Retrospective: Journal from Day 5 of the Revolution - Cairo streets empty for the first time in... Ever...

Sunday, January 30, 2011...

1:00am

The situation is dire.

Robbers with guns are all over the city.

Looters got into the Egyptian Museum and destroyed some statues and monuments. Civilians responded by guarding the museum themselves until the army finally got around to it. Now the Minister of Antiquities is sitting on a chair in front of the museum with the soldiers, guarding it with his life.

The army just arrested some criminals in Nasser City - where I am with my uncle's family. Awesome.

Images of criminals that have been arrested, their stolen goods lying out on a table: money, guns, drugs, Adidas shorts… they all look very blasé…

They’re announcing the names, ages, and addresses of all the captured criminals, showing them kneeling on the street with their hands behind their backs under watch of soldiers, their weapons laid out in front of them... rifles, swords, hacksaws, crowbars - like the civilians protecting their own streets, they grabbed anything they could find…

The disturbing thing is that many of them are actually not criminals that were released from prison by police - some are just citizens that saw people looting and joined the mayhem – including a 27-year-old teacher from Nasser City.

Civilians are continuing to arrest criminals themselves.

I think I might barf if I see Mubarak’s face one more time.

At least it is clear to anyone in the world who didn’t know it already that Mubarak is an evil lier: CNN keeps flashing his promise ‘I will protect Egypt,’ while announcing that there is no authority or security in Egypt right now and civilians have had to resort to protecting themselves…

Obama announced that he will be taking actions soon, and he advises Egyptians to continue to refrain from violence and to protect themselves as best they can…

1:45am

The streets are quiet. Footage on TV shows the streets of downtown Cairo empty, except for the army tanks. It's a shocking image, considering how congested Cairo usually is 24/7.

I am starting to pass out. I am so emotionally and mentally exhausted and also sleep deprived… I will try to go sleep for a while now. When I wake up, after insuring that we’re not in immediate danger, I’ll shower and call anyone who doesn’t know yet that I’m leaving tomorrow. The University of Chicago is officially evacuating my study abroad group to Paris…

Retrospective: Journal from Day 5 of the Revolution - Taking the law in their own hands; Gunshots down the block...

10:30pm

The gentlemen protecting us in the street outside have made fires to keep warm. They will remain on the streets in shifts to protect the neighborhood until this chaos is over. They are circled around the fire keeping watch, and I’m sure, discussing the incredible events of the week and the elusive future of Egypt…

  

11:00pm

Egyptians from all walks of life have been voicing their concerns and support of their fellow Egyptians on the news: actors, authors, scientists, etc.

A police officer actually dared to phone in a statement earlier this evening saying that the police did not use live ammunition, they used rubber bullets, and they retreated on their own accord. They were never ordered by Mubarak to leave the streets.

11:30pm 

Footage of civilians arresting robbers themselves, grouping and guarding them in the street, seating the criminals with their hands behind their backs. This is AWESOME!! Egyptians are taking the law into their own hands and handling things better than the government ever did! It's incredible to see the nation unite in this way, with such dignity, responsibility, and peace. AMAZING…

11:45pm

NOW I’M AFRAID: This just in – two microbuses full of robbers came to a neighborhood right next to Nasser City, carrying guns, shooting everywhere and anywhere. Civilians in the street are fighting them… WHAT IF THEY COME HERE?!?! Should we barricade the doors???

… The civilians killed one of the robbers and arrested the others – how, I have no idea, but I am so grateful, and so in awe of the bravery of our neighbors in the streets...

12:30am

We just had a scare – we heard shouting in the streets, “Get ready! Everyone come down!!” and the men were running down the street with their baseball bats and pipes. They set up road blocks with cement bricks and planks, and formed a human wall at one end of the block with more guarding the other end. After the recent reports of robbers in Nasser City, where we are, they were being extra vigilant.

We saw a bus driving towards our block, and we heard a few gunshots - the only people in cars right now are robbers with guns.

I heard what sounded like gunshots in our own block and freaked out, but Lenah (my cousin) explained that they are just noise bombs and firecrackers – like the ones my cousins and I used to set off for fun as kids – and the men were using them to sound like gun shots to make the robbers think we have guns too and scare them off. In reality, not a single man on our street is carrying a gun. 

Their rouse worked - the bus drove off before it reached the human wall.

I've never been so freaked out and elated in my life.

One Year Later...

On January 25, 2012, Egyptians gathered in mosques around Cairo and marched to Tahrir Square, as they did exactly one year ago on the first day of demonstrations that launched the Egyptian Revolution. My dad was among them this time - he wanted to be in Cairo on the first anniversary of the revolution to celebrate with the family. He and many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins walked from one end of Cairo to another, chanting with the crowd and calling others to the streets, to join a crowd of one million people gathered in Tahrir. Here are a few photos he took:

My Dad (center) with four of my cousins.

Dad realized, however, that no one was really celebrating. The Egyptians who continue to protest feel that the revolution is far from over, and celebrations must wait. The events last week were held to commemorate the martyrs of the revolution, and to continue to demand the resignation of the ruling military council.

The situation in Egypt is still very volatile. The tragedy that occurred this week at a football match in Cairo attests to this reality. Some are blaming members of the old regime for initiating the frenzy and panic that resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries. Many blame the Ministry of Interior for their lack of control over the police and their persistent failure to protect citizens. The fact is that anything can happen, especially in situations involving large crowds and a lot of adrenaline.

Many Egyptians are questioning the prudence of continuing to protest, feeling that it would be better to let things calm down so that a higher measure of security can be restored. Dad said that when a friend expressed this sentiment to him, he used the analogy of a college student:
"Say you never let your kid go out with his friends while he was living at home, and then you send him off to college in Cairo. Suddenly he's living away from home, with no one checking on him and asking where he's going. Naturally, he's going to be out all night. Then when he sees his grades at the end of the year, he wakes up and realizes that he has to get serious.
"Similarly, Egyptians have been oppressed for thirty years, and now suddenly they can do what they want. So they're protesting everything, all the time! After a while, when things settle down, the attention will become more focused on isolated matters at a time."

I'm hoping freshman year ends in June, and that things will be settled enough when I finally return to Cairo this July...