Occupy Los Angeles Reader,

On Tuesday November 22, 2011 close to the end of 19:00 hours I struggled to find the words to write the captions to the stirring images I had trolled up.  Images depicting some of the large demonstrations and police responses to uprisings in Egypt.

As we all move forward in our struggle to ascertain the correct response to concerns of human rights, oppression, monetary segregation, and aloof elected/appointed officials, we must remember our distant past.  I invite you to take a moment and analyze these photos; let them work in you.

There is a strong connection between what is happening in the part of the world depicted in the photos and the part of the world you and I inhabit.

As I revisit these images, each from its own moment in time, I am reminded of the setting in which the targets of the photography must have become accustomed to:  

Crumbling buildings and hazy horizons providing a backdrop for the many comingled fires, each extending dark tendrils coalescing upward into a darkening smog.  In the squares tens of thousands of people shouting together, their collecting voice a booming sentiment.  One cause, one thought, propelling them all forward against an armed mass of oppressive police armed with lethal weapons.

Imagining the feeling of running down a ceaseless narrow series of corridors betwixt the stacked structures, where the modern tangle of alleyways intermingles with the overwhelming sense of the old world.  Panting, out of breath, racing ahead.  Perhaps to reunite with a son, a daughter, a lover, a friend.  Elsewhere, explosions echo between the hollow buildings, making the silence between them all the more eerie.  Wondering what to do next.  Wondering if the following corner I turn will reveal an oppressive wall of security forces who will see me open fire and... what then?

Originally published: November 22, 2011 on jeremynation.tumblr.com

As the crisis in Egypt continues to unfold, these stirring images speak of the struggle taking place between demonstrators and armed security forces.

November 22nd in Tahrir Square, in Cairo Egypt: Masses of demonstrating protesters clear a path to move those injured in the clashes with nearby Egyptian riot police. After stalling for days the ruling military who stepped into power in the vacuum generated by Mubarak's overthrow announced that the civilian government would have power transferred next year in July. These major concessions were whole heartedly rejected however, and thousands of protesters massed to he iconic Tahrir Square threatening what many will perceive as "a second revolution.

Female protesters keep together in a group to protect them from the violent clashes between demonstrators and Egyptian police while the march rages on in the vehement rejection of the military ruling party's refusal to transfer power to the civilian government.

As the protest transcends religious boundaries christian protesters stand in solidarity around their muslim counterparts to protect them while they pray.

While riot police move in on protesters, they chant slogans and maintain the line. Deeply frustrated with their military rulers, the protesters were not satisfied with the civilian cabinet who offered to resign after 72 hours of violent clashes in several cities between demonstrators and security forces.

In this powerful image a protester runs to throw a tear gas canister away during clashes with security forces near Tahrir Square in Cairo. Reports from the front lines indicate that the tear gas used on the civilians is manufactured in an American factory. This tear gas formula is more potent, causes a burning sensation on sensitive areas of the skin particularly the face. Protesters have reported that "it makes you feel like your body is seizing up." Attempts to mitigate the effects of this tear gas by utilizing traditional methods such as a rag soaked in vinegar or coke have been ineffectual in combating this new "improved" formula of crowd control.

Unarmed protesters run for cover from riot police seen in the background firing tear gas and other projectiles at the mass of demonstrators. One man attempts to shield those in front of him while a woman simply stands atop a burnt out vehicle behind him holding her head in her hands.

A wounded protester is carried by his brothers in arms. His agony appears palpable as he is taken to safety from the epicenter of the violent clashes with police.

Even as violence ensues around them the demonstrators stick together. Here a man on a motorcycle chants slogans as clashes between protesters and security forces continue around him.

Riot police fire tear gas canisters at the crowds. In the background police can be seen holding stones in one hand and shields in the other. One officer stoops to pick up a rock behind the man firing his weapon at protesters.

This image from Alexandria Egypt taken Monday November 21 shows protesters holding the line against security forces. After the third straight day of violence that has seen dozens killed the most sustained challenge to the rule of Egypt's military continues.

The sheer mass of protesters here unhappy with the regime change is evident in this aerial view of Tahrir Square in Cairo Egpyt taken November 21, 2011. Security forces bombarded the crowd of several thousand demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets in a futile effort to clear the masses.

An injured protester is carried on the backs of others as he is evacuated from the scene of violent clashes with security forces in Tahrir square.

A canadian volunteer nurse attempts to help an egyptian medical team treat injured protesters at Tahrir Square.

Egyptian demonstrators cast stones at riot police (not shown) as clashes with security forces continue for a third day after the military power announced concessions which will set back transfer of power to the civilian government until July 1, 2012. The protesters demand an immediate power transfer to a non-corrupted civilian government.

Taking cover behind makeshift metal barricades, protesters throw stones and attempt to wrestle control back from the occupying military power which seized control in the vacuum left by Mubarak's ousting from power.

Police forces hold their ground and block off streets and access to the public square while shrouded in the haze from spent teargas canisters.

This image depicts police in the midst of beating protesters as they attempt to dismantle the massive demonstration taking place in Tahrir Square. As the strife in Egypt continues to gain attention around the globe, more and more protesters in countries around the world stand in solidarity with the Egyptian people.