Tent City USA - Episode 7

A Day in the Life of a Tent City Family 2068

FADE IN:

HENRY JACKSON, his wife MARY and their two children WILL and his older sister ANGEL are doing their nightly routines within their tent, as residents in the NEW NEW YORK TENT CITY.

MARY

All right you two – you’re already past the limit for your VR time. Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed!

WILL

Just a few more minutes Mom – please! I am about to set a new personal high score on my game!

MARY

No! Don’t make me ask again William!

WILL

Ahh Mannnn! (takes off VR headset)

ANGEL

Don’t know why you’re so upset – you don’t even rank in the top 20 percentile!

WILL

Oh shut up – you’re just jealous because you stink at games!

ANGEL

That’s because I can’t be bothered with them. All the shooting, killing and fake martial arts model is so old and boring!

WILL

How can you say that! At least we move around a little compared to the kids who just sat around for decades before VR.

ANGEL

A little is right – the avatars do all the fighting and real action and you are just the eyes and ears pushing some hand held buttons to decide what direction to go in.

WILL

You think you’re so smart engaging with people far away who are trying to save the world – well guess what – it’s too late! We live in a tent and probably will be stuck here forever!

HENRY

That’s enough young man! You too Angel – no need tease each other about our VR habits! To each his or her own! We all like to do different things on the VR. Your Mother and I set up the viewing parameters and so whatever you do is safe as far as we are concerned.

MARY

Your father is right and even though I don’t like the violent shooting games I have allowed for the less graphic ones – and as far as being stuck here forever – it’s simply not true. We will be relocated – it’s a matter of when – not if! So no more negative projections from you about our relocation – understand?

WILL

Yes Mom.

MARY

Good – now both of you – go get ready for bed – and go to the bathroom. I’ll be in in a few minutes to tuck you in.

ANGEL

I’ll wait until the last minute for the girls bathroom to avoid the nighttime rush – too crowed with gossips for me to deal with.

KIDS GO TO OTHER ROOM WITHIN TENT

HENRY

That girl is too mature for her young age. She is being robbed of her childhood because of this post disaster Tent City life.

MARY

Yes – they both are unfortunately but we must stay positive and provide the best…

HENRY

Environment possible – yes dear – we are agreed on that nonetheless…

MARY

Nonetheless nothing! (in a hushed intense voice) I can’t hear the tangent anymore Henry! After more than a year - I know it by heart now – okay? Let’s not go there anymore because complaining about our situation is not going to do anything but stress everyone out as we have agreed not to several times now!

HENRY

Yes, yes – you’re right. Anyway, I registered for the march today.

MARY

What? I thought we were going to talk about that more before you signed the pledge?

HENRY

Listen Mary – if you do not want to go to what will be the biggest march for our basic rights in this country’s history – fine – but please don’t dictate my choice to participate.

MARY

We are husband and wife and we have two beautiful children that cannot afford to lose their father to jail or worse!

HENRY

Please stop with the hysterics! This march is all about peace and civil disobedience if necessary. The pledge states that anyone who breaks from the peaceful resistance methods should not sign up or participate!

MARY

Oh sure – easy for Professor Palenti to preach disobedience who has no children or a wife to worry about! His only responsibility is to himself and his ideals!

HENRY

I know you don’t mean that Mary. We both respect and are glad Palenti is doing what he has been doing – to fight for 27 million homeless citizens’ rights, speed up relocation and organize possibly 2-3 million people from all over the country for this march on DC! It’s the only leverage power wise that we, the tent city people have had so far since we were relocated!

MARY

That may be all well and true but you know there will be racist militias showing up to disrupt the march, never mind what this conservative, backwards president and his evil administration have up their sleeves! They know if this march is successful it will sway the elections against them, so they are definitely going to try to sabotage it and many people will get hurt, arrested and probably even killed!

HENRY

Okay – okay – don’t get your blood pressure up! Honey – you know that our people have had to fight for our rights one way or another since we were forced here in chains 500 years ago! Palenti’s peaceful resistance method worked for Martin Luther King and black civil rights in the 1960s and his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ vision has stood the test of time and was starting to take hold in the country’s consciousness before the floods. All I’m saying is that sometimes we must stand up for our rights. This march is really important right now with so much on the line for the future of our country and especially our own family! If I don’t go – I will regret it! You are the one who always says actions speak louder than words – so this is a rare opportunity for we the people to unite and check the powers that be – that do not have our long term middle class interests at heart and even wish to do us harm!

MARY

Yes, actions do speak louder than words, but I only have one husband and more importantly the kids only have one father!

HENRY

You’re being overly dramatic – there has not been a killing during a protest since Charlottesville way back in the early 2000s – and that was just one unfortunate white girl that was driven over by a stupid white supremacist. The cops have not killed a protester since the violent MAGA January 6th attack on the capitol – and she was white too!

MARY

You are conveniently not mentioning all the killings of black college students in the South and members of the Black Panthers all over the country during the 1960s and 1970s, as well of the thousands of innocent black men and women that were shot dead by police on a regular basis up until the smart phone came along and cops had to wear body cameras, and yet it still continued for decades – all though to a much lesser extent. So yeah – I am worried for good reason!

HENRY

That all is true but this is a protest with potentially millions of other people from all different backgrounds. If the cops start to maim, or worse kill anyone at this march that will be seen all over the world in real time – there will be hell to pay for the president and his administration and it will definitely hurt any chance of his reelection. The odds are in favor of nothing bad happening.

MARY

Famous last words. Listen Henry Jackson – you do what you think is best and I will hold down the fort here while you stand up for what’s right in DC. I know this march is important and the only way things change in this country is when the grass roots movements get out in the streets and demand change – so you do us proud husband of mine and father of my children! (tears trickle down face)

HENRY

Now now Hon! (hugs her close) There’s nothing to worry about and I will represent our New New York Tent City Jackson family! I want the kids to understand about this peaceful freedom fighting and help make a cool sign for me to carry in the march.

MARY

Yes – that’s a good idea. Nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy – especially for the marginalized peoples of the world. It’s time to take back America from these rich, racist thugs-again!

HENRY

Right on!

ANGEL COMES OUT OF ROOM TO GO OUTSIDE TO BATHROOM

ANGEL

Mom – Dad – can I start working on the sign tomorrow?

MARY

Angel – were you listening to our conversation?

ANGEL

Mom – the walls are made of fabric – yes I heard your conversation as I do most of the time, but tonight you were louder than usual. We need to fight for our rights and to be relocated sooner than later or else we will be stuck here forever! We need Senator Jones to be the next president!

HENRY

You are too smart for your own good young lady. Of course you can start working on the sign tomorrow! But think about it a little, come up with a few good ideas with your brother and I will pick the one I think best. We still have time – so there is no rush. You make me very proud - Give me a hug child!

THEY HUG AND MARY JOINS IN AND THEN WILL POPS OUT OF ROOM AND JOINS HUG CIRCLE

WILL

I want to help too!

MARY

Come here you!

FADE OUT: