One does not remove the Christmas lights on a day like today. It is a duck and cover day. If one utters complaint against another on a day like today, it is fodder for Nordic suicide ,depression , divorce, murder, the eating of loaves of bread not out of hunger but comfort. We ride it out as always during this time of the year, making a vow to not repeat it next winter, plan a trip outahere. We promptly forget that vow as soon as the sun comes out. We stay, do it all again, make a vow again, forget, we hold on... Time to also hold our thoughts close and say nothing. If we have learned anything from previous winters we realize that nothing can be done but to hold fast quietly. Say nothing. Make no decisions. Do not follow impulses. Answer the door, offer tea, keep conversations minimal and inconsequential. Winter, like a mean drunk, can not be held responsible. It is us. What occurs in the minds and actions of humans during this paucity/ dearth of light lacking optimism, challenges the bank of wisdom,compassion and gentility. It is difficult to not take it personally, in your heart you know that it is just the godamn PNW disagreeable winter. So you say nothing and hope like hell the other person is on board.
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Cop Watch Portland, bailed Erik out at the city counsel meeting today , All volunteer group of very savvy well spoken people , grassroots, holding the police accountable, speaking truth to their vile lying slime. The attorney for the police has a voice on the counsel- reviewing the events she lied again, and left the counsel members doubting the night of horror, UNTIL, to the rescue The man from Cop Watch spoke to the counsel, reiterated the events as they really happened, reiterated the lies from police and scolded the city for not holding cops accountable, for not training them better, for not adhering to law...And then he showed them the video of the assault- no question!!! The attorney for the police minimized Erik's injuries , said he hurt his knee, fall down go boom ....Oh man, caught her in her web of evil right there. The Cop Watcher then listed the injuries, the trauma, the bogus charges and lies and told the counsel that they need to do better- to be better and to hold bad policing accountable especially a specific officer who has a stack of complaints of brutality against him. He is the one who got promoted and praised by the force. I do not know the sum of the settlement, it is not much and probably less than they claimed it would be , but it is over and ended in a spectacular way with Cop Watch, on record, exposing the city and the police for the shite that they are.
Not an entirely dismal day, there is always something that shines through, well not ALWAYS- no such thing as "always", is there. We live in change, movement, that is our home our universe- just stfu during the darkness of winter. Memory is a problem to being Zen-like, even when spring bursts hearts wide open, memory has had time to root. Meanwhile....carry on. And keep it to yourself unless it is to save a life.
That is the one exception.
Gin is nice....
It is dark here as I type this, not the darkness of night, but the darkness of a dark storm blowing through in the mid-afternoon. Yes, go to the sunlight in winter months. Go where it is warm and bright and inviting to be outside on a nice long walk. I'll remind you next year.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the court case is over and that it worked out okay.
Thank you dear NEW robin! Next year if I am still here in January and February , send a terse note to tell me to keep my promise!!I hope the storm passes over quickly without too much rain! Never know which way the wind blows....
DeleteI wonder if there is any place to go in this country to escape nasty winter. It would have to be some ocean shore. California, the Gulf Coast, Florida, Virginia south.
ReplyDeleteHooray for Copwatch, and I'm glad Eric will receive even a token.
Cop Watch went to bat! I had not heard of them until today when he was the final person to speak and speak he did! Slapped them silly with facts! so YAY, there is good in the world! Just NOT the cops!!!
DeleteIt's good to have a Copwatch. It's nice to be in Tucson, although I wish it would be 20 degrees warmer. However, it is winter, so some cold is to be expected.
ReplyDeleteYou can go outside without four layers, boots and rain gear- You are good!
DeleteKaren F here: Exhaling that the police vs peaceful protester case is decided and that CopWatch had the receipts so the police system was made to pay. Enough lawsuits about this and the taxpayers will hold the cops accountable. Maybe. Although, I'm having a hard time imagining changes for the good. It's good that lawyer fees were part of the settlement, and I'm hoping that medical expenses were covered as well as anything that may emerge as a result of the hits Erik took in the name of calling for justice. And dang you are right about the dark day today. It gripped me hard. It was so oppressing that it held me down and made me sit in a chair all day, getting up only to grab a snack or two or ten. Did you notice that finally the clouds broke up to reveal the lovely blue and a backlit bright yellow cloud as the sun was setting? And now the dark for reals.
ReplyDeleteI did notice the plump little cloud, the light and i did take its photo! You are so right Karen, sigh of relief, the lad is free now. This darkness has me by the short tempered curlies. I desire opium- not opiates, no, the real brown gooey poppy resin that tastes bitter and smells like wild flowers in poop. BUT this is umurka- one must find jesus instead...or something equally absurd. Dang cartel ruins it for everyone....
DeleteI am so glad the wrongs got exposed and publicly too. I love the little water drinking bird, I had a pair of those once, hand-blown glass they were and so beautiful. I have no idea what happened to them.
ReplyDeletethey likely drank themselves to death.
DeleteWell. That certainly was a mixed blessing of a finding. But yes, justice was done and Cop Watch is a wonder and a blessing. Cops have been lying since cops were invented. It is harder now for them to get away with it but still way too common. You have raised a brave and strong son.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine day after day of dark cold. Yes, please- make your plans now for next winter, otherwise you will forget again and there is no reason for you to be miserable every winter of your life. I would send you send you blue sky and bird songs from Lloyd if I could. As it is, I am sending you love.
Thank you Mary, i will take that love and gulp it down with a prozac! Looking out at the raccoon family , the one with the silly lie sideways tail boy, they charm me. They are just so glad that they have a deck of their own. A handful of kibble and a snooxe away from danger.
DeleteFRESCA here. My dear, is it too late to remind you for THIS winter? Still 2 months till spring equinox… could you get away from meanness and darkness for a week by yourself? Didn’t you go to… was it Palm Springs last year?
ReplyDeleteWhat an ordeal this country is going through—and some are taking it on the nose, Erik among them. People like him and cop watch give me hope —they are the seed corn of our future goodness.
Don’t eat the seed corn!
I would like to send him a medal. (Would he like that?)
And you!!! Grueling gruesome grinding days and months and years. Some positive resolution even paltry also gives me hope.
Rx: Take some Orphans and flee to the sun.
Xo Fresca
Such great advice- It is cold in PS as well. Rain! The desert needs it though , the earth needs all of this - Switzerland has lost its snow and the earth is baking, Complaining is a wienie thing to do. I am a wienie.
DeleteThere is hope, people standing up - difficult to do when continually being smacked down, whack-a-mole style. Why are humans drawn to fascism? I do not understand. Meals of seed corn with gravy made of babies. Fascists!
Oh and YES Erik would love a medal, a card, anything that might give him an atta-boy. he has been smacked around ( doxed by proud boys) for three years- he is now FREEEEE!
I would LOVE to send Erik something!!! Something real (physical not electronic) for real physical bravery/ordeal. Send me his street address? Or I could mail it to you to pass along.
Delete—Fresca
Thanks for posting that article. It's good to read the news account of what happened. I'm glad there was a settlement and this is more or less now behind him (and all of you). How is he physically? Is his knee healed? Thank goodness so much of this cop activity is now recorded and available for public scrutiny.
ReplyDeletethere are permanent injuries especially his knee and the leg wound left a significant hole.
DeleteAlways a good thing when cops (and the City of Portland in this case) get caught in a lie. What a s**tshow that place is. Does this close the chapter? Certainly hope so.
ReplyDeleteToo many cops are just plain mean and hateful bullies and that is why they become cops. Portland will do nothing. The cops will do nothing. Nothing will change. I hope Erik finds a new city in which to live. Not enough sun up there anyway.
ReplyDeletewould be great if he would shift out of this country entirely...and take his old mom along...
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