After attending many small local protests, I went to a pretty big protest against the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The state had been given $8.5 million by Congress for “security” against protestors. It was a very peaceful protest except for all the outrageous police violence. My friend who was standing around perfectly legally was shot in the breast with a rubber bullet and experienced a lot of pain as well as permanent tissue damage because of it. This experience really opened my eyes to how brutal people in power are willing to be in order to protect the corporate status quo. It also made me see how scared people in power are of “the people” claiming their free speech rights. Although this was a disturbing experience, it was eye-opening and inspiring at the same time. Also, I met my future husband there.