{"id":4473,"date":"2018-03-01T05:00:30","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T13:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=4473"},"modified":"2018-02-25T13:03:16","modified_gmt":"2018-02-25T21:03:16","slug":"mark-reads-night-watch-part-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2018\/03\/mark-reads-night-watch-part-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘Night Watch’: Part 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the tenth part of Night Watch<\/i>, Vimes prepares for the revolution. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Discworld<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For extensive discussion of police brutality.<\/b><\/p>\n

So, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m finally getting more details about what exactly happened to cause the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153revolution\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that Vimes has been referencing throughout the novel. Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 even saying that<\/i> is complicated, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? Because what happened<\/i> is now happening<\/i>, so what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the point of retracing those steps if Vimes\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence in the past is going to alter the details? Still, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re getting something<\/i>, especially since it helps build the tension. If these riots, which are a response to both the oppressive Winder regime and further transgressions from the Watch, unfold as they were supposed to, then a lot<\/i> of people are going to die. (And, if I understand it right, this is how Keel originally died, too.) There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the whole terrible variable (that rhymes!) in Carcer, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know how that<\/i> is gonna factor into everything. But as it stands, Vimes is trying to change<\/i> parts of history by intervening.<\/p>\n

Here, he returns to the Treacle Mine Road Watch House, calmly and collected, so that he can prepare for the inevitable onslaught. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t how it happened originally, right? Vimes makes reference to an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ambush,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and in the original timeline, Carcer wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there. Had Keel waged a war with the Unmentionables, too? Or is that a new<\/i> thing?<\/p>\n

I suppose that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the point. Pratchett might make references to what initially happened, but we are firmly grounded in the present here, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. And Vimes is determined for things to happen differently. Knowing that the mob is headed for his Watch house, he makes a critical decision: he isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to hide. He isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to have the other Watch men antagonize anyone. Instead, he works as hard as he can to humanize himself and the others, all while refusing to dismiss the legitimate concerns that these people have for the world around them. And that part is crucial: Why<\/i> are these people reacting as they are?<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a question a lot of police forces could stand to examine, and I say this as someone who has experienced the negative ramifications of this lack of insight. Vimes\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s internal narration points out how poor the reaction of the Watch was to the protestors and how that contributed to what eventually happened. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen the same dynamic unfold so many times in my life, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure that practically anyone who has protested has dealt with this frustrating reality of the police. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made mention of it before, but I was at the 2007 May Day Protest in MacArthur Park when the LAPD lost all their motherfuckin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 sense and just started shooting rubber bullets into a crowd of thousands upon thousands of people. The official story is that they \u00e2\u20ac\u0153warned\u00e2\u20ac\u009d us to disperse after rocks were thrown at officers. Apparently, the crowd ignored them, but I was there. That warning never happened. Those of this in the middle of the park\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe shooting started in the eastern end\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsimply heard the pops of guns firing, then saw the massive stampede heading our way. It was terrifying. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never forget that image. And while that was not the first time I was harassed by the police in my life, it was the first time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d gotten assaulted by a cop.<\/p>\n

All of this is not to suggest that there isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t such a thing as a mob mentality. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just a commentary on one element of protests. I admire that Vimes doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t demonize these people, even while he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trying to protect the Watch house. And he does this all with an air of ease; he looks<\/i> like he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s keeping his cool, even though he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pushing down the panic inside of him. Seriously, let me acknowledge what he accomplishes here: he sets up multiple traps to catch members of the Cable Street Watch who are trying to infiltrate the Treacle Mine Road house to rescue their man. Then, he quickly and beautifully diffuses an entire mob. How? By visually reminding them all that the members of the Treacle Mine Road Watch House are all people that they know. He personalizes them. He makes them part of the community rather than antagonistic forces. And I know it seems simple on the surface, but there are so many people in the force who absolutely resistant to ever<\/i> de-escalating situations. They are more concerned about power and control than anything else.<\/p>\n

Look how well it works for Vimes. His Watch house is the only one that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t raided. All of the injured\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich includes two Cable Street men and the man who cuts his hand while trying to smash a bottle\u00e2\u20ac\u201dget treated by Doctor Lawn. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sense of camaraderie and community in this neighborhood. Oh, and Havelock Vetinari ASSASSINATES SOMEONE TRYING TO ASSASSINATE VIMES. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, what the fuck<\/i>!!! So, even long before he becomes the Patrician, Vetinari is manipulating political and social events while being unseen. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S TOO MUCH. What the hell is he planning with his aunt???<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/GE-QNre6s0Q<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now available for pre-order!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"