Hong Kong Protests Day 3 - The Students

“The young do not know enough to be prudent and therefore they attempt the impossible – and achieve it, generation after generation." ~Pearl S. Buck, American writer

Monday - September 30, 2014

The protestors come out at night. It’s cooler at night, and it’s not unusual for Hong Kong locals to spend their outdoor time after the hot tropical sun has gone down. As for the demonstrators, certainly the evening coolness is far more comfortable for a gathering of such significant volume; there’s also the silent understanding that, when it comes to getting through a night on the streets, there’s strength in numbers.

The students, who have been given permission by their professors to skip classes during the day, are joined by workers who have put in their regular nine-to-five and are prepared to spend the night on the streets with them in Central. Perhaps even the professors themselves are joining in, quietly acquiescing to their students’ cause and silently supporting their stance by joining the protests after classes are dismissed.

These are not “professional” demonstrators – these are college kids, teenagers glued to their cell phones, young women chatting with their girl friends, young men wearing t-shirts and jeans, sitting on the asphalt reading books and playing video games. The scrawled message on the side of the scaffolding is clear evidence that this is a grass-roots movement stemming from the most basic desire for change; it’s certainly the first time I’ve ever seen graffiti in Hong Kong.

But at no time have these demonstrations appeared rag-tag or disorganized; rather there’s a unified determination in these ad hoc gatherings to stand strong and fight for a democratic future with political freedoms. Clearly, these students see the far-reaching arm of heavy-handed political maneuvering stretching south toward their island city and see no choice but to react, swiftly and stubbornly, fighting for their civil rights before it’s too late. The odds are not in their favor, but they see no alternative but to try.

Tonight their cell phones will light up the streets of Central and we’ll hear them singing and chanting, gaining strength in their numbers, quietly and steadily defying the authorities. Yet despite all their mobile devices and"connectivity" they won't have the slightest idea just how far their voices are carrying, nor will they be able to see the growing silent majority gathering steadily behind them. On the streets and from their tents in Central, there's no way they could possible know just how very much the world is now watching.