For Thanksgiving this year…

FOR THANKSGIVING THIS YEAR, I sat outside in the cold in front of a police station with a sign that read, “Silent Hunger Protest.” I am aware of my privilege to not eat on Thanksgiving. I think it was okay to use my privilege in this way. A few minutes after I sat down a man asked what I was protesting. Later, another man said, “What does your sign say?” People offered food and money. I tried to bow my head in a way that said, “Thank you, but I’m okay.” One woman handed me a bagel and said, “It’s okay. It’s a plain bagel. There’s nothing on it.” Cars waved or honked. One man rolled down his window and said, “Go home.” A priest asked if I wanted to come to his church and have a free breakfast. My feet were cold. I was wearing three pairs of socks. It was thirty degrees. I got to the police station a little after seven a.m. Every hour was difficult. I didn’t do anything except sit. A man with a beard stopped and said, “I don’t believe in protesting. There is too much good in the world. Protesting creates divides. It sets people against each other. It others the other.” He did not offer any better solutions. On my phone, I read an article that said, “All across the country peaceful protesters turn to violence and block highways.” People probably don’t realize, but driving an automobile is probably one of the most violent things an average person can do. At around two p.m. someone joined me. He just sat down next to me. Neither of us said anything. We con-tinued sitting until it got dark. Then we both walked home. My plan was to return to the police station on Friday and continue the silent hunger protest, but instead I’m going to go to the mall. I will walk around with my “silent hunger protest” sign while people throw their money at each other.

From The One on Earth: Selected Works of Mark Baumer (Fence Books, 2021). Reprinted with permission.