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false nation, democracy Fallen

by Elijah J. Thomas

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Recorded Wednesday, January 6th, 2021 in Central Harlem, New York, NY. This recording is an immediate response to the tragic and nonsensical unfolding of events in Washington D.C. at the Capitol Building by destructive rioters.

Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, was historic. For all of the wrong reasons.

This is said not in jest, and not with any sort of malice nor lightness, but with the intention of highlighting what injustice, inequity, and the corruption of democracy looks like. Almost unanimously, political figures across the ideological spectrum condemned the actions of the Capitol Building rioters in Washington D.C., using such words as “insurrection”, “sedition”, and a “clear and present danger to American democracy.” Let us look at what took place, in summary…

We witnessed the use of excessive force against law enforcement; multiple violations of federal law, incited by the sitting president; the disruption of the democratic voice of the people, through the delay of the electoral certification process – an age-old tradition that acknowledges the will of the American republic; rampant, unrelenting violence in the nation’s capital; the restraint of the Metro Police Department and multiple state-issued National Guard troops, in the face of rising fury set against U.S. democracy; and a clear disregard for human life, as rioters made the decision to gather not peacefully, but violently, throwing face masks and caution to the wind to provide for possible spread of the novel coronavirus (in a city not even their own, no less).

We suffered the loss of life, in the death of a woman within the Capitol Building itself, and several other individuals on Capitol Building grounds. Life that need not had been lost.

Protest is indeed a civil liberty bestowed upon all citizens of the United States. As writer and researcher Daniel Q. Gillion wrote earlier last year for The Atlantic:

“The point of protest is rarely to swing a single race, however momentous that race may be. It is to change the terms of political debate, and ultimately to change society itself. And indeed, protest has always foreshadowed the most radical shifts in American history. Protest calls attention to problems with the status quo—and often spells political doom for those who have upheld it…when protest occurs, we can expect that change is coming—change that reflects the evolving will of the people.” (September 2020)

Protest is a powerful expression of deep desire to achieve those all-too-often-quoted human ideals that EVERY individual is entitled to, regardless of their identity: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and prosperity. To strip others of these ideals in favor of misguided chaos – is that not the antithesis of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion?

What we witnessed on January 6th, was not protest. It was anger unbridled and unchecked, an assault on the very ideals that democracy strives to protect and ensure, and a disservice to a world watching this nation in search of a noble model of existence. We have witnessed this past year a vision of a world in need of healing, in a nation built upon the sheer power of white supremacy, racism, imperialism, classist exploitation and abuse, and the historic marginalization of Black, Indigenous, and people of color. And we, as a nation, have a moral imperative to forge a far better path for them, moving ever closer towards a more liberated way of life. Life free of injustice and inequity, of barbarism and violence, of abuse of power and privilege and incurable bias – life that allows us all simply to live, and live well.

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released January 7, 2021
Elijah J. Thomas, C Boehm flute/piccolo/alto flute

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Elijah J. Thomas New York, New York

Elijah J. Thomas (he/him/his) is a Black Philadelphia-born and Harlem, NYC-based multi-instrumentalist, educator and experimentalist. He produces what he calls "enuff music": intended for Black healing, spiritual awarness, and community. Please listen to the EP "enuff music, vol. i," released with the platform Off Latch Press here on Bandcamp. ... more

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