Teargassing Crowded Street©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001

As a strategy, this one was hard to fathom. You send endless volleys of teargas into the middle of a very crowded street of peaceful people. You shoot from two directions at once-- ahead, behind and in their midst. This creates panic and confusion and they stampede. Only they can't see where they're going. Brilliant! Bet they'll never come back to one of these events again.
NO??? ACTUALLY YOU'VE SUCCEEDED in making us REALLY MAD!!! MORE RESOLVED, in fact. And you've politicized a lot of ordinarily passive people into exploring more radical directions in the future. THE GAS HAS BACKFIRED on YOU!

More gas...©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001

The next second, and one must have hit beside me. A wave of white cloud engulfed me and I unfortunately chose that moment to swallow a huge gulp of it. I found myself doubled over, unable to take a next breath. I've heard that the gas actually freezes your lungs for periods up to a minute and a half. A very nasty minute and a half. It also damages your liver. Good thing we still have a health care system, at least for another year or two.

While recovering, I looked up to see a mother carrying a 3 year old on her shoulders. She was sauntering casually by, coming from the direction of the recent teargas attack. I photographed her face-- a particularly self-satisfied smile frozen on it, while her dazed baby held a handkerchief to its mouth and clutched with its free hand at her collar. A young couple nearby, holding an empty gas canister and still wearing gas masks, were appalled. "She should have that child taken away!" the girl said. Other people brought their dogs- more innocent victims. (So did the police, by the way.)

Souvenir Gas Canister©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001

I'd seen other people with small children in or near the non-'Green' areas of the Summit protests (The gassing was so relentless, there really was no distinction left between 'GREEN-Spaces' and 'NON-'.) Some were older, in that they could at least walk, and their parents had provided them with proper masks and protective gear. The bigger ones can choose to participate and possibly understand the issues involved-- the babies and toddlers cannot. Personally, I was glad that even my 15 year old son wasn't here. I love his fragile skull too much, and if he had seen those Black Blok guys... everyone knows how enticing stone-throwing is to young boys and men! Besides, I didn't even have a GET OUT of JAIL CARD for ME, let alone have to pay for him too!

Nuclear Family©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001

This Nuclear family came equipped!

The dance continues to
The BEAT of the BLACK BLOK

Masked Avengers©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001