|
In the aftermath of student-led demonstrations at Vancouver's UBC campus earlier this month, it is perhaps important to reflect upon the objectives and outcomes of social action in our generation. It seems the more I read about UBC's Knoll Aid 2.0, Students for a Democratic Society and the efforts to save Trek Park from the UBC Board of Governors, the less I am convinced that 1960s-style protesting can or will be effective in 21st century society. In other words, while social action and the quest for democratic accountability remain powerful and important goals, setting an illegal blaze, obstructing fire department officials and creating a human chain around an already hostile police presence is not getting anyone anywhere – except maybe in police custody that is.
And that's exactly what occurred around 8:00pm on Friday, April 3rd at the base of the so-called grassy knoll amidst the debris of UBC's Trek Park. A reported 30 RCMP cars arrived at the scene in order to disperse a crowd of approximately 100 students concerned over the destruction of this green space at their university. When fire officials attempted to extinguish the bonfire demonstrators had ignited, a young woman stepped on the hose, preventing water-flow, subsequently leading to her arrest. This sparked heated reactions from fellow protesters, who in the spirit of peace, love and flower-power, joined hands around the vehicle, blocking its exit. In the end 19 people were arrested, accusations of police brutality abound, and we are nowhere nearer to resolving the contested future of the beloved Trek Park and its grassy knoll.
So where do we go from here I ask? Clearly these appropriations of civil disorder are ineffective and quite honestly over-done. When 300,000 demonstrators marched on Lincoln Memorial on August 28th, 1963, their presence demanded compensation. They had strength in numbers, tangible solutions, charismatic leadership and passionate ideas. In short, they were revolutionary. It seems we are in desperate need of some of this same inspiration but must find new avenues by which to evoke and apply it. We live at a time when rights have become secondary to politics, where profitability supercedes community; where a group of student demonstrators have achieved little by challenging the status quo. If we are to sincerely and successfully inspire popular changes in today's society, we must first learn how to maneuver within it.
|
