Non-Violent Protest in Madrid

An article by a recent graduate describing his experiences in Madrid

I was taking a deep breath on a bench in Lavapies with my madrileña friend when the happiest homeless man you can imagine crossed our still and as yet undetermined path. Alcohol had definitely swayed his mood, and as he dragged a mattress behind him, he smiled and sang, "En el mar, que facil a navigar, en el mar..." (In the sea, how easy it is to navigate, in the sea…"). I nodded to acknowledge his presence and my lack of Spanish skills, though I did not want to get roped in to any further exchange. He moved on, followed by a friend with a bottle, and I looked on from a comfortable and removed distance. Somehow, my friend and I knew with uncertain prescience that the spectacle was by no means over.

He lumbered to the corner, mattress in tug, and began to cross the street. A showdown had presented itself. A garbage truck wanted to continue its route up the skinny road, but the man (and his mattress) had decided to fortify in its way. I would like to tell you what I think was going on in his mind, the political necessity of standing up to the system in any form, but the spectrum of his mindset was both too vast and capably drunk to try. He laid down on the mattress. I was fretted by but fixated on this image, so seemingly profound in social implication. At this moment of poignancy, laughter became as evident as the night sky. Laughter from the man, laughter from his friend, laughter from the sanitation workers, laughter from my friend, and soon enough, laughter from me. This wasn't Tiananmen Square.

The garbage truck roared in hydraulic fury. It grunted as it exercised its vertical prowess, lurching in the air to make its point while taking solace in the time off from work, a tireless grinding and compacting of the city's waste. The moments lasted eternity, beleaguered by the politically incorrectness of it all but coming to their own terms. Somehow, the ludicrous confrontation between hobo - lying - down - on - a - mattress -in - the - middle - of - the - street and a sanitation vehicle on its normal route had entered not only the realm of the possible but also the reasonable.

In a matter of minutes, in the most ridiculous way, everyone had come to enjoy their own walk of life with respect for each other and, most importantly, an unpredictable sense of humor. Why not laugh and have fun when an unlikely circumstance presents itself? The man had visibly derived some sense of pleasure from his belligerence. The garbage men had certainly been amused by the change of pace. For bystanders, any vantage point claimed witness to a most awkward situation that could only be remedied with laughter. Our impromptu seat on the bench had run its course. We walked a block away to a small, hip, and colorful bar equipped with books, beer, and conversation.

Andrew Aprile