I took to Chicago’s streets during the NATO protests, not just as a photographer, but as someone who vehemently opposes the militarism that NATO stands for—the ways that powerful countries use their militaries (and hire private militaries) to inflict collective punishment upon so many nations and peoples around the world to assert their dominance; the murders, displacements, disfigurements, and malnourishment that are the direct result of NATO policies; the increased militarization of our own country.
So many of us put our bodies on the line in Chicago. We filled the streets as far as the eye could see. We are regular people from all walks of life who took a stand, just hundreds of yards away from officials who control the most vile and devastating weapons that can destroy all the life on earth many times over.
And we are not alone in opposing NATO! In addition to the thousands that took to the streets of Chicago, dozens of solidarity demonstrations took place around the world. Our protests have sparked a global dialogue about NATO and its policy of never- ending war.
Another world is possible, and it is being born. The social motion building now is just the beginning of a mass movement that can and will replace NATO, replace the bankers, replace corporations, and replace our sell-out politicians. We will build our political independence, take over this country, which has become so corrupted, and rebuild our society and economy into one that has all people’s well being as it’s priority and that will promote ecological sustainability and preservation.
Another world is possible and is coming, but our future is not predetermined. Its beautiful possibilities are not inevitable. The corporations and politicians can and will destroy humanity and this planet. We must envision the world that we want and struggle every step along the way to make it real. In the streets of Chicago, where I bore witness to so many people standing up to NATO, the world’s most brutal killers, I have renewed faith in this movement to build the future we need for humanity to survive and prosper. Isulong! (Forward with the struggle!)
