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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Washington, DC: Zoe's Diary #5: At the ACC March |
Current rating: 0 |
by Zoe Mitchell
Email: zoe_mitchell (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified!)
Phone: 202-253-2990 |
29 Sep 2001
Modified: 30 Sep 2001 |
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This is the fifth in a series of reports from the streets. This is a Zoe's Diary's entry. Expect no objectivity. |
I tried to write down everything that happened today during the Anti-Capitalist Convergence (ACC) march. It was extremely chaotic and honestly, I admit that even though I've seen all this shit before it was different today. I didn't expect, in the wake of the tragedies, that things would get so out of control; however, I saw more incidents of police brutality today than I saw during the inauguration. Here's a point by point account.
Part 1--The Good Things: Free food. Food Not Bombs provided stellar free food at the meeting location at Louisiana Ave. and C St. NW near Union Station. There were also many fabulous signs including: "To Stop Terrorism--Stop Terroring," "RIP Human Rights," and "Abolish Money for a World of Sharing." A man also had a hat with the message, "I Eat Fascists" on it. These were the nice things, the rest of the day was pretty miserable.
Part 2--The March Begins: The riot cops arrived in 5 Metro buses that were converted to cop transportation. They were wearing their fancy new outfits which included arm shields, knee pads, bullet-proof vests, helmets with masks, batons, and little pouches with unknown contents. At 9:45 the march began, the ACC folks began to move into the intersection of Louisiana Ave. and C St. NW. Unfortunately, the police did not allow the activists to turn left, instead the cops forced the activists to turn right.
Part 3--The March down: Police Chief Charles Ramsey and Assistant Police Chief Terry Gainer arrived when the march entered the intersection of New Jersey and First St. NW. Then the march turned on to H St. and a few blocks later, attempting to avoid the riot cops on both sides, the ACC folks started to run. And then...the first incident of pepper spray. As the march passed before the Convention Center, the cops used a huge cannon to spray the crowd--forcing them to allow the cops trapped within the group to get in the front. Some cops on motorcycles threated to run into demonstrators unless they moved. At H and 14th St. NW, the ACC activists attempted to turn left onto 14th. The police forced them to continue on H St. This proved problematic.
Part 4--Uh Oh! As the demonstrators walked past Lafayette Park--which was surrounded by park police--they chanted, "Rich Man's War, Poor Men Fight." And then...we reached the World Bank Group Headquarters at 18th, Penn. and H Sts. NW. As we approached the intersection, I immediately recognized it as a trap. Cops had already stationed themselves around the intersection. As all the activists arrived, the police created a box around them. I remained on the outside of the box and realized that there was a large possibility that everyone inside the cop line would be arrested. Waiting at the intersection of H and 19th, my friend and I noticed that we were being videotaped by undercover officers. They must have not liked our attire. Moments later, we were forced out of the intersection and down to 20th St. We walked around to 18th and Penn...
Part 5--The Waiting Game: It's a sick trap when cops indefinately create a pen around demonstrators and don't reveal their strategies. I saw many of my friends inside the lines and knew that going to jail would be very detrimental to them. I waved to those I knew, told them to be strong, and called those that I didn't see. There's nothing positive about the waiting game. And when it lasts for more than an hour, there's nothing you can do. We tried to have conversations with the cops--asking them why they don't patrol our neighborhood, Shaw, with all its violence. (A businessowner was shot Monday at 11th and U St. NW at 7pm. Most people I've talked to blame it on a lack of police presence. Well we know where the police are, more than 400 of them were out boxing in a 200-400 person group. How 'bout to protect and serve?
Part 6--Thinking Inside the Box: At nearly 12:30 the police finally allowed the activists to move. When they broke the lines, I encouraged people to come over to our side and get out of the riot cop box. As they began to move, the police sealed up the line again and pushed my friend and I inside the box. The police forced the crowd to walk back down H St. toward the 14th and Penn. International Action Center meeting space. We were stopped at 15th and H as cops began attacking activists and spraying more pepper spray.
Part 7--Conclusion, at least of my observations...: The ACC joined the IAC at 14th and Penn. Ave NW. It was a strange dynamic because as soon as the cops stopped antagonizing the ACC folks, the IAC folks--wearing matching light blue shirts started to ask people to move into Freedom Plaza, their permitted convergence spot, and off the streets. (Feel free to comment on this as much as you would like :)
Be safe out there. These are interesting times.
Follow link below to previous diary entires: |
See also:
http://www.dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=12895&group=webcast
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Zoe's Diary #6: Marching on...(into a stream |
by Zoe Mitchell
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
30 Sep 2001
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This is likely the final Zoe's Diary entry in relation to the Peace Movement Weekend. Don't worry! There will be more Zoe's Diary entries in the future...As always: Expect no objectivity. (article 1)
There's been speculation in the corporate media that the movement is dying. Over and over I've heard from corporate sources that no one will be interested in listening to the viewpoints of anti-corporate globalization protestors now. Of course, they've said that from day one...because admitting that the anti-corporate globalization movement is expanding is equal to admitting that their dominance over the mindset of the "American public" is waining. Where's the truth here?
We are nearing the end of a weekend filled with teachins, marches, rallies and convergences of people from around the country and around the world. I feel a strange calm in this city which has been so riled up in the past few weeks. It's not a sense of community that is developing (that would be too difficult for the inherently conflict oriented DC--but I'll get to that later); but it is a sense that we have to move on and keep opposing the war. We have to move on and keep fighting corporate globalization. We have to move on, because if we don't, we will stagnate...and then the movement will die.
I went to the Peace Rally today. It began at Malcolm X park at 16th and Florida and marched to Sheridan Circle--which is a really long walk. (The activists walked back to Malcolm X park, but I walked to file this story.) The march was beautiful. There were incredible puppets and banners. With many thousands of people, the streets were packed. Local residents watching the march passed compared it to a parade. Some brought their children to watch. Many supported the activists.
A cab driver, stopped from heading downtown by the marchers at 18th and R St. expressed solidarity with the activists. While he had to wait more than 15 minutes to cross the intersection, he said that he was totally pro-peace and didn't mind the delay.
It's been a great weekend for another reason also. There have been so many fabulous people from out of town visiting us in DC. Many of these people have become close friends of mine as I have travelled around North America covering anti-corporate globalization actions. Additionally, these people bring new ideas and different perspectives on organizing. While the DC IMC has been struggling with gender, personal and power struggle issues since at least the inauguration, new people coming to town immediately caught on to these problems and identified possible solutions. I hope that the DC IMC takes up the charge and tries to work a lot of things out in the next couple of weeks.
I'd like to be able to take some space and write about my personal feelings about this weekend, but I've learned something in my time here in DC. No one gives a shit how everyone else is dealing with things. Everyone has a constant fixation on themselves. Although I readily admit that I have an ego, I have tried to no avail to create a sense of community so that when shit goes down, we can support each other. I felt the tinges of that this weekend, but not from DC folks. I think, I just need to admit to myself, that I'm nearly ready to leave this city.
I don't really know why I wrote that. Perhaps I still feel that if I air my concerns someone will listen. It's that microscopic amount of idealism that I still cling to as the months of living in DC have hardened me.
And now...marching on...Is the movement dying? No. It's just maturing. The tactics have changed and the message has been refined. The corporate media can no longer state that the "protestors" don't have a cohesive message, because it's very clear that we do. It's NO WAR--and granted, each activist has his/her own reason for opposing the war, but it is a cohesive message. The movement has two ways to go: it can become stronger or it can collapse.
As I am intimately involved in the movement, especially in DC, I can only say: If we learn to listen to each other, respect each other, care for each other and really build a community here--the movement will grow. If we don't, under the face of significant oppression, collapse is inevitable.
I wrote recently that instead of facing an uphill battle, we are facing a vertical wall of opposition. As I stand beside that wall, I shout, "activists of the world unite." Together, cohesively, we can bring down that wall.
Thanks for reading this weekend, Zoe Mitchell DC IMC Volunteer
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See also:
http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=13225&group=webcast
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