Sister Marches

Portal de Playa del Carmen

            The day after Donald Trump took his oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" to the best of his ability, I found myself in the company of roughly 100 others, marching up Avenida Quinta from the Portal in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We ranged in age from around 10 to around 80, mostly women, but also some men, mostly from the United States but some Canadians and a few Mexicans, as well. One guy was an Italian who lived in NYC; one woman remembered being in China at the time of Tiananmen Square and wearing a mourning band on her arm throughout her visit there.

            This Sister March in Playa del Carmen was an impulse by a young American woman temporarily working in Playa and living there with her family. She and her Mexican-born husband wanted to give their kids an opportunity to live abroad in their father's country before high school and the complexities involved in teen-age life kicked in. She found and contacted the Sister March website, and in short order, listed the march for the rest of us to find.

            We joined the gathering for different reasons, but all shared the organizer's stated purpose: "Our intent [she wrote] is to gather together and enjoy the company of one another as we stroll and contemplate either in silence or in constructive dialogue the challenges we all face as part of the human rights advocacy community." It wasn't an anti-Trump march as such, but it did protest and resist certain of the new administration's avowed goals.

            On 21 January,  which now seems so long ago though it's been less than two weeks, there were already concerns that the new administration might try to roll back rights that many of us feel are fundamental to our values as Americans, such as an unfettered right to vote, along with rights considered under international law as fundamental. We might be forgiven this concern, since it was based on statements made during the campaign by the now president.

Sister March bracelets: Playa del Carmen

            The executive actions taken since the inauguration have not poured calming oils on waters stirred to the boiling point by the campaign--it might rather be said that flows of burning oil have been spilled across as much of the American landscape as could be managed in a short period.

            The response of thousands of citizens who have put aside their differences to resist these actions is laudable and hopeful. While allegations continue from die-hard supporters of the new administration that the Women's and Sister Marches are just "whining" because our candidate didn't win,  there are signs that some who originally believed in the president are reconsidering their faith.

 

            The film of the throngs at the Women’s' March, at the Right to Life March (a march is a march, and there were women who participated in both of these events), at airports and wherever they've gathered in the public square are impressive in their celebration of and commitment to their beliefs.  It is critically important both that they stay that way and that they continue.

            We need to resist at every turn the illegitimate efforts of those in the new administration who would shape national interest to personal interest regardless of  the consequences.

             But we need to have a care, as well.  There's a well-worn and rather heavy handed tactic much favored by repressive authority: goading peaceful demonstration into open conflict. This is usually managed by embedding provocateurs into crowds to manufacture violence. It can result in painful injuries--the thugs hired or encouraged to do this aren't selected for their discursive persuasion, but for their inclination to create mayhem.  They may also enjoy administering pain. To counteract it, one cannot fight back, and others in the crowd must witness and gather evidence. If possible, as many bodies as are available can "swarm" the aggressor without inflicting blows to prevent further harm being visited on the target. Disarming an attacker works, too, if it can be done without getting drawn into a brawl. It's critically important not to be tempted into further violence.

Los Angeles Sister March

            Not easy, but the up side of this kind of disruption is that it is heavy-handed, and if demonstrators don't rise to the bait, it can easily be shown for what it is: provocation (whether spontaneous or paid/incited).

            I'm not saying anyone is planning such attempts. I suggest only that we march on--with eyes peeled, cameras ready and great care, even as we engage in constructive dialogue and pay close attention one to another.