IF THE WORLD BELONGED TO THE YOUNG
di Jay Marvin
If the world belonged to the young and Miller didn't know it
he knew it now running down Michigan Avenue with the rest of
the crowd of workers and students and the unemployed racing
to get away from the armed contingent of police chasing them
the smell of burning cars and rubber mixed with tear gas
floating in the air Miller pushed himself flat against the
Water Tower his chest working overtime to suck in precious
air year three of the austerity plan had hit the country
hard planed unemployment was higher than ever medical care
was something young children read about in school books and
old people longed for idol men walked the streets day and
night looking for trouble crime seemed out of control jails
were filled Nanna sat back against the concrete wall that
ran around the inside of Soldier Field she had been brought
in last night by the CPD and she was hungry and thirsty her
hands grimy from being exposed to the sides of cars and a
gas can she had used to make fire bombs before her arrest
for conspiring with others to shutdown the Kennedy by
blocking traffic and setting fires along one of the main
arteries in and out of the city she couldn't remember when
the last time she had tasted the aqua neutral non taste of
water its wetness bathing her breath ravaged throat and
mouth freeing her sticky lips from her dry teeth she had to
get out and get water her skin crawling like a snake for it
Miller waited until it looked all clear and walked down
Michigan Avenue in the direction of Wabash his nose tinged
by tear gas mace and the smell of human panic the sky was
gray and black with smoke and to his right and left groups
of people stood detained by police bundled together like
bails of hay the otherwise clean walls splattered with red
and black paint gang graffiti bits of broken glass on the
sidewalk and street like rare bits of gravel sparkling
amongst the chaos he thought he heard someone call his name
but he kept walking looking to get out of the area the word
out on the street was the next target was North in Lincoln
Park near the zoo he didn't know if he could make it his
forty-five years pulling on him like he was caring another
person Nanna had worked her way to the far end of the field
she felt as if she were a blind woman searching for a
secrete panel that would let her out to the free world she
found a small break in the steel chain link fence still
silver in color and untouched by the winter's cold and
moisture having been installed ten years ago when the Mayor
sold bond money to renovate a then old unwanted sports
facility slipping through it she worked her way up to the
field box seats and started up the isle leading to the main
concourse and out to the parking lot Manny and his crew had
been in Cook County lockup for the last forty-eight hours
among the first to be rounded up and detained even before
the shit hit the fan when the coppers started making raids
in the Pilsner area popping anyone who had paint cans or
anything else deemed to be a threat to civil order Manny and
his boys started yelling and fighting with the cops ending
in a couple of the boys going to the hospital ward the
community standing by on the sidewalks watching in horror
anyone trying to get in the way even to ask what was going
on finding themselves cuffed on the spot and thrown into
blue and white vans to be detained without bail from the
second Manny landed in the Man's house he started organizing
finding out who was in and who was out the plan was to try
and storm their way out and kill every fucking guard on the
way so far he and Luis had half their cell block organized
building an army inside the belly of the fucking beast Manny
would tell them having made it half way to Wabash Miller sat
down in a doorway of a boarded up store his legs hurt and he
looked for other members of his union local but couldn't
find a soul he remembered when times were good how he and
the gang use to sit and eat their lunches in the sun along
this street watching the women put it on display in short
skirts and bare legs in the city's too short spring and
summer before the layoffs when their jobs were to build not
tear down the city he pushed himself up and kept walking
blue and white police vans working their way up and down the
street giant cockroaches with black rubber legs and blue and
red antennae on top stopping to feed off human misery and
suffering the plan was to set their pillows and sheets on
fire and make a large commotion then break out of the mother
fucking lock up take the whole jail hostage and make a
political statement the likes this city has never seen Manny
Luis and the rest of the men sat quite waiting making the
guards nervous the stench of human fear in the air crawling
out of the air ducts and vents creeping like poison up and
down the cement isles of the jail right before the exit
Nanna was stopped by a cop his blue shirt straining against
his beer belly gun riding on his hip and radio barking ten
codes out of his jacket pocket who was she and where was she
going?
She was searching for her brother and thought he might be in
this area even though Mamma had told him to stay away how
old was he sixteen going on thirty the cop laughed and
grabbed a fist full of Nanna's hair pulling her head back
now what are you really doing here Miller made his way to
the Douglas-O'Hair line of the CTA train went down into the
tunnel and got on the doors shut with a swishing sound of
forced air and the train jerked forward rounding a dimly lit
curb screeching and grinding metal on metal and then nothing
dead stop in the darkness the power plants somebody must
have gotten to the power plants Miller thought smiling there
was silence in the car before panic fear mistrust set in and
people started fighting to get to the doors one man jumping
out on the wrong side of the train and catching a shot of
electricity before it had drained out of the third rail the
smell of burning flesh driving the panic even deeper women
screaming men fighting Miller wished he was at the dunes
with a can of beer the cop eased up on Nanna's hair here
here young lady I know what you're fucking doing and to tell
you the truth I don't care now if you come over here with me
maybe we can work something out he guided Nanna by her hair
behind a concession stand forcing her to her knees you get
it babe Nanna got it if this was what it took OK anything
but could she please have a drink of water first Miller
forced his way to the train car doors and helped the few
women and children out to a narrow cement walkway that led
to the street above he even had to punch one guy in the face
hurting his hand when the short haired man with a brief case
tried to cut in front of an old woman pulling shopping bags
through the packed bodies these young yuppies and their cell
phones Miller would love to kick all their asses word spread
through the lockup like wildfire a new group of prisoners
were coming in and it would now mean four to a cell and the
first time a guard opened Manny's cell he was going to waste
the fucker the entire jail was now cat like ready for action
no water until you give me head sweet cheeks the cop sneered
Nanna fumbled with his zipper her slender hands troubled by
lack of sleep and liquid she got it down and searched inside
the cop's pants for his tiny prick feeling it swell in her
hand Miller was above ground and boarded a bus to Lincoln
Park to find the rest of his local he rode in silence it
amazed him how this part of the city went on with business
as if there was nothing going on despite the numerous
protesters on every street corner the new prisoners were led
in and down the cement isle way Manny and Luis heard their
cell door buzz and open and they charged forward grabbing
one of the guards and holding a homemade knife to his throat
open the fucking doors or this pig son of a bitch dies now
the doors buzzed in unison and clanged open there was
anarchy in the isle way prisoners running this way and that
human beings gone mad Manny slipped the knife across the
guards' throat blood spilling down his shirt front Manny let
him drop and joined the others in a frantic rush on the main
entrance they over powered most of the guards and took them
prisoner the smell of burning cotton shot through the air
sucked up and distributed by the air system Luis was on the
phone with one of the news stations issuing a set of demands
to be met by the Mayor and the Governor including the stop
of all illegal searches and arrests in minority communities
Nanna her hand in the cop's pants sucker punched him in the
balls he folded in pain she yanked his gun out its holster
and got off one round hitting him below the chin the bullet
exiting through the top of his head tearing a hole in his
skull she stuffed the gun in her pants and ran Miller got
off the bus through the back left window after the first
shot killed the driver he ran for cover hiding behind a
newspaper stand the front page if the Sun Times barked
something about a mass jail break and numerous killings at
the Cook County jail he pushed himself to his feet and
started to move cat like along the sidewalk when the first
of two bullets ripped the flesh of his right calf and then
hit the other biting hard against muscle and bone he lay on
the ground unable to move his blood spilling out behind him
like a squashed bug who's entrails have been smeared on a
white wall the last thing he saw before spinning off into
darkness was a hand painted sign in black and white
lettering announcing a two for one sale on home burglar
alarm kits.
