I was in a line-up for my morning coffee yesterday and there were two women in front of me. One the women was about my age and dressed very similar (standard business attire) the other woman was dress with jeans, bullet belt, mohawk, tats, and t-shirt and remarkably fresh faced despite the get-up. She could have been my daughter – or yours. She was talking about attending the protests and taking pictures. Contrary to what many might believe, she had an overall good opinion of the police and discussed how nice so many of them were on Saturday which was why she was so shocked by the change on Sunday. Did she condemn the Black Bloc actions – absolutely and in no uncertain words, but she felt it was important to go out and demostrate for affordable housing, the poor, and the marginalized in order to send the ‘world leaders’ a message. She was outraged the BB’s actions which she felt hijacked and took away from the messages people like her were trying to send. Now I may disagree with her views, and think her actions futile, silly even, but I would rather live in a world where people like her care enough to attempt something for the greater good rather than not. Nor do I believe the right to assembly peacefully and express themselves should be met by riot walls, tear gas, or paint ball guns, battons, and summary arrests with trumped up charges. This is not the way to engage anyone.