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It was a scorching day to be in Luneta, filled with sadness, anger, and hypocrisy from the police. Every rally, protest, or walk that we do in anger, they’re always on high alert, which I understand—actually, maybe I raise an eyebrow at it. It just seems as if they’re mad that we have a voice and we’re not afraid to utilize it. I wonder why they’re so pissed off at us for using our larynx. Could it be that they’re scared of losing their share of blood money that the government and the Discayas live off of? That I don’t know— I just want to book a cab and get home, because they’re already starting shootings without a public statement that was released. Recently, the September 21 rally, which has been dubbed the “Trillion Peso March,” started peacefully; however, it ended in violence. Reports and analyses say that it was due to third-party anomalies that used the event as a cover-up to stir violence. Because of this violent upsurge, police were overwhelmed and were under attack from the riots. This, however, started raining gunfire, which sparked major backlash from the public because there was no official press release allowing the police to use lethal force. Publications like the Philstar covered areas where the rallies took place, such as those in Mendiola, near the Malacañang Palace. According to them, protestors started throwing rocks, bottles, and even Molotov cocktails at the police. Alongside this, a trailer truck was set on fire at the Ayala Bridge, and a backhoe was damaged—these were not part of the demonstration. At least 39 police officers were injured, and 21 individuals were arrested. According to ABS-CBN, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) reported that the rioters aimed to mimic disturbances seen in other countries, not the protestors themselves, indicating that they were not aligned with the main protest's pursuits. In Recto, a group of alleged teenagers engaged in violent behavior, including setting fires and hurling objects at police officers. According to ABS-CBN, these individuals were not affiliated with the main rally and were reported to be engaging in disruptive activities for reasons unrelated to the protest's cause. And what’s even more? This isn't a new refrain— let alone a new engineered design. The heavy-handed response, even when a protest begins in a peaceful state, is a familiar story that we keep reading in book after book, novel after novel. Let’s take, for example, the Mendiola Massacre in 1987. On January 22, 1987, a peaceful farmers' march to Malacañang Palace demanding land reform was met with violent dispersal by state security forces. This incident brought 13 deaths and 74 injuries to the protestors. The police opened fire without having evidence of outside agitators. While we’re at it, let’s also get the 1985 Escalante Massacre. On September 20, 1985, during a peaceful rally commemorating the 13th anniversary of the declaration of martial law, government paramilitary forces opened fire against demonstrators in Escalante, Negros Occidental. The event led to 20 deaths and 30 injuries. The Human Rights Violations Victims' Memorial Commission (HRVMC) documented the event, noting it as one of the last major acts of brutality by the Marcos regime. In these 2 rallies, neither was interfered with by people who wanted blood—the police were the sole reason for their deaths and injuries. And I remember the times during FPRRD’s term, all of them were under his foaming mouth, following orders like a lapdog. They’re image was ruined because they followed the man who swore to protest his country, yet commanded them to rain bullets on suspected drug users. If I have to paint a picture for you to understand, let me. Imagine being a kid of two parents, you’re 4 years old, while your parents are in their late 30s. They’re working constantly, both working multiple jobs while juggling everything as a journalist. They recently both released an article or statistics about the current drug war. Now, you’re in the living room, playing while watching TV with them. Then out of the blue, police officers bust your doors down, you ask why they’re here, but they—a shot, another one, then another one. Both of your parents' bodies are known to be bloody, shot, and lying on the floor. The gun now points at your forehead; you’re the next addition to the kill count of the war on drugs. You can call me a lot of things, but you can’t deny that this was the reality for a million. Sure, maybe he made life feel safer—but he made lives for those who were living in the slums feel like hide-and-seek on an extreme level. He ordered the police to shoot those suspects, and that’s exactly what happened. The more people who died, the more money the police got. They always got their share for being dogs to the shrine of the devil. Every peaceful rally that we conduct, they hate it—wait, no, they loathe it. They despise it. They want it to burn. They want their share of the deal while shooting innocent civilians mid-sentence. I understand that they have families to feed, families to shelter, and kids to raise, but will you want to trade that for the hundreds of lives that they cost? Would you really want to call a cab to go home, or would you rather yell ACAB and fight for a change in the system? The Trillion Peso March was loud and abusive to the ones in power because the ones in the seats are the abusers themselves. It only became a riot because of those who weren’t part of the organization; they only wanted to draw blood and fire for what? Shots and giggles? Sure, maybe they got arrested or detained, but how about the ones who were just trying to communicate peacefully, but loudly trying to communicate? How about the people who want change? They were also affected during the pandemonium that unfolded. If I were in any of those areas, I couldn’t just call a cab to go home; the streets were flooded with anger, bullets, and sorrows. If you call a taxi to go home while ignoring what we’re going through, you’re an abuser. You'd better call a cab while yelling ACAB in the streets before you say you love the country.