Dressed in a camo jacket, brown pants, heavy-duty boots, and a shallow-brimmed green wool hat, Chris M. (who declined to offer his last name) looked like he was straight out of the era of Vietnam protests. As the 31-year-old deli worker marched down Third Avenue on Sunday night, he carried a homemade sign in each hand, one reading “Revolt! Organize! Dream!”, the other, simply, “Reject Racism.”
What’s been your history with protesting? I grew up in L.A. and I remember protesting the death of Amadou Diallo. He was the immigrant that was killed by New York police in the late ’90s. I think they shot him 22 times or something like that. [Editor’s note: Diallo was fired on 41 times and struck by 19 bullets.] He was unarmed, like a lot of the recent deaths we’re protesting. I was in high school then, probably 15 or 16 years old. I remember those protests were much larger [than the ones in Seattle] and at one point it got violent. The police started shooting bean bag bullets at us. Were you scared? Yeah, of course. There was a time when we were cornered and I worried we wouldn’t be able to get out. How did that experience change you? It only served to radicalize me further.
How would you describe your political beliefs? My wife and I are Maoists. We study people like Marx, Lacan, and Hegel.
How do those beliefs affect your view of these protests? I think people forget, or don’t realize, that we’re a democracy. We have the capacity for self-organization. Our police force doesn’t have to be like it is: an unnecessary corporate security force.
Do you think the protests in Seattle are working? I think they’re good and they’re definitely raising awareness, but I don’t think enough has happened yet. Not enough people have been killed.
As in, there haven’t been enough killings by police? Right. It’s terrible, but even with what’s happened, it’s not enough to bring the issue to Main Street.
How long do you expect the protests to last? I don’t know. The weather has been good, which helps a lot. I know some [protests] have been canceled, like with the caroling competition. [Editor’s note: A protest scheduled for Friday, Dec. 5 was cancelled to allow the annual Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition to go on unhindered.]
How do you feel about protests getting canceled for a caroling competition? I think it was a good idea. I don’t want to ruin other people’s good times. On the other hand, if people hate our message because we make their bus a little late, that’s ridiculous. I would be proud if my bus was a little late for a cause as meaningful as this.
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Profiles in Protest is an ongoing series spotlighting local activists involved in the Black Lives Matter protests. Read past interviews with The Vacuum Cleaner Salesman, The Donut Lady, The Guy Fawkes Guy, Queen Pearl, The Master Student, and The Happy Warrior.
