Studying in the middle of the road? (Patreon)

This is something that really made a big impression on me, way back in 2014 I was in Hong Kong and I visited the main protest areas to observe this historic event. You see what was happening is that people would still go to work etc and then join the protests after hours around 5:30pm, but the protest sites and barriers couldn't be left unattended. 

Tent cities formed on the main streets and a  whole self sufficient community sprung up with temporary showers, areas for students to study during  the day (they kept vigil over the barriers and camp) and all manner of support and facilities, people were offering free lessons and even postal services to all those who were camped there for the protests... It was quite the thing to see... 

Rest areas were also setup and it seemed rather peaceful during the day, keep in mind that this is a major road that people are sitting on here: 

As I explored the tent city, I felt a tangible feeling of togetherness and community, many volunteers were doing whatever they could to make life in the tent cities more bearable

Below you can see some ladies making soft floor mats for people to use in their tents 

There was one overriding theme here and that was a theme of non-violent protests, banners and signs called for peaceful protest and resistance.

Banners of encouragement!

Others slept off the exhaustion of the previous night of protest and clashes with the police

The tent city was pretty vast

And although it seemed rather sparse and deserted during the day

Things really heated up at night:

There's more to this story, but that is for another time, you are the first to see these photos as I was paranoid having taken these pictures and photos as I was to travel back into mainland China in the early hours of the morning and discussing or possessing any material related to the protests was strictly forbidden at the time. 

I hope you enjoyed a little look into what was taking place at that time and realise that something very similar yet far more sinister is happening in Hong Kong as we speak.

Love you all and as always:

- Stay Awesome

SerpentZA