ego will take the protests personally and end up aligning with the "bad guys" in the long run and police/military who are good hearted, maybe scared just like the rest of us and want to serve the public, cops such as yourself will eventually align against Wall St, the corrupt governments and the major corporations. How it will all play out? That's beyond me and until the intuition comes through to our collective human consciousness we will just have to wait.
Everytime I think of you in regards to this protest I always think of the question I asked after we watched "Battle in Seattle". "What will you do when it comes down to the people vs those in power and the police are asked to stand in the way on behalf of those in power?"
I'm not worried that you'll act out of integrity, I don't see you being able to act the way a lot of the NYPD have but I also know of good cops out there other than yourself. I was in NYC on September 11th and the NYPD were very kind to me whenever I needed directions(except one guy), overly polite in fact. I don't know if we were softened by the anniversary but New Yorkers were friendly over all, much different than what I've seen in the protests on Wall St.
I am also happy to hear that some of your co-workers are finding themselves torn should this turn into a civil war style revolution, because the police officers that feel scared of the changes and to go after the corporate government will ultimately choose to do what is right and not exactly what is the law. I don't think there is a good hearted cop in the world right now that isn't conflicted about the revolution that has started. I am flattered by the support of so many different types of people. I have marched with gays, people of all races, young, old, foreigners, anarchists, democrats, republicans, Christians, Muslims, buddhists, businessmen in suits, soldiers, pot smoking hippies, grandmothers, baby boomers, Generation X, Y and Z, lawyers, firemen, city workers(bus drivers and train operators), homeless people and possibly cops(haven't met any personally yet). I cannot wait to see when we have police AND military marching with us IN uniform. I said the following about the protest before I went...
"Those who protested beside Martin Luther King Jr, the Vietnam war, Kent State, Battle in Seattle, all of the cities that protested the Bush war in 2003 and anybody else who ever stood up for what's right October 15th 2011 is YOUR day, it's OUR day, the day for the 99% to march against evil in over 85 countries and over 1000 cities. Today we won't hear the chants of "the whole world is watching" instead, the whole world is PROTESTING!!! I'm off to San Francisco, the road I must travel it's end I cannot see."
That is what is great about this movement, the evil powers that have been doing people wrong for so long have finally fed up and Americans have finally gotten off their asses and made an effective protest that has spread like a wildfire to the rest of the world. Those who look at us as able to lead the globe have felt a sense of being able to do so since America finally stood up. I guess something we as people could learn on a personal, spiritual and social/economical level is to not wait until we are miserable or completely fucked to do something. All of the other protests in the US and the world over the past 40 years have been based on one issue or another, this is a spiritual awakening and revolution for everyone covering everything. The only thing that concerns me is that we may stop because nobody wants this to get violent but truthfully I don't think the 1% are going to give up their charade without some extreme form of civil disobedience. Everything in it's time and I say let them bring it to us and right now with the police brutality that is spreading due to city officials growing impatient with the protests the 1% is bringing it to our front door and starting the fight through the police. Next will be the military(like they did at Kent State and Seattle in 1999)and then the divide will happen. Authority figures of the 99% with a conscience will have revelations and realize that it's okay to be afraid and that the true power of a person isn't based on order, structure, ridgid guidelines, badges, guns or uniforms. I can't wait until this all comes to a head!! A better world for everyone!!
As for me making a difference the years of 2009 and 2010 were meant to be very politically/socially charged for me. It's why I met you, why I educated myself on a lot of the political BS and trying to see if I identified with the Democrats or Republicans and in all of this I learned a lot about the golden rule. I was just shocked and felt betrayed through 09 and 10 about all of the stuff I was uncovering, I knew about corruption but didn't realize how deep it ran. Now, I'm able to come at it with a passion. I consider passion to be a love of something mixed with rage over something you want to see improve. A blend of the negative and positive emotions...how it discharges from the soul is up to the individual.
Written: San Jose, California 2011
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