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Being
Heard EDITOR'S NOTE: The below was written as spoken word and performed in front of the Lane County Board of Commissioners recently as a protest to the electricity being cut off at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza Saturdays. The poetry has been edited for newspaper style. Free speech is no longer free in America. The ability to get your voice heard is rare and the powers that be say that nothing is free, and we're losing our democracy — not from terrorists across the sea but something worse, apathy.
America is the largest terrorist threat; when we occupy we bring fear and death. Say we fight insurgents over in Iraq, but they didn't show up 'til our pre-emptive attack. And just for saying what I just said, there's a few people out there who think I'm better off dead — 'cuz free speech is no longer free in America. The ability to get your voice heard is rare, and the powers that be don't be nothing but scared. Of the positive energy we want to create, they combat our love with discouragement and hate. Still we keep living on, keep singing our songs and righting our wrongs. When we try to do something good for our community, like an open mic where all speech is free, they shut us down. Politicians think they own this town, but do we see them out on the streets, sharing their wealth and keeping the peace? No, they take our electricity, but not our speech. But free speech is no longer free in America. The ability to get your voice heard is rare and the powers that be are violent and scared — of the people living on the streets, as if they're the Klan in their sheets. But they're just people on drugs, or in need of a hug, not a hassle from the cops or a conservative judge. Here, 2,500 youth are without a home. If Eugene is so progressive, then why do they roam through allies and streets to find money to eat? Government won't take care of folks in our town, so it's up to us; we've got to turn things around, and make free speech free in Eugene. Create welcoming places and a positive scene, let us live for the earth and respect all things green, and always make sure that our actions aren't mean. Yes, free speech can be free in Eugene. We have welcoming places and a positive scene. We live for the earth and respect all things green, and we always make sure that our actions aren't mean. Iana Matthews-Harris, age 18, is co-manager of the Wayne Morse Youth Program.
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