The Sobering Effects of Wearing Orange

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Reports of March 19th Actions

From the Director

Debra Sweet

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The World Can’t Wait organizes people living in the United States to repudiate and stop the fascist direction initiated by the Bush Regime, including: the murderous, unjust and illegitimate occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan; the global “war of terror” of torture, rendition and spying; and the culture of bigotry, intolerance and greed. This direction cannot and will not be reversed by leaders who tell us to seek common ground with fascists, religious fanatics, and empire. It can only be possible by the people building a community of resistance - an independent mass movement of people - acting in the interests of humanity to stop, and demand prosecution, of these crimes.

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The Sobering Effects of Wearing Orange

Thursday, 22 March 2007 08:30

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By Jamilah Hoffman, 3/22/07

I have to admit that I had been late when it comes to wearing the orange jumpsuits. Something always came up, or I just didn't "feel" like it. But four years after the invasion and occupation of Iraq, I knew that the least I could do was wear the jumpsuit. In Houston, we have this event called Freeway Blogging, where we hold signs on the bridges overlooking freeway traffic. You get a lot of positive honking and quite a bit of middle fingers, but the energy is good nonetheless. On March 20^th, we had groups on six bridges and World Can't Wait shared a bridge with people expressing solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.

I did not know what to expect. I thought that it would be a normal protest and that would be the end of it. I hoped people seeing me would be reminded that while they are driving home from work, people were being tortured in their names. I had wanted a visceral emotional response from the people and had not expected one of my own.

Wearing the jumpsuit with a black hood, immediately I felt cut off from the world. I became self conscious because I knew that I was standing out. People could see me, and any notion of wanting to blend in fell away as I stood as a symbol of the hatred and violence american soldiers commit everyday.

My Lament
By Jamilah Hoffman

my tears no longer remain shut away in an embarrasing display of stoic non responsibility
i care
and perhaps too deeply
but Abu Ghraib has just hit me
there are more pictures and videos
children
women
men
abused
assaulted
killed
in my name?
in yours?
i have never felt so powerless
yet
so responsible
every person who upholds this war must hear from me
that torture is wrong
and that soldiers torture
so soldiers must be wrong
but is my logic correct?
is my premise accurate?
cause i do support some troops
only those who resist
and there just aren't enough of them
and torture still goes on
and yes, good old boys have been sent to the middle east
do i breathe a sigh of relief
that they"re over there
instead of
over here
Hell No!
because Iraqis, Afghanis and Iranians
do not deserve this
and
all the yellow ribbons blowing in the wind
beckon a return of america's finest
and
i suppose i should digress
but
that just ain't gonna work anymore
i know too much to ignore
the blood that flows from Hadditha to Houston
and i have never met 15 year old
Abeer Hamza
though i will never forget her
the pain she went through
and the life cut too short
and for what?
imperialism?
so that the US can remain a superpower?
is it really that easy to destroy a people
instead of build them up"

i will no longer muffle my cries
in a bathroom towel
while dinner guests
discuss whether it's a good thing if the us attacks Iran
maybe the anti-war movement will grow
how fucked up is that?
how about debating what to do to stop the attack in the first place
the people of the world are not the american government's
pawns in a global chess game
neither do they belong to a liberal's
check
mate
there is such a disconnect between
them
and
us that this society fosters
so we have to
reject that and connect
rise up and be strong
resist and stand firm
and refuse to go along

I thought to myself that at the end of the day, I can take the orange jumpsuit off. I can remove the hood, wave it around in the air if I want, but there are people who can't do that. There are people for whom, they may never take off the jumpsuit if we don't stop this war now, and if we don't stop the torture now.

Wearing the jumpsuit and the hood, I did not want to joke with people or even respond when people called my name. The people being held at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib weren't laughing and I felt it was disrespectful somehow. That this was some sort of "action" I was doing and nothing more. That this was something I "did", but was not something I was serious about stopping, which I am.

I started asking myself all sorts of questions. How are we going to stop this war and torture and reverse the whole direction bush has taken society? What am I going to do to stop this? What will it take? I really wanted answers because the sobering effects of wearing that jumpsuit has stuck with me. This isn't some joke and driving out theBbush regime isn't something I'm doing while I'm figuring out what to do with the rest of my life. Torture is happening, probably as I write this and I can't go another day without speaking out against it. This war is still going on and I'm so angry and every person who upholds this war must hear from me because this shit has got to stop.