In order to make sense of the protests in Taksim Square, in Istanbul, this week, and to understand those brave people who are out on the street, fighting against the police and choking on tear gas, I’d like to share a personal story. In my memoir, “Istanbul,” I wrote about how my whole family used to live in the flats that made up the Pamuk apartment block, in Nişantaşı. In front of this building
![Memories of a Public Square](https://cdn-ak-scissors.b.st-hatena.com/image/square/c7afba4f894d4ed15135eafdf2d068a0caf4b57f/height=288;version=1;width=512/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.newyorker.com%2Fphotos%2F590951a31c7a8e33fb38a458%2F16%3A9%2Fw_1280%2Cc_limit%2Fpamuk-protests-in-turkey.jpg)