Activist hold a Die-In at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market to dramatize the horror of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli military in recent weeks

On Sunday, a group of local activists descended on the Grand Rapids Downtown Market to continue to protest US complicity in the Israeli assault on Gaza. 

The Grand Rapids Downtown Market was chosen as a site for the protest, since there has been an increase in consumers, because of the Christkindl Market, which has added dozens of additional vendors, plus entertainment and even the option for people to rent Private Chalets. 

The protest that was held at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market was a Die-In, where people wrapped themselves in bed sheets and laid down next to each other. The Die-In is a visual representation of the harsh reality that Palestinians in Gaza have been facing, with over 14,000 dead. Those who have survived in Gaza will wrap the dead in sheets and place them next to one another to provide the community with an opportunity to publicly mourn the dead. 

While activist engaged in the Die-In, other people handed out small flyers encouraging people to send a message to Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, along with 3rd Congressional Representative Hillary Scholten. The message demands that the Michigan members of Congress call for an immediate cease fire in Gaza, an end to the annual US Military Aid to Israel ($3.8 billion), plus a no vote on the proposed additional $14.3 billion the Biden Administration wants to send. You can send the same message by going to this link.

There were a few people who were visibly and verbally frustrated by the Die-In and the chanting that went on, but many people took the flyer and made gestures in support of the action. A few people even came up to some of the activists to verbally tell them that they were grateful for the action. Another activist shared that they saw several parents kneel down and explain what was happening to their children, especially since the flyer that was shared had a statement which read, Every 10 minutes a Palestinian child is blown to pieces because of the Israeli bombing. 

There was also one white woman, who most likely worked for the downtown market, who came out screaming at people saying, “this is private property!” While the downtown market is privately owned, it is still space that the public gathers in and there were several million dollars of public money that subsidized the construction of the so-called market. The white woman called the GRPD, which showed up 30 minutes after the Die-In began, in 6 GRPD cruisers and 10-12 cops. Those participating in the action did not intent to get arrested, so people after the police liaison distracted the cops for a few minutes, we all got up and left. However, we all walked through the outdoor portion of the market, handing out informational flyers and chanting, Free, Free Palestine!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H4ynRWQ8FNw

Street Theater, or what some call Guerrilla theater, is a popular form of protest throughout the world. Augusto Boal, a Brazilian, developed street theater as a political form of resistance, in what he termed the Theater of the Oppressed.