Today I was walking around downtown Troy, NY in search of good locations for an upcoming photo-shoot to gain supplimental images for a documentary by director Mark Vicente, a good friend and visionary filmmaker whose current project examines the violence in Mexico, more on that later. Downtown Troy has beautiful streets with lots of trees and interesting buildings, so we were confident someplace suitable could be found. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the walk, but rounding a corner I came upon something I didn’t expect.
I heard a voice speaking on the phone, the tone stood out to me as someone upset, and it became clear he was speaking to the police. The subject of his discussion was visible about a half block in the opposite direction. A man had a cat on a leash, the cat was tangled in the leash in such a way that when the man walked, the cat was essentially being dragged behind him. The man on the phone had a friend with him, and both of them were becoming increasingly upset watching this happen.
The man and his cat were in the direction I was already headed, and as I approached I could see that this man was either disabled in some way, or very intoxicated, possibly both. The woman he was using a walker, had no teeth, and also appeared to be mentally challenged in some way. I was almost in earshot of the couple when the two men who had been on the phone hurried past me toward them, they looked angry, and I was concerned their intentions might not be entirely peaceful. I understood their anger at seeing this cat in it’s unfortunate state, and I was concerned things may turn violent.
My work with Mark and his film about a non violent movement in Mexico called In Lak’etch has taught me about the danger of using force or violence, even in an attempt to stop violence. And how the forces of community, familiarity, compassion, and accountability are much more powerful tools. I didn’t know any of these people, I wasn’t part of their community, but I wanted to have compassion for all of the people involved, and had in my hands my camera, a tool of accountability. So I stepped a few feet away from where they were speaking in a position I was sure they could all see me, and held my camera to my face, making it clear I intended to photograph whatever was about to take place.
It didn’t start well, the two men were yelling immediately, and the individual with the cat was belligerent and combative. Any appeals to kindness for the well being of the cat were lost in the anger of the encounter, and the two men decided they were going to take the cat from the man until the police arrived. Incensed the cat’s owner attempted to strike one of the men, swinging one looping punch at his face, it was a sad attempt, missed, and only served to anger the man, who threw him to the ground and stood over him. This was the moment I feared, but rather than kicking the downed man, or assaulting him further, a gesture was made toward me, “we have witnesses, you just attacked me, that guy has you on film”. The owner of the cat stayed on the ground, defeated, but not beaten.
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Make no mistake, despite my reputation for not being terribly fond of cats, I would not wish harm to one, nor do I endorse the way this animal was being treated. I consider the anger of these men approaching him to be righteous anger, from a place of compassion for a creature who could not speak for itself. It was a noble intent, but the humanity of the offending party was lost somewhere. Witnessing this made me reflect on the ideas Mark presents in his film. How would this have happened if these men had known each other, or if one of the people passing knew him? How would this have been different if the value of the individual mistreating his cat were held as highly as the value of the cat?
by Michael
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