OccupyICEPDX continues

The Occupation is young, furious, and adrenalin-fueled, and as the occupation lengthens and sleep deprivation kicks in, the spirit in the camp is a little less loving and compassionate, a little more pissed off and guarded. Many regard the entire government as the Enemy, and they see old white people as particularly untrustworthy, and I certainly don't blame them for either belief. Many are so young they have not protested before and don't know the old activists. They carry signs that say Silence is Complicity, Trump is a Fascist, and Trust Nobody. 

They are more fierce than ever about not being photographed, so this pair of people with a skateboard said I could make a photo only if I cut their heads off and let them see the LCD panel and go both forward and back to be sure I hadn't sneaked a shot. A group of us led a meditation, and while I was taking a photo of the group (cutting heads off) a security person came rushing up to shout at me, "We don't allow photography unless you have permission!" I explained that I had permission and that I was not including faces, and everyone in the group vouched for me, but I still had to show her the photo. 

The young feel they have been betrayed by everyone over 30, and they have reason to feel that. The complete lack of governmental response to the youth-led Gun Control marches has fueled their belief that nobody in power gives a damn about them. One contingent today asked that nobody post anything more on social media. I have not posted anything more on Facebook, and I am cheating a bit with this post, but I think it's really important to document what's happening. For one thing, our occupation has encouraged similar events in other American cities; for another, it's how you grow your group, and many of the organizers feel that having critical mass at the encampment seems the best way to protect it. 

I came home for a rest and will be returning to the encampment for the vigil tonight, but I think I'll stick with this photograph and the Extra taken yesterday, which shows you the way the camp is set up. Today all the empty spaces have been filled.

P.S. The Biblical references have to do with Jeff Sessions' use of Bible texts to justify tearing children from their mothers. You can google it if you haven't heard, and if you can tolerate the hypocrisy. The recent Trump edict that children will from now on be imprisoned with their parents (imprisoned, as if that is normal) does not include reunification of the two thousand (or ten thousand, the numbers vary that much, according to whose account you read) young children who have already been separated from their parents with, as some parents tell it, no way for those parents to find their incarcerated children. There's an article here.