Post by one of the witnesses to the incident: Â https://www.facebook.com/hector.d.maldonadojimenez/posts/727961307269488
A lot happened yesterday. Quite a lot. We, the Newark Students Union, blocked traffic on the busiest street in Newark, shutdown two schools with help from students from other schools including college students, pissed off the police multiple times, and sadly, some of us were manhandled by the police and security agents.
When witnessing one of my closest friends, Kristin Towkaniuk, being harmed by a police officer, I didn’t know what to do. I was attached to PVC pipes holding an important blockade, but I was tempted at that point to literally go to the police officer and harm him so much just so he could experience a fraction of the pain he was forcing on a 17 year old girl. I could only try to stay composed, so I thought of what would happen in the near future and I began to smile.
I thought that due to the tears and pain that all of my friends and I were receiving, we could make through this moment and surpass all of the challenges. I didn’t smile because I was happy nor because I thought any of this pain was funny but I smiled because everyone else refused to. I smiled because in the near future we would accomplish what we wanted; we would easily change the status quo and make an impact so large that everyone would be forced to recognize and realize that the world isn’t as nice as it seems and that sometimes if no one else will stand up to change it, then I would.
Everyone deals with pain and police brutality differently. Some of my friends cried, and that was okay. Others yelled to the top of their lungs with anger in their voice and that was okay. Others tried their best to record the event so that we could sue the police who dared to harm one of my closest friends, and that was okay. Sure I wanted to cry, and yell, and fight the cop, and help record, and break the blockade just to help my friend, but I chose not to. Instead I decided to smile, chant as loud as I can, keep the blockade going, keep my fellow hard blockaders stable by holding their hands tightly through the PVC pipes, and breathe and believe that soon enough because of all of our struggles we would win.
I was genuinely scared, and panicking, but if a cop chose to stare at me for a second, they would see a smiling 17 year old who knows that he and all of his friends were going to win the battle and wouldn’t budge regardless of what any law enforcement officer would do.
To end this off, I would like to say that however you dealt with any of the events that happened yesterday, that was okay, but remember that the way I deal with them always has a purpose. In the madness that ensued yesterday, I just believed that the universe would make it all better. Thank you all who supported and stayed as long as possible, I love you all.
And P.S. due to the emotional stress, I won’t be going to school till next week when I am at peace with all that has happened. — feeling determined with Katherine Ramos and 19 others.
