Riot

My list of things to do for November 1 read something
like this:

- Email Watson Office regarding changing location
- Store luggage at hotel
- Track book on Amazon.com
- Adventure

I'd say that I did everything on the list, but that
the last item was a bit more than I bargained for.

I was all set to head out to the north of the country
to begin exploring some canyons, when Anthony (a local
Ethiopian) told me that there was a rumor that there
were some university student demonstrating near the
bus station. In my mind I had the vision of our
anti-war demonstrations: chanting, singing, signs of
protest:

Nothing to be too worried about.

So, Anthony and I went to the bus station in a
minibus. I reluctantly agreed that he could accompany
me, thinking he might be of some help in finding the
right bus and not getting overcharged.

As we approached the bus station I noticed to our left
a street full of federal police and down a ways some
people and smoke. At this point I was concerned a
bit, so I elbowed Anthony. I was guessing that the
smoke was tear gas (it was actually burning tires or
buildings). Anthony quickly looked up from his
newspaper to note that the street we were on was
virtually empty of cars and that all the shops were
closed. Great.

We arrived at the bus station, hopped out of the
minibus and walked to the corner where a police man
said something to Anthony. We turned the corner
and ahead of us about 125 yards saw a line of riot
police with their backs toward us. They were facing a
fire in the middle of the street and a group of young
men jumping out from behind buildings to rain rocks
down on them. It was surreal to turn the corner to a
riot.

Anthony and I quickly decided that we should get back
to the hotel as quickly as we could. The only problem
was that, as noted, there was no transportation on the
street. We had taken a bus directly into the lion's
den and now had to walk back out. As we walked it
looked like every small side street had people, fires,
and federal police.

Occasionally there would be a rush of people that
would run out of a side street and disperse on the
street we were walking down. Occasionally, from
somewhere, we would hear a shot fired.

Eventually we got close to the city center and made it
back to the hotel. Anthony told me that he had been
happy to be with a faranji (westerner) because that
meant he was safe from the police. I told him that I
was happy to be with a habesha (Ethiopian) because I
too felt more safe.

Back at the hotel we watched as people would
occasionally come running down the street and the shop
owners would scramble to put their iron doors over
their windows. After a while it seemed like things
were all clear so we walked cautiously up to the
Piazza. Things seemed pretty normal.

Then, around the corner, again about 125 yards away
there were more federal police, guns drawn and pointed
down a side street. As we turned to hurry back to the
hotel they fired down the side street (not at us, but
perpendicular to us). The area leading up to the
police was littered with rock debris. Rocks vs. guns:
it was like the combatants were from different
centuries.

Later, back at the hotel we were told that a friend
from the neighborhood had been shot. We had likely
seen the shot fired.

Everything is pretty tranquil now, much like a Sunday
afternoon. Shops are closed, but people are on the
streets and all is peaceful. I walked down to the
area where we had seen the shots fired and it was
still teeming with police, although they too seemed
drained from the day's events. There are still rocks
on the street.

Nevertheless it seems like life as normal. As John
Moore says (about violence in schools in Miami), the
veterans shrug and go back to work while I am still
reeling.

The US embassy has advised avoiding the Mercato area
for the next few days (which means the bus station
too). So, I guess I will head back to the library and
see what kind of progress I can make on James Bruce's
five volumes.

It's funny, the adventure came, but not in the sense
that I was expecting. Also, it seems that the
adventures are getting bigger - I hope that this is
the top of the arc. First an airline strike, then a
scorpion sting, then a mugging, now street riots...

In any event, I am safe, in good health, and am being
quite careful. Perhaps I'll leave adventure off the
list next time.

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