Teen anarchists dressed in black masks and hoods sit in the middle of a street, shouting, “What does a police state look like? This is what a police state looks like!” Dozens of police officers in orderly, Army-like lines approach, some with batons, some on horseback.
This is not Berkeley, not San Francisco, not Oakland. It’s posh Palo Alto.
The June 25 protest and a similar one a month ago were staged by teens whose parents are doctors, lawyers, bankers and college professors.
The teens are building an anarchy movement. It may be small, but it has nonetheless intimidated police and city officials.
Experts say teens are drawn to the rebellious philosophy of anarchy. The homogeny of suburbia in particular can foster it among youths, experts say.
“Teenagers often find the idea of anarchy sexy and appealing without thinking about history or context of anarchist motions,” said Maristella Huerta, a sociology professor at Foothill Community College in Los Altos Hills.
“They don’t have the ability to juxtapose it to our system, and are seduced by the ‘screw authority’ part of it.”
Huerta explains the popularity of anarchism among the affluent teenagers as a search for answers to their own suburban life, and to questions like, “Why am I rich when other people are poor?”
“Suburbia can be a controlled and stifling environment for teenagers,” Huerta said. “Especially for the ones who can think critically.”
“Free Palo Alto! Kick out the cops!” shouted a group of about 25 teens who refused to budge from the cold asphalt they were sitting on in downtown Palo Alto.
Their message: They’re against war, government hierarchy, globalization and capitalism. They want a society based on communal and mutual aid.
“Our society forces a certain lifestyle on us,” said Sean, 19, a high school graduate who helped organize the protest. He also helped form Palo Alto’s chapter of Anarchist Action, an informal network of activists.
“To survive, you have to go to school and go to work all your life. It’s a lifestyle that most of us, if given the choice, wouldn’t choose.” Sean, like all of the anarchists interviewed by Mosaic, did not want to be identified because he’s afraid the police will track him down. Sean’s father is a college professor and his mother stays at home.
Sean helped stage the first protest in late May. He said it was intended to be a non-violent demonstration called “Reclaim the Streets,” but it ended in outbreaks of violence and vandalism.
A police car was damaged, the window of a local bank was shattered, garbage bins were overturned and spray paint was used to deface the street and a local Starbucks, said Palo Alto Police Chief Lynne Johnson.
This time, police and local businesses were ready.
Store windows had been boarded up, security guards were stationed in front of banks and drug stores, and about 200 police officers worked overtime to patrol the streets. Police were expecting up to 1,000 demonstrators.
“When a large number of people gather, there’s always a potential for damage, so we had to bring in other forces, for their protection as well as ours,” said Johnson.
As the protest got started, the crowd of anarchists and onlookers marched down University Avenue, with signs that read, “Resist the G8
Empire and Global Capitalization” and “Support Humans, Stop the War.”
The anarchists — many of whom were teenagers — wore masks and hoods to conceal their identities, for the same reason many of them refused to provide even their first name.
Police in helicopters hovered above the crowd and ordered it to disperse.
It was a sad sight, said Earl Crowl, who owns a Palo Alto yoga studio. “The police were the ones committing acts of violence by intimidating kids.”
After three hours and no arrests, the protest fizzled out.
Erik Strom, a sophomore at Los Altos High School, said he doesn’t know enough about anarchy to consider himself an anarchist.
“I’m here because I’m against the war in Iraq and our government system,” said Strom, wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans. “I hate Bush-huggers.”
Sean said he felt the protest was successful.
“I think it opened Palo Alto youth to anarchist politics, and we took direct action against exploitative corporations and the police.”