REPUBLICAN CONVENTION DELEGATE SPITS ON VETERAN
First-hand Accounts of Yesterday’s Protests in NYC
[Announcement: Tomorrow’s Bush arrival in Des Moines has been moved up. Click here for the latest details.]
Dean Supporters Report In
These protesters post as “SylvieNYC” and “Agatha” on Blog for America.
Reporting from NYC…
What an amazing day! I arrived at Union Square around 10 am to meet Agatha (and David and Mike, but we never hooked up.)
Although
it was a hot day again, the breeze made the heat much more tolerable
than [the day before] — a good thing, since it took us, at first, two
hours to walk two blocks — that’s how crowded it was. The organizers’
count is more than 400,000; the police, 125,000; the New York Times
said “hundred of thousands,” but CNN.com and MSNBC talked of “ten of
thousands” — yeah, right!
One of
the best parts was when we arrived next to Madison Square Garden, where
the chanting got suddenly very inspired as the crowd spotted “Welcome
RNC” signs, as well as a Fox News giant screen.
But the
very best part, as in most New York demonstrations I have been to, was
the amazing display of creativity, good spirit, fun, and yes, peace.
New York in demonstration is New York at its most civil.
Agatha
went on to Central Park, where many protesters were going to “hang out”
after the march, but I have not heard of any trouble going on there
either.
Posted by SylvieNYC at August 29, 2004 11:11 PM
I’m sweaty [and] I’m exhausted. . . . Sylvie, it was amazing demonstrating with you and the “French delegation.”
After
the rally, I went to Central Park and had a “peace and love” time in
the Great Meadow. We made human peace signs on the lawn. The police
mingled. Very nice.
THEN, as
I was leaving the park to go home with a group, we were told that a
bunch of delegates were dining at the Boat House, an OUTDOOR
restaurant. Isn’t it curious that the RNC chose to dine at an outdoor
restaurant in Central Park on the day thousands of protesters were
expected to be in Central Park? Were they setting us up for something?
Stay tuned. I joined a group (about 200) and protested. We were not in
the restaurant’s property; we were on PUBLIC PROPERTY, where we were
very visible and audible.
OK, I’m
guilty of flipping the bird and saying the word “f*ck” a few times.
However, I felt the need to be serious. Here are some of the things I
shouted out:
1000
American soldiers dead; 37,000 Iraqi civilians dead! (OK, I slightly
rounded up the # of dead Americans, but unfortunately, I’m not that far
off.)
How can you eat with blood on your hands?
Criminals!
I believe in democracy, not plutocracy!
Over 2,700 people died on Sept. 11, and you’re using this as an excuse to party!
And so forth. And, I bellowed SHAME and wagged my finger repeatedly.
One
[demonstrator] was really angry and passionate, and I told him to calm
down because the press had arrived. Let’s call this guy “Bob” for
privacy purposes. Do you know what happened to Bob? A delegate lounging
about SPAT on him. And, I got to know Bob. Bob is awesome, and I
understand now why he was so angry. He is an Iraq veteran. He didn’t go
to Iraq, but he was on duty, and he knew a number of friends who died
in Iraq. He had recently attended a memorial service for one of them.
And, his father was laid off by Enron and lost his pension.
So,
excuse me for all the shout outs, but I really want all of you to know
what the main media will probably not reveal (but Bob did get an
interview with a reporter):
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION DELEGATE SPITS ON VETERAN
And,
much later on, when Bob lost his voice, I shouted for him. When
delegates were leaving the restaurant, Bob gave me a list of three
friends who died in Iraq. One of them was 19 years old. For Bob and the
dead, I read their names and demanded the delegates apologize. (No, we
did not get one.) Instead, they laughed, at which point I asked them
how hearing about dead people is funny.
When I
shouted out about what the delegates thought about one of their fellow
delegates spitting on a veteran, one of them called back, “It’s
hilarious!” Let me shout out that for you: HILARIOUS.
I need
to write another post about the police. Oh, and Barbie. Again, I’m
sorry for just dumping this on you, but honestly, I need a little
catharsis, and I really believe you should know about this from a real
human being who was there, sans the media filter, assuming the media
will cover it (and they were there; I gave an interview with Newsday).
Posted by Agatha at August 30, 2004 01:37 AM
Part 2:
the police. We, the protesters, were originally up close and personal
with the delegates, but again, we were on a path, not restaurant
property. The police had a reasonable barricade (about 10, 15 feet or
so from the cocktail sippers). (And, we were individuals, not United
for Peace and Justice or Planned Parenthood or whatnot.) However, the
police started setting up a barricade behind us, one between the path
in the grass and the actual road. Rumor started we were being
barricaded so as to be arrested (one person received the rumor on his
e-mail via his cell phone). So, most of us moved back to the “street”
on the park (if you’ve visited Central Park, you know what I mean when
I differentiate between a path and a street). Intrepid Bob tried to
cross back to get a friend. The police physically grabbed him and
threw him back. Again, keep in mind… public property.
Then,
they set up another barricade, then a third. A very nice (he really
was… I’m not being sarcastic) officer explained to me they were
trying to clear the street for the vans transporting the delegates to
and fro the restaurant. He told me it was ok for me to be in between
the 2nd and 3rd barricade (no arrest). So, I stayed while those beyond
the 3rd barricade went off to block another access to the restaurant.
Eventually,
I was with a max of 10 people in between the 2nd and 3rd barricades.
One officer chit chatted about the Yankees and his kids with 2 of us.
Then, the “real” police rolled in. They were in riot gear. The plastic
shields on their helmets, batons, guns. Big black boots. You should
have seen the look on their faces. Stones (not to be mistaken with
stoned). March, march, march. Fleet after fleet. Big black boots.
And, as
the event rolled on, I realized our very human police equal our very
inhuman police. Let me explain. At one point, one protester engaged
with the police, saying “I know I shouldn’t do so, but I‘m talking with
you… we are here for you.” I’m condensing so much here. The point was
one of the things we were protesting was the Republicans’ callous
[unconcern] for underfunding the police (after a chant, I piped in,
“And the firefighters, too!”). One African-American female officer
cracked a smile. The protester said something along the lines of, “I’m
going to stop because I’m going to crack her up and get her in
trouble.” Problem is, I saw the expression on her face when “things got
tense”… impassive, averted eyes, etc. (her facade was slightly
uncomfortable, though).
The good
thing I want to say is that the police are human beings, and I am
intensely grateful for their work protecting me. At one point, I asked
said police officers what the safest route was to take when I wanted to
leave the park because I didn’t want to get mugged (and I know the park
pretty well… I just wanted to double check). He smiled and told me
the way. Then, I smiled and thanked him and reminded him the muggers
were the real threats, not us.
However,
all those good officers? Here is the sad aspect. If they received the
orders, they would have cracked my nose with a baton and thrown me in
the paddy wagon. The “system” trains basic human beings to disregard
their fundamental humanity and follow orders. Be one with collective
power. Good bye, individuality. It’s time to serve the “common good”
while you suppress the common good. I really believe this now. I
am condensing a lot here, so feel free to argue against me, but I’m
just relaying to you what happened.
Barbie coming up in the next post.
Posted by Agatha at August 30, 2004 03:13 AM
So, a
few more comments on this evening’s cocktail-hour demonstration. When I
was between the 2nd and 3rd barricades, I still had access to delegates
entering the restaurant. I continued with my issues-oriented questions
and comments – all I said was “in caps,” so to speak, because the
delegates squirmed their ways into the restaurant the way celebrities
balk from the paparazzi, but I wasn’t doing what I was doing for
sensationalism and profit; I just wanted the truth and to show them I
had a voice, and they squirmed in a tackier, stupider way. But, there
was one protester who was vehement. His shirt read, “F*ck Bush” and he
kept clanging against the barricades with a tambourine. I recited a few
facts… 1,000 American soldiers, etc. and encouraged him to stick to
logical facts. He did so, and the three of us got going.
So, what
happened to us and that public street? Turns out the truth s*cks. All
3-5 of us (the former 10 dwindled down to 5), were BANNED from the
margins street. Is it public? Sure. Were we blocking traffic? Of course
not; we were barricaded from traffic. But who the F cares? The
delegates were uncomfortable. It seems that bringing up dead American
soldiers and disgusting reality clashes with Republicans’ stomachs, so
we were told that we had to leave. It was a sack of cr*p (we had every
legal right to be there), but no, if you don’t want to end up in the
paddy wagon because the Republicans will have to take a few antacids
thanks to you, back off. And, the riot gear dissolved the friend
factor. Nothing like an emphatic tone of voice and a canister of ouch
spray to get rid of humanity!
Anyways,
what remained of the group at the other end came back to the
restaurant-entrance end. We continued to clamor, and bless the
protester who brought up the need for dialogue. We started hammering on
that. That guy upthread who said the spitting on a veteran was
HILARIOUS? I followed up with “How is that hilarious?” He beckoned me
with his hand, as if to cross over. Yeah, right. With the police in
riot squad gear right in between us. I yelled about how he knew I knew
I could not cross over and called him a CHICKEN HAWK. You should have
seen the smirk on the b*stard’s face.
Barbie.
Barbie is a blond, anorexic [female] (a delegate who aspires to be Ann
Coulter). She grinned and took pictures of us as if we were a rare
breed in a zoo while boarding her van. So, I shouted something along
the lines of, “What about the freedom of choice! Sure, you have enough
money to go to another country if you need an abortion, but what about
the rest of us?” As the van rolled off, Barbie slumped in her seat and
chewed on her nails. I guess I got to her.
Down
with Barbie. And, to my knowledge, none of us were arrested. If the
media actually delivers this piece of info, and does so fairly, here’s
my firsthand account.
It’s
almost 4 AM… way past my bedtime. I’m off to see if the media covered
this at all. That will probably be no, so I will then read the threads,
and wish me luck at work tomorrow at work.
Posted by Agatha at August 30, 2004 04:08 AM
Blog For Iowa 