Skip to main content

A Washingtonian's Perspective on the Major Peace Mobilization


It was big. It was really really big. The mass media is of course downplaying the numbers, saying it was barely 100,000. Some reports say the Park Police doesn't give figures anymore for demonstrations, but "secretly said it was maybe a little less than 100,000." What kind of reporting is that? Well, it's false. I stood in about the same place I stood at that NARAL abortion rights rally a few years back that everyone said was 500,000 -- well this looked to me to be just as big. As the speakers started, thousands and thousands were still arriving from the Smithsonian Metro station. I would guess the crowd was between 400,000 and 500,000. UFPJ naturally went with the higher end and said it was definitely half a million.

But beyond numbers, I think this whole mobilization with a long list of eloquent speakers made a difference and got enough news coverage to be noticed. Congress cannot ignore that this peace mobilization happened. They cannot ignore that a little more than 60% of Americans want this quagmire in Iraq to end, and for American troops to start coming home now.

There were some notable divisions among the crowd that sunny Saturday. The black block (the angry young anarchists) made an attempt to break a police line. Sorry guys and gals, you are your own worst enemy, wearing scarves to shield your face (when you should be proud of your own dissent) and using *riot shields* at the front of your phallanx, just won't get you very far. Was your main point to get the base of the Capitol Building (which you eventually did), or truly fight with the police? It was a very tense few minutes there on Third Stret, I rushed from the front entrance of the Native American Museum to try and calm what was erupting. For a few moments, I ran to the front between the anarchists and the police. I told the anarchists to calm down, that they were on public property when they rushed the west lawn of the Capitl ont he east side of Third Street. I yelled at the police that if they didn't use violence, the anarchists wouldn't use violence. I told them this didn't have to be a fight right there. I then demostrated to the anarchists that they could go around the fairly small line of police and go much further into the west lawn, I did this first quickly. A few followed me, but most at first wanted to stand behind their riot shield wielding buddies. I said: "Calm down, just walk around quickly." I also kept telling the police they didn't have to use violence and that this was public land. Finally the anarchists slipped around the police line and made it to the Capitol Reflecting Pool at the base of the hill. About 10 minutes later I saw that 200-300 of them made it almost all the way to the top of the hill and were at the base of the Capitol Building. Later reports said there was some scuffling and "wrestling" but no arrests. Here's a hint to the angry young anarchists: If you want to get somewhere don't waste your energy and tarnish your image that much more by engaging in pointless fights -- circumvent, walk around the obstacle. If you use violence, and their own weapons such as RIOT SHIELDS, how are you that much different from them (the police)?

Now the other division I saw that day was the celebs, politicians and the aging UFPJ leadership were allowed to be at the front of the march. The Iraq vets were all relegated to second place. I marched with this contingent. They are angry that this quagmire persists; that their buddies are being shot at and killed in the middle of a civil war they cannot control. They were also annoyed that they were excluded from the lead contingent. As we rounded Third Street, going east onto Constitution Avenue, the mass media finally realized that the vets were a bit *behind* the lead contingent and finally swarmed the vets with video and still cameras. Why the heck is UFPJ treating our vets as second class!? The movement needs to re-think some of its strategies at these marches.

My part in the day involved passing out nearly 1,000 glossy postcards with information about the Declaration of Peace. I saw Danny Malec and Timothy Baer there. Both have been very instrumental in the second phase of the Declaration of Peace, which is focusing largely on defunding the Iraq quagmire and actions in both February and March. It's a great campaign with some truly wonderful people involved.

Overall the march and rally had a very strong visual presence in the heart of the Capital City. Now it's up to Congress to act. Tomorrow, Tuesday, Sen. Feingold chairs a Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the power Congress has to end a war. This is one of the first steps in a move to defund the quagmire of U.S. military engagement in Iraq.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guantanamo put on trial -- May 27th

In eight days, Eve Tetaz, a 76-year old retired D.C. public schoolteacher, will enter a courthouse in Washington, D.C. and engage in the legal debate over the fate of America's detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The name of Noor Muhammad has never appeared in an American criminal court. On May 27th, Tetaz will change that. On that day, she will appear at the Washington, D.C. Superior Court as Noor Muhammad. Tetaz was arrested, along with 78 others, at the U.S. Supreme Court on January 11, 2008, protesting the denial of habeas rights to and the torture of inmates at Guantanamo. Like her fellow protestors, Tetaz took the name of an inmate during her arrest. ( See the January 13 Washington Post article "Activists Pose as Guantanamo Prisoners" ) Tetaz says she felt compelled to participate in the protest at the Supreme Court because detainees are being tortured at Guantanamo. "Torture is a terrible crime and sin against humanity," she said. Thirty-four ...
7 comments
Read more

The Sad and Disturbing Tale of Dustin Thompson

Wow, it has been a while since I have written a blog entry. In fact, it has been a year, and I have a lot to fill you in on. But let's get down to what I covered via Tweets recently -- the insurrectionist Trial of Dustin Thompson, of Ohio, who entered into the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, and stole first a bottle of booze and then a coat rack from the office of the Senate Parliamentarian. Yesterday Thompson was convicted on all six criminal counts the Department of Justice had charged him with. There have now been about a half dozen January 6th insurrectionists (many call them rioters) who have been convicted following a trial. About 170 have already plead guilty. Growing up in central Ohio, Thompson was originally a libertarian with moderate political views overall. According to his wife Sarah, the two met when they were both students at Ohio State University, Thompson had a double major of history and psychology. Sarah, a democrat, was a fashion merchandising major an...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rev. Yearwood attacked by police, arrested, injured

This is American democracy in action. My friend, Rev. Yearwood, was jumped by these six power-tripping Capitol Hill Police officers. He was wearing a button which read "I love the people of Iraq." I have seen the video a couple of times, and while it is disturbing it will be useful in court. If it was me, I'd probably pursue a civil case for damages. Rev. in hospital after anti-war arrest Published: Sept. 12, 2007 at 11:28 AM WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- An anti-war minister and U.S. Air Force veteran was treated in hospital after his arrest by Capitol Hill police outside this week’s Iraq congressional hearings. The Rev. Lennox Yearwood, president of the Washington-based Hip-Hop Caucus, was charged with disorderly conduct and assaulting a police officer after being denied entry to a House hearing room in which Gen. David Petraeus was giving evidence Monday, Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider told United Press International. But a video of his arrest, post...
4 comments
Read more