Unrest in Ukraine

     Reading the news this week, I have noticed more and more attention directed towards the protesters in Ukraine. It caused me to think and consider what makes it come to this? The stories from Russia sound more and more like an James Bond flick. In my reading i discovered murder cover-ups, rigged elections, abduction, arrests, riots, corrupt politicians and an unhappy nation all in the wake of the Olympics of newly instated anti-gay laws established in this region. This chaos in Ukraine didn't happen overnight Ukraine has been having problems since they established Independence from the USSR in 1991. The internal political issues really came to light 10 years ago in 2004 when Viktor Yanukovych won an election majority believed to be rigged. Protests ensued and this became known as the "Orange Revolution" due to the color orange used by the protesters.

       In 2010 Viktor Yanukovych is again declared the winner in the presidential election.  His opponent Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, challenges the results, alleging fraud. She is arrested soon afterwards on what she calls politically motivated charges not to be released until earlier this year. A second term won under allegations of fraud and poll rigging, I can understand why people would be frustrated with a government that wrongfully arrests or accuses them based on their selfish interests as leaders. Most recent protests began this past November after President Yanukovych's cabinet announced that it is going to seek a closer co-operation with Russia. Ukrainian MPs also reject a bill that would have allowed jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko to leave the country.
 
   Her arrest and detainment reminds me of that Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement. The very person the government looks to keep from influencing the public further is actually a motivation for a people to stand up to unjust treatment as people and by having them detained only further agitates the anger for the system building within the people. On November 24th 100,00 people came out in protest. November 30th Police intervened arresting 35 protesters. By the first week of December protesters had taken over the City Hall and Independence Square when 800,000 protester show up. In January Parliament passed anti-protester laws amazing how the powers that be can move quickly to maintain the status quot but struggle to pass laws regarding the people in any timely manner. This further illustrates my thoughts that this people that govern this society are often corrupt dictators in disguise. January 23rd days after his abduction the body a high-profile activist, Yuriy Verbytsky, is found in a forest, the day after the first shots were fired at a protest leaving 2 dead.
   Parliament then passes an amnesty bill promising to drop charges against all those arrested during the unrest, if protesters leave government buildings. So the protesters evacuated Keiv Hall on February 16th only to return on February 18th in this event 18 people are killed and the protesters successfully take back Keiv Hall. On February 20th according to video footage a trained swat team as well as sniper squad entered the premise and began shooting protesters over 75 people were killed and hundreds were injured. President Yanukovych is nowhere to be seen and reports emerge that he has left for Kharkiv in the north-east. I am aware that this nation is not the only one struggling with unrest. My attention was drawn to this because of the Olympic games and curiosity about the struggles in this region. It is sad to see such death and neglect stemming from a governing power and i do hope that peace and an agreement can be established that will allow these citizens their voice in how they would like to be governed.

While Reading "Building Powerful Community Organizations" By Michael Jacoby Brown

 I noticed while reading the text, something that particularly stuck out to me was the quote "Changing people's behavior requires the active involvement of those whose behavior you are trying to change". I found this quote provoking me into thoughts of the ways communities evolve. In gentrification in our local communities, what once were low-income neighborhoods and communities are quickly bought out and rebuilt and charging more for people to occupy said property. These numbers alone don't push gentrification, the people that move into these neighborhoods in turn influence each other to reform their behaviors to what they may see fit. This then creates an atmosphere previous residents may not afford to keep up with or may not feel comfortable living in. It's an unfortunate situation but how could this event otherwise have transpired? Would it not also be possible to create more businesses that would have provided job opportunities to the previous residents giving them a fighting chance to maintain their community and better adapt to a growing neighborhood thus make them more adaptable to new incoming residents. So digressing back to the original quote would it not then over time change an entire communities' behaviors by forcing an integration of different classes as opposed to gentrifying and separating people creating this class system within a community.