They Say We’re Being Violent

They say we’re being violent, I heard a woman say
As she hid behind a building to wash the gas away
The years of quiet desperation – who saw it til this week?
If nobody is listening, how can we speak?

They say we’re being violent, whenever we are not
Standing in the park with a bullhorn, waiting to get shot
Once a traffic law is broken, when we’re in the street
That’s called civil disobedience — which they gas and shoot and beat

They say we’re being violent – damaging their things
All these buildings owned by banks, from which such misery brings
The cops come with their tear gas, with their bullets in our backs
Shooting people running away – that’s how they attack

They say we’re being violent, as they drive around in tanks
As the riot police are rioting, and the president gives thanks
I give thanks to the moment, and the peace of mind that came
When they lit the precinct, and it went up in flames

They say we’re being violent, she said before she went
But the pasta that my kids eat so I can pay the rent
While I don’t know if they might come home alive at night
Is so much more violence than this dumpster set alight

They say we’re being violent