It was the 18th of the month in her mirror she saw what the border cops would see khakis, shirt of blue combed even the hair reversing the tides of individuality & spirit typical was the goal they'll never see me, she thought, they'll never know and so it happened, smile, nod, Canada, ran from the train away from the cops new clothes to be bought no sleep tonight Well you say, you say it's such a small small world Flying first class back from the far East Curled up, safe and warm in the big chair You were flying through the skies of anywhere Got the courtesy card to the Sheraton There were live on-the-spot reports from the CNN Between the outbreaks So you think you know What's going on But you don't The Free Trade Area of the Americas is a free trade agreement, similar to that of NAFTA. It will incorporate every country in the Western Hemisphere except Cuba. On the weekend of April 20, the leaders of each of these "great" states will converge in Quebec City for three days for the Summit of the Americas. In a nutshell, during this summit, the leaders will plan for an agreement which will take power away from individual governments and give it to large corporations, who have nothing but profits, as opposed to human rights or the environment, on their agenda. In anticipation of protests, a good portion of Quebec City will be shut down, with walls and checkpoints for residents. People crossing the border into Canada during this time will be highly scrutinized, and may be turned away for little or no reason. About 3,000 police will report to the city with fresh riot gear, guns, clubs, and chemical warfare, to protect the politicians by beating down anyone who looks subversive. An attempt was made to outlaw face-covering scarves in the city, but this was difficult, considering the fact that the mayor himself does not want the summit to happen in his city, and is said to be helping to coordinate housing for protestors. Many thousands of protestors from around the world will converge in the city, from social activists to environmentalists to anarchists to union workers. In addition, local protests will happen all around the world, five or six cities in Michigan alone, getting the word out to the masses that what our governments are doing is NOT OKAY, and we can do something about it. It was the 19th of the month in hotel mirror she saw a girl who had not slept no makeup, no shower, just pack & go train is for sleeping 12 hours long arrive in Quebec, too excited, so excited her first major protest cops in the train station army planes in the sky "we're entering a police state, but then we already live in one." miss the march, sleep in gym little sleep tonight Because you weren't in Belfast, no you weren't there And no you weren't in Waco, no you weren't there And no you weren't in Kosovo, you weren't there And no you weren't in my head, so you don't know how it felt Walking arm in arm with the crowd to the square The banner was waving in the sun Chemical warfare is "the deliberate use of chemical substances to incapacitate or kill plants, animals, or human beings." Experimentation in chemical warfare began during World War I, when both sides unleashed chlorine gas, released from cylinders, and shrapnel covered with irritant powder. The awkwardness of the cylinders and the unpredictable effect of weather and changing winds "led to efforts to find better methods for disseminating chemical warfare agents." Both sides experienced heavy casualties, totaling about 800,000, which convinced the military forces that chemical warfare is the way to go. Mustard gas was especially feared during World War I, and the United States still possesses large stocks of the substance. Harassing agents, such as tear gases, have been developed to "produce a more limited and nonlethal effect." It was the 20th of the month in gym mirror she saw what the riot cops would see goggles & respirator no loose hair, no jewelry reversing the tides of individuality to join the masses in the streets march at noon hot sun hippies & anarchists & unions & old people & kids & more march to the city "Whose streets?" cop attacked "Our streets!" pulls out a gun doesn't shoot "we're almost there" screams shouts TV car smashed chanting "Qui rue?" the fence "Nos rue!" comes down five minutes flat catapult & stuffed animals & black bloc & smoke bombs "Who's streets?" standoff "Our streets!" --tear gas- panic, running shouting "DON'T RUN!" no stampede standoff not leaving more gas one person lost affinity groups broken hide in corner can't breath can't see water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water rocks cement & cylinders too, full of gas, hit her leg meeting time, go to church some not accounted for go to search blockades drum circle friends found leave, come back barricade of street signs & cement holding hands comfort tear gas, smoke bombs, never stop, police advancing, so scary, don't look human, in formation, coming down the side streets, they're going to trap us, I want to run but I can't see I hold someone's arm, they're coming closer hippie down long hair cascades cement thrown around thrown to ground handcuffs grab an arm, run away back to gym, all accounted for shower, no food, want to puke fitful sleep tonight All this information swims Round and round Like a school of fish, in a tank, going nowhere Up and down between the glass walls So safe in the knowledge they're impenetrable And you're looking at the world seeing nothing at all So go back to sleep, and you'll be woken When the time comes And you'll never know just what hit you Or where it came from "One of the most common tear gases used today, CN gas, was developed during World War I for one of the first large-scale chemical-warfare actions. The irritant produces tearing very quickly. If the concentration is high enough or if the time of exposure is prolonged, irritation of the mucous membranes of the nose and throat may also occur. High exposures in a confined space may produce some edema or fluid accumulation in the lungs, and in a few cases the chemical may have been the cause of death. A more recent "tearing" or irritant agent, which received extensive use by U.S. forces in Vietnam, is the chemical agent known as CS gas. In very mild exposures, CS produces copious tearing and an irritation of the nose, mouth, and throat. The effects are almost instantaneous following exposure. At higher concentrations, the effects are almost unbearable. Recovery from exposure to CS takes longer than that following exposure to CN." CS gas has been known to cause more than 100 deaths in the US alone. It was the 21st of the month in gym mirror she saw eyes of fear & dark circles upset stomach, restaurant but no breakfast to the square, to say "packed" would be understated stay awhile, go to city fence & border, black bloc, red block bad feeling, very bad leg throbbing white van "snatch police" hippie there, then gone freak out run away legal march worry, worry, worry, worry, worry, worry friends in city here, puppets and placards there, tear gas like rainbow on hill watch all day, worry worry white vans everywhere stay away people everywhere going up the hill meeting time, two not found never called, never met, where are they? sit around, lunch, stories police are mad today, so many people, bigger than Seattle death rumor new weapons, exploding rubber bullets two friends shot in leg souvenirs, rubber and plastic bullets gas cylinders reading "CS" then the bridge, drum circle, support camp goggles gone, stay here, small fire, food & people chanting screaming, banging, drumming everything's gone mad gas again, worse than yesterday, different stuff, can't breath, no goggles, "DON'T RUN!" no stampede, no injuries, people driven under bridge fire grows, cops watch, behind the people's barricade "you wall us out, we'll wall you in" fire grows, bonfire two lost were found others lost street party, bonfire, vomit in fire taxi home, fire in street gym, 3 accounted for, 7 missing helicopters in sky, too many, too many 200 arrests reported where the hell are they 2 am, all accounted for fire & looting in streets collapse on floor good sleep tonight Because you weren't in Bradford, no you weren't there And no you weren't on the hill, no you weren't there And you weren't with us so you never saw just what happened when the television crews came knocking at the door How the people told them all to go to Hell Smashed the cameras, and sent them away Mainstream media coverage of anti-corporate views is never adequate, often nonexistent. This is understandable, considering the fact that the same businesses which own the politicians also own the media. CNN, for example, is owned by Ted Turner. Mainstream US news coverage of the Quebec protests reportedly "sucked." As happened with Seattle, DC, and others, journalists focused on remote actions of a few protesters, rather than the overall event, and completely failed to mention why the protesters were there in the first place. As a result, many activists hold great animosity toward the corporate media. Tongue-in-cheek mainstream journalists write of anarchists who refuse to be interviewed, while those that are interviewed are subject to belittling attitudes and stupid questions, such as "This isn't a hockey game, why do you need the helmet?" Unfortunately, the image portrayed by the media shapes the opinion of many Americans who apparently cannot think for themselves. The media presents reports as "unbiased," while they actually contain nothing but pro-free trade propaganda and half-truths about those who oppose the corporate-driven government. And yet, despite this misinformation, the opposition is growing in leaps and bounds According to le Journal de Quebec, between 30,000 and 60,000 protesters came to Quebec the weekend of April 20 to protest the Free Trade Area of the Americas. This was an enormous increase from Seattle's 20,000. Beyond that, hundreds of support protests erupted throughout the Americas that same weekend, and for every person that when out of her or his way to protest, there were certainly several others who agreed, but did not participate. That so many people are against free trade in this time of misinformation and propaganda tells me only one thing-we must be right. It was the 22nd of the month in gym mirror she saw relief no arrests, few hurt, one limping, all accounted for death rumor lie no action today sleep in, real food, relax white vans fear, hide police buses army helicopters hide away, different clothes, stay safe, no arrests hotel tonight, and sleep There were sirens going off and police coming in And all that you love was being swept away In the rush of the black tide All turning your name Better news, however, can be found at indymedia.org. Throughout the weekend, many activists who were left at home monitored this website, worrying about their friends. The website covered the plight of the protesters as thoroughly as they could, but there were too many stories to be reported. Saturday night 10:38pm EST An official release from the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit states that some delegates have chosen to leave early. 11:04pm EST The rumor of an activist being killed has been denied by the legal collective in Quebec city, although there are many injuries. The man in question was shot with a plastic bullet in the neck and is in critical condition. 11:35pm EST An independent journalist with official press credentials for the Summit of the Americas was audio recording protestors being arrested when police grabbed and broke his recorder. The police took the audio tape out of the recorder, at which time the journalist tried to get it back and in the process the tape broke. It contained a weeks worth of interviews. 11:39pm EST The Quebec Legal Team has unconfirmed reports that protestors are being detained on buses at the prison and not being given water, food or access to bathrooms. Legal observers are attempting to meet with police to discuss the situation. The buses are being driven around the prison. 11:42pm EST Protesters have rebuilt a barricade of wood between them and the police on Cote d'Abraham for the third time tonight. This time, they are trying to reinforce it as deeply as possible. Police are firing more teargas directly at them. 1:20am EST The police have taken over the intersection outside of the CMAQ on Cote d'Abraham, which hundreds of activists occupied for most of the night. They advanced by shooting off dozens of rounds of rubber bullets and arrested a handful of people on their way. Unmarked cars followed the protesters who moved further down the street. Two riot police are pointing rubber bullet guns down the side stairs where the entrance of the CMAQ/Medic Center is, to stop anyone from ascending them 2:56am EST Four medics and one videographer are trapped inside the abandoned medical center. They have been trapped inside for about three hours after they went there to recover mainly personal supplies and equipment. The abandoned medical center is located directly behind a new security perimeter established by police. Medics moved from that location to the CMAQ due to concerns for the safety of patients. Last evening, police raided an alley in front of the medical center where people were being treated. The police drew their guns on medics and patients and forced them out onto the streets, a medic said. Once on the street, police ripped gas masks and goggles off people, as well as any equipment they were carrying, the medic added. The medics and patients were then forced to walk in a single file line toward CMAQ. The medical center continues to operate within the lobby of CMAQ. Medics have been targeted by police throughout the protests. The medic said police have been shooting tear gas and concussion grenades at medics as they try to help people. The medic said the group will most likely stay inside the abandoned building until daybreak. It was the 23rd of the month in hotel mirror she washed her face run to train station, jump on train sleep all day she heard the helicopters in her sleep friends met in Sarnia, ride home hugs & love & "we missed you, we were worried" home tonight nightmares & fitful sleep And you'll never know just what happened there Or how it feels It's the 25th of the month The images won't leave my head I can still see the smoke smell the gas feel the fear the anger I've learned now, this world we live in it's different than I thought. I can't describe, there's so much this is not what democracy looks like in a world where I cannot be heard without being attacked without putting myself on the line "American fascism" "American colonialism" "Police state" "Profits over people" They were protecting the t-shirts and gassing the people. She thought it was wrong, and she was right. She lifted her head, & said "I am changed. And next time I won't run."