“Direct action” is a tool in political activism in which the actors use their physical or economic power to directly reach some goals and to raise awareness of their cause among those who otherwise might not know of it. It’s bringing the movement to the people who need to hear it the most, because while they may not be able to do anything about it themselves, as they aren’t the authorities able to effect change, it broadens the base of support, and can win over hearts and minds, as well as encourage people to pick up the banner and become participants.
On the evening of June 16th, 2020, I and the group with whom I’ve been working engaged in some direct action, as we took probably around 100 people to North Hills Mall, to demonstrate right in the heart of North Raleigh’s white suburbanite capitalist hub. We were there to draw focus to the nationwide blight of police brutality, including by Raleigh Police Department, and to gain attention for the Movement for Black Lives. Over the course of an hour or two, we obstructed some traffic across Six Forks Road, a major thoroughfare; we made a bunch of noise; and we kept the RPD blue-and-whites guessing as to our intentions, while frustrating the mall cops by ignoring their toothless instructions – pretty much the usual, to be honest. But the most significant thing we did, and an event which I will always remember, was in the Target store at the mall. We entered in small, dispersed groups, and milled aimlessly around as though we were shopping or just browsing the merchandise. Then, at an agreed-upon time, we all started chanting, in a conversation-level voice, the name Keith Collins. Repeatedly. Eerily. Monotonously. For about three minutes we carried on and continued wandering about, while holding up pieces of paper with, “RPD HAS BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS,” and a list of his and other victims’ names. People heard us, and people saw us.
The scene we presented was haunting, disconcerting, and confusing to those in the store, without being disruptive or inflammatory. This is exactly what we wanted; sometimes shouting gets folks’ attention, but other times what you want to do is unsettle them out of their complacency, to shake them without touching them. One woman was so disquieted that she made the sign of the cross as she passed me, while I calmly recited Collins’s name over and over. A couple of teenage girls turned their cart around and scurried away back down the aisle because they didn’t understand what was happening.
Later in the evening, one of the other members of our cadre told us that a lady had approached them and said that she’d witnessed what we’d done, and looked up Collins’s story, because she had no idea. I hope that she looks into further injustices in our community and elsewhere, and that she carries the experience forward in pursuit of change. This is what direct action is for; if the politicians won’t listen, then you go after their constituents.
Every person whose mind you touch will touch another’s, like ripples spreading out in a pond from a stone of knowledge tossed in. The ripples will reflect off those from others, becoming waves with each additional stone, until the entire body of water becomes a roiling sea demanding justice.
Additional Resources
- ABC News 11 story on Keith Collins linked above: Mother of man shot, killed by RPD officer says he faced mental health challenges, loved to cook
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