I believe another world is possible'.By Trish Kahle
If you’re o
ne of those people wondering why in the world those people are down there, if you’re one of those people wondering what’s making us sleep out in the cold, if you’re one of the people who tells us to just wait and vote, this message is for you.I’m occupying because I have a degree from one of the country’s top colleges, a decade of work experience and I rarely get called back for any jobs I have applied for.
I’m occupying for Troy Davis and for Shaka Sankofa–because I will not allow this government and this system to continue lynching Black men and calling it justice.
I’m occupying because back when I had a decent part-time job (making $9.50/hour), and I was so scared of doing something wrong and being fired that my hands would shake all day and my jaw was constantly sore from the tension. It ended up affecting my job performance so much that I was let go.
I’m occupying because I have been protesting the wars and the international crimes carried out in my name for too long.
I’m occupying because being told I must choose between Democrats and Republicans is like being told I must choose to drink antifreeze or drain cleaner.
I’m occupying because a war criminal can come to my city and charge $80 a ticket to talk about “peace.”
I’m occupying against the segregation of my city, which fifty years after the sit-ins at Woolworth’s began still stands at 86%.
I’m occupying because the wealth doesn’t belong to the people who create it. They steal it from us and call it development.
I’m occupying because there are more empty homes in my city than there are homeless people, because the foreclosures continue and escalate.
I’m occupying because politicians are content with business as usual and business as usual is Goldman Sachs running the country.
I’m occupying for amnesty. The people to arrest are the bankers and traders–not the undocumented.
I’m occupying because I live in a country where a person’s sexuality makes them a target and gender marks a person for violence, and this is unacceptable.
I’m occupying because we need a world without police and the brutality they inflict, a world without prisons and mass incarceration of people of color.
I’m occupying because with the money spent on war and occupation over the last decade the US government could have provided every unemployed person with a living wage job.
I’m occupying because what I’ve just described isn’t life. It’s alienation at best and a death sentence at worst. This system is broken, and we are the only ones who can fix it.
I’m occupying because I believe another world is possible–a world free of oppression and exploitation, a world where people come first, and the ugly spectre of profit is absent from our lives.
I’m occupying because I believe that the world is worth fighting for.
This article was first published on I Can't Believe We Still Have To Protest This Shit
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