Text and photos by Ian Carmany
Today, I was one of approximately 1,000 protesters in Portland, Oregon who engaged in an act of civil disobedience against multinational banks. We targeted these banks because they made risky business decisions that we the people paid for, because they use their power and influence to fund projects that hurt our community, and because they lay off workers while giving their corporate executives raises and bonuses. Today the 99% committed to life without dead time.
In peaceful solidarity we shut down the banks! Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Chase Bank were all closed for business for some time today.
If it wasn’t abundantly clear by now, the Portland Police Bureau, and associated departments, defend the 1% at the expense of our personal liberties.
While the 1% achieves its goals using greed, fear, power, and violence, we achieve our goals using love; non-violent, peaceful, civil disobedience.
We ask for a system that values people and the environment over profit, and for an immediate moratorium on foreclosure enforcement in Multnomah County. We give our bodies to the ravages of pepper spray and batons, and to the jail cells which house us.
We take only your comfort in living with dead time.
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