I was jammed against that gate in a sea of people, screaming at each other in a language I didn’t understand while men with guns were all around me.
A few years back I got a show gig in Washington DC. The description of the job was it was supposed to be a “flash mob” production with dancers and us busting out some tricks on our BMX bikes. I agreed, thinking it would be an easy job and a chance to ride with friends.
I later found out the job was at the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC. I wondered what I was getting into so I looked up current US relations with Turkey and what was going on in their country. From what I understood, we were allies and while their President was on the verge of sketchy, I didn’t feel too bad about doing the job, especially as I was told the parade was to promote peace and friendship.
We parked a couple of blocks away and met up with a group of dancers bussed in from NYC. They told us there would be a parade and when it came by, we would do our tricks during a break in their routine. I thought it was odd that we were stationary in a parade route but whatever, I was getting paid. I was given a red T shirt to wear that had the Turkish flag on it. I put it on for before the crowd appeared.
When it came time for the parade to start, I noticed few people were on the street. I figured we were down the route and people would file in. One thing I did notice was the heavy police presence on both sides of the street. Cops were everywhere, on foot, with vehicles, on horseback, even on the roof of the building across the street. There were also a lot of men wearing coats and earpieces on a warm day. I asked one why they were there and he told me “Oh, some Armenians were upset with the Turks about something that happened a hundred years ago and they might start some shit”. My history classes kicked in and I remembered that starting in 1915, the Turks pretty much committed Genocide against the Armenians. I started getting a little nervous. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide
After fifteen minutes or so, I saw the parade marching down the street as well as the crowd marching down the sidewalks. This was really odd as American crowds are stationary and let the parade march by them. As the parade got closer to us, I could hear people on the sidewalk screaming at those in the street. There were picket signs and anger in the air. When the time came, the music started, the dancers and we riders did our thing as the parade stopped in front of the Embassy.
After the music/dance/bmx number, I guy came out of the Embassy and started to give a speech in Turkish. I can only assume he was an ambassador or something. He was dressed in an expensive, dark suit, surrounded by huge men in expensive, dark suits. The only thing differentiating these men and the speaker was they all wore sunglasses and had earpieces. As the speaker went on, the crowd surged onto the sidewalk. There were hundreds of people and I was pressed against the gate with nowhere to move. The people in the street were screaming and arguing with the speaker as he tried his best to say his piece, with moments of hostility and frustration punctuating his words. I was watching the dark suited men, the cops on horseback and those on the roofs with their binoculars and rifles. They were all on edge.
Even though I couldn’t understand the language, I could see the pain and angst in the faces of the protesters. The tension was growing and I was getting uncomfortable but pinned to the gate with my bike, I couldn’t get away from the situation. I didn’t know what to do so I figured out a plan. If the shit hit the fan I was going to drop down in a ball on the sidewalk and let those in front of me take a bullets that might be coming my way. I knew if I tried scaling the fence to get away, I’d be arrested or shot.
I couldn’t really drop down at the moment so I stood there. Suddenly, the thought entered my mind “What would John Lennon do in this situation?” I held up my fingers in a V, making what is the Peace sign here in America, as I scanned the crowd looking for any threats. After a couple of minutes, one of the sunglasses and dark suit guys came toward me and gestured for me to put my hand down. I quickly did, thinking this guy was as uneasy as I was and just wanted to get the hell out of there too.
After the speaker finished, he went back into the Embassy compound and into one of the buildings. The crowd stood out chanting and yelling for another ten minutes before it dispersed. I got together with the two other riders who were also surprised by how sketchy that situation was. We were all glad to be on our way.
Ever since that day I have paid more attention to what is going on with Turkey. I also have decided to research the venues of shows and who is hiring me before I agree to take the money.
Today’s news reminded me of the only show I ever did where I thought I might get killed.
Photo: Pre parade riding in front of the Turkish Embassy.
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