[inaudible] we have lived in the shadow of the wall for more than a year. It cuts through the heart of berlin. We have learned to live with it. We refuse to think that it will always be this way. In the beginning we wait to cross the wall to our families in east berlin. It didnt matter whoat watched s to later the communist police came and stopped our families from waving. My mother lives over there. Theyll take her away if she dares to wave. Its for ben. I speak to my children in east berlin with hand signals, making certain the guards are not watching. I dont want them to harm my family. We have become good with our signals. At dusk the communist have a hard time tracking us down but we take chances, especially on nights when an escape as planned. In the beginning many people escaped in broad daylight by jumping out of windows facing the western sector of the city. Our firemen were there to help. We remember the woman being held by communistgu guards to prevent her from joining her family. They even threw tear gas at those that were below ready to catch her. Thats when they decided to extend the wall and cut access to the buildings facing west berlin. They sealed every window. Many bricklayers came to our side of the wall rather than do that kind of job. They strong barbed wire on the roofs to close up another way to escape. Many homes along their side of the wall were raised. They us with reflecting mirrors. They tried everything to keep us away. As we threw the tear gas grenades back at them. They laid mine fields in the countryside. They increased their patrol. They planted new watchtowers but we watched them to. We watched their spots. Entire families escaped, women and babies. We would play for them. 12,000 people escaped in the first year of the wall. The loudspeakers told the communist guards a refugee was murdered they be held accountable but they did not claim orders from higher up. Murder is always murder. On a friday afternoon a shot in 18yearold boy is he was trying to scale the wall into west berlin and let him bleed to death on their side of the wall. They took his lifeless body and took him away. His name was peter. He was an apprentice bricklayer. He mourned him on our side of the wall a few yards from where he fell. He was one of 50 people who died trying to escape during the first year of the wall. We mourned them all. We honored their names. They will be remember for as long as we live. Atni 12 00 on august 15 on the anniversary of the wall west berlin paused for three minutes of silence. [bells ringing] we still wave to our families in east berlin and they still dared to wave back. We cannot be together

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Police Came , East Berlin , Many People , Woman Held , First Year , West Berlin ,