Defending the Honor of Johnny Cash

I arrived late and without my cell phone to "defend the honor of Johnny Cash" at the Man in Black Bloc.

It was unreal at first. There were around 30-40 protesters in a protest pen, and only a handful of police. The pen was set up at the corner adjacent to Sotheby's.

I passed out my first flyer and was asked my first question, and did not have information readily available. I was humiliated to admit to the man that I had forgotten my phone, but he quickly told me that he brought his. Problem solved!

I noticed a few undercover cops, one writing in an NYPD notebook, so I was a little nervous. I became increasingly nervous when I saw the police moving the pen to the corner in front of Sotheby's. Could the police actually be accommodating the protesters?

People were chanting and singing Johnny Cash songs, and the crowd grew. People gathered outside of the pen because it was full. Eventually a marching band joined. People chanted and booed at those walking into Sotheby's.

My favorite moment was when one half of the protestors adjacent to the pen would chant, "Who’s Cash?" and the protestors in the pen responded, "Our Cash!"

Shortly after, a truck arrived with blockades to create more pens. I decided to leave at this point, because I will not be placed in a pen like some sort of animal!

I had a lot of questions. A lot of the Cornell medical students wanted to know what was going on. I even had a girl from Oakland asking me if I knew how to get her a library job.