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News :: Civil & Human Rights : Crime & Police : Elections & Legislation : Globalization : Government Secrecy : Iraq : Media : Miscellaneous : Peace : Protest Activity : Regime |
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Photos from the Counter-Inaugural Demonstration in Washington, DC |
Current rating: 0 |
by Faith Swords
Email: faith (nospam) ucimc.org (verified) |
24 Jan 2005
Modified: 02:33:20 PM |
On January 20, I traveled to Washington, DC along with 6 other locals to protest the policies of the Bush administration at the Inaugural Parade.
Below are pictures from the rally. |
Click on image for a larger version  |
On January 20, I traveled to Washington, DC along with 6 other locals to protest the policies of the Bush administration at the Inaugural Parade.
The 7 of us (along with two reporters from the Tennessee IMC) attended the ANSWER rally at 4th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue -- right on the parade route itself.
Access to the area immediately surrounding the parade route was heavily restricted. There were 12 security checkpoints at various points around the restricted area. We were told by an ANSWER volunteer outside the Metro station that the checkpoint at 7th Street and Indiana Avenue would be the fastest way to get in, so we made our way there.
We arrived at around 8:30-8:45a.m. and stood in line, waiting to get through one of the 3 gates in the fence until 11:30a.m. Once inside the security tent, we were patted down by a law enforcement officer of non-specific origin (some of them were National Guard, some were DC police, some were US Marshalls) and then asked to empty our pockets and take off our coats and step through a metal detector. When I walked through, the alarm went off and another security guard ran a metal-detecting wand over my body. At this point, I was asked to turn on my cell phone and digital camera, and to show the guard where the battery compartment was. When I asked him why he needed to see my camera battery, he told me that they wanted to make sure no one was hiding any kind of explosives in their cameras or phones.
Once we all made it through the checkpoint, we proceeded to the ANSWER area, about 4 blocks down the street at 4th and Penn.
At the rally, there were guest speakers. Reports on the ANSWER website say that there were around 10,000 people at the rally. The loudspeaker announced that there were over 1 million people at the parade (both supporters and protesters). Before we left, there was some dispute as to whether the public would be allowed all along the parade route, but by the time we arrived in DC, the issue had been settled and the public was allowed to spread out along Penn. Ave.
The Inaugural Parade was delayed by an hour, and when Bush's limo drove by, I could hardly see it at all because it was completely surrounded by Secret Service guards.
I have mixed feelings on the event itself. While I understand the need for some kind of security at this kind of event, I think that it was totally out of control this time. Given the budget for the Inauguration Ceremony, as well as the balls at night, I would have thought that they could have set up more than 12 checkpoints, so that people could move through the lines quicker. However, given that they did not do that, the only conclusion I can draw is that their intention was to keep people held up in lines so that they wouldn't be anywhere near the parade.
While I was waiting in line, I stood next to a middle school boy from California and his grandmother. The boy was in Washington because his school band had been invited to play in the parade. He had to wait in line as long as I did. Several times, people tried to push through the crowd because they were on their way to work, on Penn. Ave., and were running several hours late. They had to wait in line too. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was scheduled to speak at the ANSWER rally, but was delayed because she had to wait in line for hours as well. I spoke with several people I know in DC who said that they were planning on coming down to the parade, but that the long lines had changed their minds. I wonder how many other people were either turned away or just left because the line at the gates was so ridiculously long.
There was a heavy police presence around the parade, but where I was, things were not at all tense. The police were a watchful presence, but they did very little to interfere in the demonstration.
The protest area was situated such that ticketholders from the Inauguration Ceremony had to walk through the ANSWER rally area to get to their seats at the other end of the parade route. This led to quite a lot of heckling of the Bush supporters as they walked through the crowd of anti-Bush demonstrators. Some people shouted things back at the protesters; some just walked through with their heads down. One woman kicked a teenage boy who sat down in the middle of the pathway.
I have, thus far, only heard of two incidents where protesters were arrested: one involving a woman at 12th St. and Penn. Ave., and one involving a group of protesters who may or may not have tried to push down the barricade at 7th St. and Penn. Ave. (I talked with a man who was at that particular area and he said that he thought the people pushing on the barricade had been provocateurs, not protesters).
The general mood was upbeat for most of the day, though we were all more than a little bit angry about having to wait so long to get inside. I was upset that due to the scheduling of all the various marches, we could only attend the ANSWER rally. There were several other marches going on in the city, but since they were all scheduled on top of each other, we had to choose. All in all, it was an incredibly positive experience. We all came home safe and sound and most importantly, energized to DO SOMETHING in the next 4 years.
Below are pictures from the rally. Unless otherwise noted, I took them all. |
Click on image for a larger version  |
Click on image for a larger version  |
