Scarlet | ‘Safe houses’ for the children—“As if we are a real home always waiting for them to return.”
Scarlet is self-employed. After 12 June, she has been on strike, even putting marriage plans aside, to contribute to the movement wholeheartedly. While she still has a conscience, she's making up for all the forgotten life lessons in one go.
“You’d think that the kids who are not seriously injured would be able to return home, but they may actually be financially cut off by their parents and locked out of their homes. Some are threatened by their parents with knives at home. In one case, the father even threatened his daughter and said, “I’ll send you to get raped.” There are many more unimaginable cases. We provide safe houses because we want to help the elderly and the young. We don’t have specific expectations to accomplish, but we just want to keep them safe. ”
Journalist: Tea Leaf
Illustrator: Labb
I couldn’t hold back after 12 June. I’m sure many people, like me, have long ago found themselves caught in showers of tear gas. Whenever the police fire tear gas, they do it one volley after another—like a buffet. If you still don’t take a stance in this situation, are you even human? This is why I’ve decided to go on strike.
As I’m self-employed, I can make back my lost wages, but this is the only time when Hongkongers have been so united. With no end in sight, God knows how long this movement will go on for and what will happen to Hong Kong when it ends. I never thought that after the Umbrella Movement, there’d be another chance for us to stand up again.
I’m lucky that I don’t work a regular job; otherwise, I’d have to face different types of pressures from my boss. Only because I don't have to deal with this can I give my all into the movement.
CONFLICT WITHIN FAMILIES: THE “REDS”, “BLUES” AND “YELLOWS”
I’ve been so active participating in this movement because I felt “summoned” by the younger generation of protestors. The kids I encounter find themselves in a range of situations. Not only do the frontliners need safe houses, but also kids who are peaceful, rational, and non-violent (PRN) protesters or those who do promotional infographics. Their families may be very pro-police (blue camp), or even pro-China (red camp), but the kids may be pro-democracy (yellow camp)*—this is unsurprisingly where the conflict arises.
You’d think that the kids who are not seriously injured would be able to return home, but they may actually be financially cut off by their parents and locked out of their homes. Some are threatened by their parents with knives at home. In one case, the father even threatened his daughter and said, “I’ll send you to get raped, too.” There are many more other unimaginable cases.
A pair of parents may have different stances. For example, a seriously wounded kid had to undergo surgery in the hospital, but his dad never once bothered to visit him. His mother visited him out of worry. However, she told him that he shouldn’t return home just yet because his dad was still angry and she didn’t know how to convince him otherwise.
We try to be as transparent as possible in terms of letting parents know how we are helping out and of what they should be mindful of. However, as soon as we leave, we can already tell that the parents are thinking “You shouldn’t be in contact with my child. You’ll get them in trouble.” It’s as if we’re being a negative influence on their child. They’ll say a lot to push you away (from their children), and they won’t appreciate what you do for them. There are also parents who were originally ‘blue’ or sometimes even ‘red,’ but have since turned ‘yellow’ after seeing their children beaten to a pulp and finally believing that Hong Kong has actually come to this. Ultimately, parents are like blood types where any combination is possible.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF “CHILDREN”
Some of these “children” are currently employed, so they’re more stressed than ever. The ones I work with are mostly between 16 to 22-years-old. There are even “children” who are in their 30s—some call them “old babies.” These tricenarians are often coming out with the intention of protecting their younger counterparts, but in the end, they have to be saved and cared for by the younger ones due to the differences in their relative energy expenditures and speeds of recovery. The younger ones aren’t as easily fatigued.
In contrast, those in their mid 20s or in their 30s can get worn out by fatigue. They work during the day and after work, they post up protest infographics, or are busy with political campaigns. For some, if they can’t be at the frontlines, they’ll set roadblocks. If they can’t set roadblocks, then they’ll help extinguish teargas. Even when exhausted, they face different forms of ‘white terror’ including being tailed or stalked so safe houses become their safe haven.
The youngest children that I’m in touch with are aged ten or eleven. The more I work with them, the more they surprise me. In today’s society, many families are Mainland immigrants, but their children may be born and raised in Hong Kong. They are brought up with Hong Kong’s culture and values and as a result, they self-identify as Hongkongers, and also believe in pursuing ‘one country, two systems’ and democracy. However, their parents may not feel the same.
Moreover, anything can instantly be Googled with the information overload in this modern day. They’re better at using LIHKG—a Reddit-like forum in Hong Kong—than us. I don’t have a LIHKG account, nor do I know how to follow threads on it. I have no clue how to leave a comment on the forum, let alone take part in the discussion. These children also enjoy using Instagram. I find it weird chatting on Instagram because I think it’s more for posting photos. Since I’m more used to Facebook, these kids will try and persuade me to try Instagram instead. Later on, they’ll tell us to use Twitter to garner global awareness. With options galore, I don’t have time to take care of all of these social media accounts. Anyway, why waste time on the Internet when I can help out practically? There are too many peaceful, rational, and non-violent protesters who can help out with those things—I’ll leave it to them. I’ll do what I know best to help the kids.
These kids surprise me. They sneak out on their own to protest, and they’ll follow us like they’re lost. If they choose to believe in someone, they’ll stick to him/her as if they’ve imprinted themselves onto him/her. For instance, this kid sometimes calls me his older sister even though he has only met me, but I’ve chatted and assisted him a lot. I don’t know if it’s because I look like a nice person to talk to but he keeps asking point blank without using the honorific sister title, “Why don’t you guys go siege the Office of the Chief Executive?” I don’t know how to respond. He has a point. I’ve learned from the Umbrella Movement that some protest routes are heavily armed, so this idea doesn’t seem feasible to me. These children are cute and I like people who ask questions. Oh please! They’re children, so they are naturally curious. The government should have many intelligent individuals, so just answer the questions! Given the wealth of the government, they should have access to all sorts of intellectual think tanks. Why do they have to resort to violence on children? Why hide behind the police with all the pepper spray, water cannons, and tear gas? In fact, violence isn’t even necessary.
Safe houses
We provide safe houses because we want to help the elderly and the young. We don’t have specific expectations to accomplish, but we want to keep them safe. At the very least, we hope to offer them a place to change clothes, clean their wounds, and replenish supplies. If they decide to go out (and protest) again, I won’t stop them. What we can do is offer them the best support as if we are a real home always waiting for them to return. We know that when they leave, they’ll return again.
I find myself very lucky and I’m grateful that we can still tell what’s right from what’s wrong. We still have the free will to choose how to help out. In fact, what we’re doing can be done by anyone. It’s a matter of how much effort you are willing to put in.
Some may ask what they can do (to contribute) and how to do it safely. Honestly, there’s no right or wrong answer nor absolute rules or methods because what happens next will always be different. Therefore, my take is that we should learn from each other and to evolve so that we can help as many people as we can. As long as we change our mindset, even donating umbrellas or bottles of water can help.
We’re just lucky to know more people. Perhaps, we’ll run into each other and say: “Hey, I can’t believe I ran into you here!” or “Hey, I’ve met you there before!” Inch by inch, the connection builds. For example, I don’t have a car but you do, and transportation is needed for the protest. Because we know that both of us will be there for the protest, and if I already have your contact, I could message you saying, “Hey, where are you? Care to give us a ride? We’re here, and a child needs help.” Gradually, you’ll find yourself with a network of parents and drivers. These things evolve as the environment changes.
Everyone is trying their best to contribute that much more to this movement. When you’re surrounded by people supporting the same cause, you won’t feel lonely. Therefore, I definitely believe that we should give it our best shot and we cannot give up now.
“I am Scarlet, I am a HKer.”
* Blue is the unofficial colour of government or police supporters; red is the unofficial colour of pro-Beijing supporters, while yellow is the unofficial colour of the pro-democracy movement
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