So... about 'Black Friday':
On Friday we will realise a year at Preston New Road Rolling Roadside Protest and for many of us, this theft of time has been brutal and cruel... stealing from us our joy, time with family, jobs, income, relationships and more. There is a rage inside us at the injustice and cruelty of this industry and our government that forces it on us.People have lost precious moments with dying loved ones, had family break ups as a result of absence and lost so much that could have been ours if 2017 had been for ourselves.
There is both anticipation and concern about what this anniversary brings - understandably because this rage cannot be denied. On a personal level, I have spent this year trying not to be terrifying so that others would not be too scared to come join us... have found places of calm and peace within the chaos of it all, in which to heal and re-focus (the Women's Call is my haven) and importantly - put aside each week's anger and started over. BUT... deep within me where the image of my little granddaughter has been replaced with her towering over me and the bits in-between aren't there because I missed the growing... that bit is boiling.
We have spent this year trying our best to balance the needs of residents and road users... with the need to protect our children and along the way, faced challenge after challenge along with often terrifying scenes. We have been attacked in the old-world press for being NIMBYs, for being outsiders, for being hobbyists, for being anarchists, for being layabouts, for being wealthy, for being paid, for being unpaid... no matter what we do, those with an angle and a vested interest WILL find fault.
Preston New Road has been a place where if you're there enough - the pressure builds but on our side - there is still no violence - we don't attack, we protect and defend... through disruption and delay. There is a good reason to vent steam where there is pressure and THAT is what Black Friday will serve. We need a steam burst to stop us boiling over... an act that will seek to include all our elements and make clear that we mean what we say when WE SAID NO.
There is room for all types of action in this movement and I despise aggression but I am all for making a bold stand on a single day to let rage be let out. I believe shareholders, government and industry have grown too used to our beautiful humanity... that they cease to recognise the drive that puts us at the roadside in all weathers and away from our precious loved ones... THEY WILL HARM OUR CHILDREN with this industry and that is not a gentle fight. We will never make an event that pleases the many that we are... but diversity is the glory of us and I hope for the many to come x
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Thanks for taking the time to add your voice to mine x