#title An Open Letter to the Protest Peace Officer Who Assaulted Me
#LISTtitle Open Letter to the Protest Peace Officer Who Assaulted Me
#author Anonymous
#SORTtopics pittsburgh, filler distro, transgender, protest, tactics, liberals, reportback
#date 2023
#source Retrieved on 2023-04-21 from [[https://fillerpgh.wordpress.com/2023/04/19/an-open-letter-to-the-protest-peace-officer-who-assaulted-me/][Filler Distro]]
#lang en
#notoc 1

Look, if you’re reading this poorly written write-up, chances are you were either at the Michael Knowles Rally, or you know someone who was. With that in mind, I’m not going to go and rehash the entire thing for you, since there’s probably someone else writing one up at the same time as me. 

With that in mind, I want to focus your attention on the individuals trying to, for whatever reason, keep the action within what they considered an acceptable level of “peacefulness”. My first interaction with this individual occurred along the barricades out in front of the building, while the fash going to the speech were all filing in. They came up to those of us along the front edge of the crowd and began to insist that the only way we win this is by being peaceful and not meeting violence with violence. I (along with several others who were up against the barricade) flatly ignored this, and they ended up leaving in short order. Had they ended their little crusade for a futile concept of “peaceful protest” there, that likely would have been the end of it, and I wouldn’t have to be typing this shit up for all of you to read. 

A little bit later into the action, following a very noisy and disruptive incident, our good friends, the peace police, returned with all the expected zeal. They continued incessantly preaching that making this a 100% peaceful action was the only way to win. At this point, I personally had enough of that shit (and I promise you, it wasn’t just me who didn’t want to hear it), so I decided to open up a dialogue with this individual. Turns out, they did not appreciate that. Their facade of “peace and decorum” went away pretty quickly at that point. They responded, turning their attention towards me specifically, and started getting rather aggressive. This exchange ended with them charging towards me, getting in my face, physically shoving me backwards, and telling me to “Get the fuck out of there.”

To be frank, I’m not really bothered by them choosing to start a physical altercation with me over this. What I am bothered by, is the idea that purely peaceful protest (especially against those who in their own words, seek to “eradicate” the trans community), is in any way effective at this point. There is no peaceful solution to this. We are in a fight for our lives, for our very existence. To stand by and champion a platform of respectability and peace will do nothing to stop the fascists who seek to commit a genocide against us all. To those who preach peace in the face of these enemies, when do finally accept that that will not work? Will you be continuing to take this self-proclaimed peaceful high road all the way up til the point when you are put up against a wall? Peacefully chanting outside the speeches of fascists will not convince them to abandon their ideals. The only thing it does is embolden them, and tell them that they can continue to do so with little resistance. 

Pittsburgh, you had one hell of a showing for the Michael Knowles action. In spite of individuals who were more focused on watching and policing the crowd they claimed to be on the same side of, as opposed to focusing on the real enemy; the fascists who we are in open conflict with. I sincerely hope our actions on this night showed those who would do us harm that they are not welcome in our city, and that we are not afraid to fight back.

**In solidarity,**

***A dirty possum who’s done with this shit***