3000 Posts- and reports from on the ground in HK

[David HK]

Greetings to my internet family of fellow Twins fans,

 

I hadn't realized, I'd just passed a "milestone" of 3K posts here. (I probably need to spend a bit more time on the actual job...) But the community that's been created and fostered here is such a welcome refuge from the daily grind, and a great opportunity to interact with Twins fans from afar. (I'm working in Hong Kong at present, having been overseas for nearly a decade now.)

 

I had intended to post a personal baseball/Twins history blurb in honor, but things got a little busy over here. 

 

At first, it started innocently. In addition to the teaching job, I continue to feed my theatre muse. Was about to open, this past weekend, as Captain Smith in the musical "Titanic." Months of rehearsals, time/rest/sanity sacrificed. It also coincided with final exams beginning at my school, so just a nutty time all around.

 

As chance would have it, the time also coincided with huge street protests here in HK over the government's attempts to amend the basic law, allowing anyone accused of a crime to be extradited to the unholy morass of the "judicial system" in Mainland China, where there is absolutely no rule of law, and people can simply disappear, never to be heard from again. As it was a few years ago, when China stepped on HK's right for anyone to stand for election, and the streets were occupied for months, the citizenry stepped up in protest again, surrounding the Government Centre.

 

 

Then this happened:

Teargas, rubber bullets and beanbags fired into the crowd.  The streets were cleared, but at great cost, and with great violence.

 

As the theatre we were to perform in is only 2 blocks from the government centre, they decided to close their doors for the duration, and cancel our show.

 

And since the government still refused to back down, and proceed with the reading of the extradition bill, people came out again yesterday. Well, I wasn't busy onstage anymore, so I joined in. And for some reason, I thought it fitting that if I was going to go down swingin', I was going to wear my team's cap.

 

There were estimates (heh... quite different from the "official police" version) of around 1 million people in the street on Wednesday last. Last night, those estimates were doubled. It was assumed to be as large as 2 million in the streets. Plus one Twins fan.

 

I climbed up a pedestrian overpass at one point, just as the crowd surged off the packed sidewalks and into the main road. This would be like Hennepin Ave. downtown. 

 

A short time later, it looked like this:

 

These are people who have no real, true opportunity to vote for the candidates of their choice. Their legislative council is packed with Beijing-picked supporters. They have no weapons, except the strength of their conviction and their numbers. But there they are, in the streets, standing up for the mere hope of democracy, some day- or just to prevent the fascists in Beijing from eroding even more of their basic freedoms. 

 

And I'm proud to stand with them.  

 

By God, I love baseball. But sometimes it has to take a back seat.

 

Here's a couple of links to some video to give you the idea of what that crowd was like:

 

https://www.facebook.com/shanghaiist/videos/196196861299269/

 

https://www.facebook.com/shanghaiist/videos/340787783265278/

 

 

 

 

[PseudoSABR]

You're awesome. The people of Hong Kong are awesome. Thanks so much for sharing your story and photos. It makes a difference. 

[Squirrel]

Be careful, David ... and fight on!

[diehardtwinsfan]

It's nice to hear a bit more about the why as to people are protesting... What I've read on the protests has been rather lacking in details. Please keep up the good work and stay safe...

 

 

[AlwaysinModeration]

Great post. Always enjoy your comments. Thanks for the on the ground perspective in Xiang Gang. Things could last quite a while....too bad your production is sunk.