A Green at California Governor's Debates: Confused, Dismayed, but Enthused
A Green at California Governor’s Debates:
Confused, Dismayed, but Enthused
Invited participants, Green Party gubernatorial primary candidate Deacon Alexander and I arrived in Marin County on a hot, spectacularly beautiful afternoon. Founded in 1890, formerly a women’s private school located 12 miles north of Golden Gate Bridge, Dominican has 2,000 students, full liberal arts curriculum, and low student-faculty ratio. Strolling amidst soaring redwoods, towering eucalyptus, gracefully shading pine trees, one gets a sense little has changed since a consortium of wealthy Alameda County denizens and Dominican nuns created what appears as a modern-day version of Garden of Eden.
Forty year veteran of protests, social activist Deacon Alexander surveyed the scene, and barked out orders: “Establish a Command Post!”, “Identify all bathrooms and First Aid facilities!”, “Contact the Team!”, Green Party Governor’s candidate Laura Wells, her trusted Lieutenant Marnie Glickman, esteemed activist, Calvary Officer Hank Chapot. I thought to myself, this may become a long afternoon.
Deacon invited himself into an official event planning meeting. Excited, attractive students, clad in red and blue t-shirts, proudly displayed Dominican’s and NBC’s logos. A sincere, flustered faculty member, wearing two-tone leather Buster Brown saddle shoes, explained Dominican’s objective: “We want to show the world, we believe in truth and democracy!” I pointed out, Green Party candidate Laura Wells had been banned from debates; “We want her included as much as possible!” Phone numbers were exchanged, promises made, given established debate criteria, to have Laura available for press, attendees and to the entire Dominican community. It almost restored my faith in American free speech movement.
We moved to debate site, an imposing academic building with plantation-style alabaster columns, ornate exterior, and sandstone stairs. Angelico Hall communicated inescapable aura of authority; “I’m in charge, you’re not.” Barricaded pens, thoughtfully provided with fold-up chairs and overhead shade tents, were set up to contain protestors, located 50 yards from the Hall.
First rule of protesting; show up early! Upon Laura’s arrival, group hugs, pleasantries were exchanged. Following Deacon’s crusty commands, Greens quickly spread out along a 100 foot metal fence directly facing a media area. Banners were handed out, along with green strips, to tie over our mouths, indicating silenced Green debate voice. Recalling 1970 campus protests, where water-soaked cloths were worn to disrupt tear gas intoxicating aroma, I notched a rag over my neck, hoping we wouldn’t have reprise of Kent State or Jackson State University, where students were tragically shot and killed.
With bullhorn, Hank Chapot shouted, “Open the debates! Let Laura in!” Green chants grew in strength and crescendo. When Hank tired, I continued to stir crowd with more catcalls. Materializing between me and Hank, Laura was all smiles, waves and animation, archetype of a modern political candidate. She proceeded to hold court, as press and camera crews surrounded her; “I was invited, and then disinvited, but I’m at the debates; I will speak!” she proclaimed. Seizing opportunity to promote Green values, I asked a local reporter, “Do you want Orange County slant on the debates?” “Sandy, s-h-u-t u-p,” chimed in Marnie; to the journalist, “You wanna talk to Green Party activist, Fairfield councilmember, Larry Bragman, over there.”
We heard a loud noise behind us, with chorus of yells; Jerry’s army had arrived. A platoon of Farm Workers, Nurse’s Union members, firemen and assorted Jerry Brown aficionados crowded round us, striving to break the Green line. Three Latina girls, each no more than 10 years old, managed to scoot in front of Laura and I, and started chanting “Si su Puede! Yo soy Nicky! (I am Nicky), “No mi gusta! “ (I don’t like it--get it, No Meg-usta?!) Phalanxes of choreographed bullhorns drowned out Hank and my efforts to raise Green consciousness. Several Greens, frustrated, retreated from front line to quiet safety of the rear. After a while, Hank smiled at me; we began to chant with the girls. Hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, why not join ‘em!
We suddenly became aware of a squeeze; Meg’ Whitman’s entourage arrived en-masse, and attempted a pincer motion, on either side of Greens and Democrats. But Farm Workers, long accustomed to violent acts of Gringos, valiantly held their ground, and protected Laura and her Greens from any physical harm.
An important-looking, credentialed broadcast journalist quietly beckoned Laura past the barricades; in full sight of police, she was allowed to proceed to a quieter, tree-lined spot within spitting distance of the Hall. After her taped interview, Laura returned, and I noticed a distracted, confused look. She and Marnie had a hurried chat, and then they both disappeared.
Laura’s withdrawal from Long Green Line had an immediate, catastrophic effect. I was reminded of Little Round Top at Battle of Gettysburg; what would’ve happened to Union line, had Maine’s Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain abandoned his post? Greens hastily retreated; I found Deacon seated in the rear, his dreadlocked head in his hands, pleading, “What happened to our leader?” I patted him on the shoulder, and proceeded back to front line, where my small Latinas and I had struck up a friendly co-existence.
“Hey, isn’t that your gurl?” one girl asked me. My recollection of next few moments seemed to move in freeze frame. Laura and Marnie were on the steps, ready to proceed into the debate, scheduled to begin shortly. Tickets in hand, they seemed confident, virtually undistinguished from crowd of well-dressed attendees who slowly filed into the Hall. Abruptly, a group of men coalesced around Laura; one tried to grab ticket out of her hand, and then withdrew. Immediately, a private security guard stepped in, started talking loudly to Laura, who simply shook her head at him. Two more guards hand cuffed her, led her away, with Marnie standing on steps in obvious shock and rage.
Hank and I immediately went to find Laura, secreted away. Normally used for Campus Ministry, Career Services, and School of Business and Leadership, Bertrand Hall had been hastily converted to a police detention center. Oddity of this post; Laura Wells was the only protestor detained, surrounded by more than a dozen uniformed San Rafael Police officers.
Officer Pata, designated liaison with Green Party, stated citizen’s arrest had been performed upon Laura by private security guard; San Rafael P.D., he explained, had no choice but to cite Laura for so-called private property trespass. Hank, conversant in cop talk, peppered them with an endless array of seemingly obvious questions, which provoked a small circle to be drawn around him: “Is she arrested, or what?”, “If she’s not arrested, can I speak with her?” “Are you going to arrest me, for asking questions?” “What’s name of security firm?”, “Where’re guards who cuffed her?”
Further questioning revealed guards were from Barbier Security, a private surveillance, safety agency; they looked more out of central casting for Blackwater, world’s largest private mercenary army, than typical campus security force, accustomed to shepherd vomiting party goers back to their dorms, or help locked-out students into their cars. While details are still unclear, it appears Barbier was specifically hired for the debate, and may have worked numerous Meg Whitman events, up and down the state.
Driving home to Southern California last night, Deacon said, “You never leave your post, your leader never abandons you, and you always use force to defend and protect your leadership.” Raised in social advocacy on streets of Los Angeles, in the famous February 21 1970shootout on Central Avenue between LA Police and his Black Panthers, I suspect Deacon knows much more than he allows, how to express free speech in the face of indiscriminate, wanton violence and terrorism.
But that was then, this is now. Green Party Governor’s candidate Laura Wells, whether deliberately or innocently, got arrested by who appear to be a gang of boot-stepping Meg Whitman thugs. Laura Wells now has a new radical platform on which to ride out her campaign until November 2, which coincidently is same date, she’s expected in Marin County Courthouse, to answer trespassing charges against her!
California Green Party received a massive dose of reality yesterday, about free speech, privatized security, and leadership. But let the debates continue! Like Benjamin Franklin’s cautious lament, at Constitutional Convention in 1789, about the sun setting or rising, I submit, the sun has just started to rise over Green Party. Greens have much to do, precious little time left to do it. We call on all lovers of social justice, grassroots democracy, nonviolence and ecological sustainability, to join us!
