TENT CITY
Episode 7 – A Day in the
Life of US Tent City Family 2068
FADE IN:
HENRY JACKSON, his wife
MARY and their two children WILL and his older sister ANGEL are doing their
nightly routines within their tent, as residents in the NEW NEW YORK TENT CITY.
MARY
All right you two – you’re
already past the limit for your VR time. Go brush your teeth and get ready for
bed!
WILL
Just a few more minutes
Mom – please! I am about to set a new personal high score on my game!
MARY
No! Don’t make me ask
again William!
WILL
Ahh Mannnn! (takes off VR
headset)
ANGEL
Don’t know why you’re so
upset – you don’t even rank in the top 20 percentile!
WILL
Oh shut up – you’re just
jealous because you stink at games!
ANGEL
That’s because I can’t be
bothered with them. All the shooting, killing and fake martial arts model is so
old and boring!
WILL
How can you say that! At
least we move around a little compared to the kids who just sat around for
decades before VR.
ANGEL
A little is right – the
avatars do all the fighting and real action and you are just the eyes and ears
pushing some hand held buttons to decide what direction to go in.
WILL
You think you’re so smart
engaging with people far away who are trying to save the world – well guess
what – it’s too late! We live in a tent and probably will be stuck here forever!
HENRY
That’s enough young man!
You too Angel – no need tease each other about our VR habits! To each his or
her own! We all like to do different things on the VR. Your Mother and I set up
the viewing parameters and so whatever you do is safe as far as we are
concerned.
MARY
Your father is right and
even though I don’t like the violent shooting games I have allowed for the less
graphic ones – and as far as being stuck here forever – it’s simply not true.
We will be relocated – it’s a matter of when – not if! So no more negative
projections from you about our relocation – understand?
WILL
Yes Mom.
MARY
Good – now both of you –
go get ready for bed – and go to the bathroom. I’ll be in in a few minutes to
tuck you in.
ANGEL
I’ll wait until the last
minute for the girls bathroom to avoid the nighttime rush – too crowed with
gossips for me to deal with.
KIDS GO TO OTHER ROOM
WITHIN TENT
HENRY
That girl is too mature
for her young age. She is being robbed of her childhood because of this post
disaster Tent City life.
MARY
Yes – they both are
unfortunately but we must stay positive and provide the best…
HENRY
Environment possible – yes
dear – we are agreed on that nonetheless…
MARY
Nonetheless nothing! (in a
hushed intense voice) I can’t hear the tangent anymore Henry! After more than a
year - I know it by heart now – okay? Let’s not go there anymore because
complaining about our situation is not going to do anything but stress everyone
out as we have agreed not to several times now!
HENRY
Yes, yes – you’re right.
Anyway, I registered for the march today.
MARY
What? I thought we were
going to talk about that more before you signed the pledge?
HENRY
Listen Mary – if you do
not want to go to what will be the biggest march for our basic rights in this
country’s history – fine – but please don’t dictate my choice to participate.
MARY
We are husband and wife
and we have two beautiful children that cannot afford to lose their father to
jail or worse!
HENRY
Please stop with the
hysterics! This march is all about peace and civil disobedience if necessary.
The pledge states that anyone who breaks from the peaceful resistance methods
should not sign up or participate!
MARY
Oh sure – easy for Professor
Palenti to preach disobedience who has no children or a wife to worry about!
His only responsibility is to himself and his ideals!
HENRY
I know you don’t mean that
Mary. We both respect and are glad Palenti is doing what he has been doing – to
fight for 27 million homeless citizens’ rights, speed up relocation and
organize possibly 2-3 million people from all over the country for this march
on DC! It’s the only leverage power wise that we, the tent city people have had
so far since we were relocated!
MARY
That may be all well and true
but you know there will be racist militias showing up to disrupt the march,
never mind what this conservative, backwards president and his evil
administration have up their sleeves! They know if this march is successful it
will sway the elections against them, so they are definitely going to try to
sabotage it and many people will get hurt, arrested and probably even killed!
HENRY
Okay – okay – don’t get
your blood pressure up! Honey – you know that our people have had to fight for
our rights one way or another since we were forced here in chains 500 years
ago! Palenti’s peaceful resistance method worked for Martin Luther King and
black civil rights in the 1960s and his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ vision has stood
the test of time and was starting to take hold in the country’s consciousness
before the floods. All I’m saying is that sometimes we must stand up for our
rights. This march is really important right now with so much on the line for
the future of our country and especially our own family! If I don’t go – I will
regret it! You are the one who always says actions speak louder than words – so
this is a rare opportunity for we the people to unite and check the powers that
be – that do not have our long term middle class interests at heart and even
wish to do us harm!
MARY
Yes, actions do speak
louder than words, but I only have one husband and more importantly the kids
only have one father!
HENRY
You’re being overly
dramatic – there has not been a killing during a protest since Charlottesville
way back in the early 2000s – and that was just one unfortunate white girl that
was driven over by a stupid white supremacist. The cops have not killed a
protester since the Ohio Kent State college student in 1970 during an
anti-Vietnam war protest – and she was white too!
MARY
You are conveniently not
mentioning all the killings of black college students in the South and members
of the Black Panthers all over the country during the same 1960s and 1970s, as
well of the thousands of innocent black men and women that were shot dead by
police on a regular basis up until the smart phone
came along and cops had to wear body cameras, and yet it still continued
for decades – all though to a much lesser extent. So yeah – I am worried for
good reason!
HENRY
That all is true but this
is a protest with potentially millions of other people from all different
backgrounds. If the cops start to maim, or worse kill anyone at this march that
will be seen all over the world – there will be hell to pay for the president
and his administration and it will definitely hurt any chance of his
reelection. The odds are in favor of nothing bad happening.
MARY
Famous last words. Listen
Henry Jackson – you do what you think is best and I will hold down the fort
here while you stand up for what’s right in DC. I know this march is important
and the only way things change in this country is when the grass roots
movements get out in the streets and demand change – so you do us proud husband
of mine and father of my children! (tears trickle down face)
HENRY
Now now dear! (hugs her
close) There’s nothing to worry about and I will represent our New New York
Tent City Jackson family! I want the kids to understand about this peaceful freedom
fighting and help make a cool sign for me to carry in the march.
MARY
Yes – that’s a good idea.
Nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy – especially for the marginalized
peoples of the world. It’s time to take back America from these rich, racist
thugs!
HENRY
Right on!
ANGEL COMES OUT OF ROOM TO
GO OUTSIDE TO BATHROOM
ANGEL
Mom – Dad – can I start
working on the sign tomorrow?
MARY
Angel – were you listening
to our conversation?
ANGEL
Mom – the walls are made
of fabric – yes I heard your conversation as I do most of the time, but tonight
you were louder than usual. We need to fight for our rights and to be relocated
sooner than later or else we will be stuck here forever! We need Senator Jones
to be the next president!
HENRY
You are too smart for your
own good young lady. Of course you can start working on the sign tomorrow! But
think about it a little, come up with a few good ideas with your brother and I
will pick the one I think best. We still have time – so there is no rush. You
make me very proud - Give me a hug child!
THEY HUG AND MARY JOINS IN
AND THEN WILL POPS OUT OF ROOM AND JOINS HUG CIRCLE
WILL
I want to help too!
MARY
Come here you!
FADE OUT:
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