TheBanyanTree: A Little Excitement

[Pat M]

April 30, 2008



I'd made arrangements to meet Janice, one of my students, to go shopping
today. When I went to catch the bus, I was surprised to see the entire
street cordoned off with police tape and countless police officers standing
guard. As there was no traffic allowed on the road, I began to walk toward
my destination.



Had there been an incident? Was this 'for real'?  I didn't know but there
were no looks of alarm on the faces around me. If I'd been able to
speak Chinese I'd have asked, "What's going on?" to one of the many
bystanders, but I couldn't.



I got out my cell phone. "Hi Janice. It's Pat. I'm going to be late. Right
now the street is blocked and there are about a hundred policemen here. I'm
going to walk."



Three empty army vehicles were parked in the night market parking lot near
the school.  In front of me, some young people sat on the curb holding a
white banner and one of the policemen launched himself at the group and
attempted to claim it.



I hesitated for a moment, still unsure what was going on and whether or not
I should just turn around and go home. All the information I'd read said to
stay away from demonstrations in China, but I didn't feel threatened so
continued on my way. When I reached the bridge, the police officers there
waved me back. No one was allowed to cross the bridge. The roads on either
side of it were blocked with barriers, and police officers patrolled the
intersection.  I waited and watched.


The municipal building is housed in a large fenced compound near the
intersection, and there is always a guard who stands at attention at the
entrance. He stands motionless as if carved in stone and stares straight
ahead. Nearly everyday, I pass him and a recurring thought occurs to me—that
must be the most boring job.

But today was different. A regiment of helmeted riot police dressed in black
jogged out of the municipal compound and headed down the sidewalk in the
opposite direction, their boots clicking in perfect time. It's hard to put
words to the feelings evoked in me seeing their purposeful strides and
single-mindedness. This group of men acted as a solo entity; they were no
longer individuals with their own thoughts but a part of something larger
and more menacing. They were machine-like and blindly obedient. They
commanded fear.



I was reminded of when I was living in Antigua, Guatemala in 2004. Everyday,
I passed by a prison on the way to Spanish school. One day there were many
people on the street outside the jail—friends and relatives, I imagine—and
many police and soldiers in the vicinity. I saw armed guards on the roof
tops. That day, I'd paused, assessed the situation and kept walking, just
like today. Then, too, I'd wished I could speak the local language well
enough to ask what was happening. I only found out later there was a riot
occurring inside the prison with rival gangs killing each other. Sometimes
ignorance really can be bliss.



Soon I saw a large group of individuals dressed in blue and white jogging
across the bridge toward me followed by many police vehicles and an enormous
black bus with 'Police' painted in white on it. It all made sense now.


The Olympic torch will arrive in Sanya in four days and this was a practice
run. This Sunday, I'll get to see the real thing and I sincerely hope there
is no need for riot police or all the safety measures I saw today. If there
are any protests or problems, I'm not going to stick around to watch. I
value my life.

-- 
My Blog:  http://mysouldancesinchina.blogspot.com/

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