#PolyUSiege #LastYearToday
After the Police Siege, #PolyU Student: There are stories in every corner of this campus

Part 1/4:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/26738

Part 2/4
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/26748

Part 3 / 4
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/26777

Part 4/4

Ken Woo Kwok-wang was serving as acting president of the PolyU Student Union when he witnessed the anxiety, desolation, and fear inside the besieged campus in 2019. At the time, he was only 22 years old.

On the morning of Nov 11, 2019, the police fired two tear gas shots into the campus. By the dark night of Nov 23, 2019, the campus had become a ghost town.

Ken was born in 1997; he has two sisters. He considered himself fortunate, as his parents supported him and took pride in him.  His father had escaped to Hong Kong after the Cultural Revolution in China, and had deep impressions of how the authoritarian government suppressed its people, as well as the lasting harm caused by their public criticism sessions.

Ken's father told him: "Don't give  up your life; you have to outlive these cops."

After stepping out of the #PolyU campus, he was brought to Hung Hom Police Station. However, he experienced stomach cramps from not having a decent meal for a whole week, so he was soon transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

"After eating white bread for a whole week, prison food actually tastes good," he joked, obviously in dark humor.

While being trapped in the campus, he saw many people who were traumatized and emotionally on edge, including himself. However, he told himself to step up and not fear, because he knew the goal he had set for himself.

"If you want to help others, you cannot be scared. Even if you are, you cannot show it. If you are scared, how can you convince others to stay calm? You can't."

After coming out of the hospital, Ken spent 2 months to let his emotions sink in. He remembered the fear that he buried in his heart during the ordeal, and realized how scared he was. Many doubts and questions had surfaced in his mind, which made him even more depressed.

Ken sought counselling after school had resumed.  He was afraid to revisit certain areas in the campus, such as Core Y; as soon as he approaches the area, the traumatic memories return to him. "I remember that the morning was cold.  Many people were sprayed by the police water cannon the night before. There were about 20 people wrapped in blankets, shaking in the cold, desperate to escape. I'm actually still afraid to face these memories. There is a story like that in every corner of this campus."

Now that the siege of PolyU had passed, he said, agony was the only memory left in his mind.

Image: Lam Yik Fei / New York Times
Source: Cnews #Nov14
https://tinyurl.com/y3vspxq7

#KenWoo #Trauma #PoliceBrutality #HongKongProtests #ProtestersStory #AntiElab
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