I’m not a huge fan of VCU Basketball, or really sports in general, but I happily tuned in to the past two games. I was really excited for our team to make to the final four, so even though we lost to Butler, I was still proud. However, I was not proud at all of the idiocy that went on in the streets afterwards.
I understand being excited that we won. Last week, when we made the final four, I, like many, flooded the streets in celebration of our awesome achievement. However, once the crowd got so massive that we were blocking the streets and the authorities had to be called in, I took that as my cue to leave. As I tried to make it back to my building, I passed crowds of people chanting “fuck the police” and lighting things on fire, and when I got to my dorm, I was unable to cross the street because the police, wielding cans of mace, were blocking the way. All this because we won a game? Again, last night, I went out to get a bite to eat. I was unable to even get onto Broad Street, because people (again) were destroying property and being violent. The police let off tear gas, causing a huge flood of people to come racing back down the street in a mass panic. I managed to duck away inside before the chaos got too hectic, but it was really terrifying. People were being arrested and getting hurt. VCU’s reputation is under attack because of the antics of some over-privileged fuck-the-system stoner white boys who just want a fight, and not justice. I’ve had my fair share of strained encounters with the police. I used to be a real trouble maker and vandal, until I realized how idiotic I was being. What was I fighting for? In this video, there’s a shot of a girl standing in front of a line of police, arms outstretched in peace signs a-la Tiananmen Square. I’m sure she thinks she’s valiant, brave, revolutionary, progressive. Probably lots of people who saw her think the same. But really, she’s an idiot. This isn’t a war protest, this isn’t a struggle for civil equality, and this isn’t a fight for human rights. This is a bunch of drunk, angry, stupid teenagers acting like fools in the middle of a street, destroying things and becoming so violent that the police had to be called in. All this because we won a few games? Because we lost a few games? I don’t see riots like this happening any other times we play. Let’s be honest- most of the people out there weren’t thinking about the VCU Basketball team or even VCU at all. They just wanted a riot, and a riot’s what they got. It makes me sad that everyone was out there last night, protesting nothing, hoping for nothing, just looking for violence, when there’s so much more to hope for in this world. Where are all these students when we’re declaring unofficial war on Libya? Where are all these students when American legislation fails to represent American population? I would take tear gas for political reform. I’d gladly take rubber bullets to end human suffering. Would I do that for Shaka Smart? Absolutely not. So why the hysteria?
There’s another shot in the video of the policemen in their masks- maybe the viewer is supposed to feel fear, intimidation. Maybe we’re all supposed to get greased up in the paint of war, screaming Fuck the police and Remember Kent State! The police aren’t the enemy here- they’re heroes, who have to be away from their families on a Saturday night, facing hundreds of angry people who want nothing more than violence, praying to God that they don’t have to do what they have to do. Last night, I was ashamed to be a VCU student. I only hope that future experience leads these young people to understand how serious their actions are, and that they will learn to act when it really matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment