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January 19, 2002

WAR PROTESTERS GATHER AT FARRAGUT SQUARE

About 300 people gathered in Farragut Square, Washington DC in the second day of protests against an impending war with Iraq. Organized by Iraq Pledge of Resistance and United For Peace, the group focused on acts of civil disobedience by following in the footsteps of Martin Luther King. Over 70 people were willing to risk arrest to underscore the inhumanity and illegality of war and their opposition to the Bush administration.

#file_2# Standing in below freezing weather, demonstrators listened to a few speakers, including internationally recognized peace activist Liz McAllister, wife of recently deceased Phil Berrigan. McAllister, the co-founder of Baltimore's Jonah House, strongly castigated the Bush administration for re-igniting the nuclear arms race and touting a "cosmic manifest destiny." Targeting Dick Cheney and his wife, she pointed out their direct relationships as former board members of defense industry corporations TRW and Lockheed Martin respectively. She criticized "Star Wars" technology in its reincarnated form of the "Missile Defense System". According to McAllister, the people who work on the "missile defense" project wear a shirt that sports the slogan, "Masters of Space."

Singers Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow from Maryland led the crowd in singing peace songs including original songs written by Pat Humphries. But this relatively tame part of the event changed in tone when at about 12:30 p.m., the marchers left for Lafayette Park. Opposite the White House, Lafayette Park used to be a space for people of all political viewpoints to express their dissent. Now it is strictly off limits.

DEMONSTRATORS PRACTICE NON-VIOLENT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

#file_3# When the demonstrators reached the intersection adjacent to the Park, they sat down in the middle of the street. They were told by the policeman, "You can stay in the middle of the street for 5 minutes, 3 hours, or 3 weeks. We won't arrest you. If you go into the Park we'll arrest you."

Meanwhile, the chants of a larger group of demonstrators from International ANSWER's Youth and Student March could be heard filtering in from the intersection of 15th & H streets, where a police line had stopped them. The mostly youthful group had been planning to march to the White House to conduct "an inspection for weapons of mass destruction." Thwarted, they marched north on 15th Street but then ran back south on Vermont, thereby circumventing the police barrier and uniting with the Iraq Pledge of Resistance group in front of Lafayette Park. Both crowds yelled and cheered as the youth filled the streets with singing and dancing. A commonly heard chant was "Whose Streets?" "Our Streets!"

Several groups of people, including Baltimore residents Susan Crane, Gary Ashbeck and Kathleen Berrigan scaled the barrier into the park, which was heavily secured by police in riot gear, whose black clothing, face masks, guns, and batons made them look as though they were prepared for a heavily armed attack on the White House. The three were among the 16 people arrested. Those arrested were handcuffed with plastic handcuffs, searched and placed in paddy wagons. Many more people attempted to be arrested by entering the park but were physically prevented from doing so by police force.

Ironically, while this was going on a group of seven people were allowed to stand in the park and hold antiwar banners, presumably because they were already in the park before it became an "off-limits" zone.

POLICE BRUTALITY RESULTS IN INJURIES AND MANHANDLING

Police forces initially allowed the two groups to occupy H Street in front of Lafayette Park but after the Youth and Student March left the police decided to clear the street. Saying that they would not arrest people but would "physically remove them," police officials gave protesters 15 minutes to move then cleared the street by marching in formation into the group. The street was briefly cleared.

Those participating in civil disobedience tried to climb the fence into the park to be arrested, going two-by-two as in Gandhi's salt march, but were rebuffed by police who refused to let anyone into the park or to arrest anyone.

#file_4# Activists, citing blocking the street as the only means to get arrested and therefore show their opposition to the war, decided to re-enter the street. People willing to risk arrest sat down in the street, linking arms and taking up about two lanes in a group that extended about 40 feet from side to side. Police became violent as they dragged, yanked, and roughly pulled on the peacefully linked demonstrators. Rough manhandling by the police resulted in injuries. This included a policeman pushing an elderly man into an 80-year old woman, Clara Sinclair, who fell over backward and briefly lost consciousness. Despite pleas to call an ambulance, initially police officers simply let the unconscious woman lie in the street while they continued to push and throw protesters. She had a concussion and eventually was taken to the hospital by an ambulance. A 70-year-old man was placed in a chokehold. On the other side of the street, as a young man passed the intersection on a unicycle, a policeman reached out and pushed or pulled him off the unicycle onto the ground. Many police were not wearing badges and therefore could not be identified. At least two people were taken away in ambulances for injuries caused by the police.

While in the street, Max Obuszewski, an activist participating in Baltimore's Friends of Philip Berrigan affinity group, read a letter they had intended to deliver to President Bush. It drew on the legacy of Berrigan and Dr. Martin Luther King in condemning war and expressing concern over civilian casualties in an escalated war against Iraq.

RETURN TO FARRAGUT SQUARE

After being forced back from the street, demonstrators made a decision to re-group at Farragut Square. At that time, many of the youth, who had by this time rejoined the Iraq Pledge of Resistance group, broke into the streets for several blocks, stopping traffic and joyfully celebrating the day. The day ended with a spiral dance, led by the Pagan Cluster, to show the protesters' unity, remember the people injured that day, and celebrate the heroes who had gone before them.

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The sun dropped low on the horizon. Another protest has ended, another lifting of voices, both national and international, has filled the Washington DC skies. The chants against war have once again echoed from the walls of our capitol's buildings. Sixteen people braved the heavily armed police to stand up for the rights of us all and were arrested. At least two were injured in a peaceful protest.

Not far from here, a long black granite monument rises from the ground with the names of thousands of US soldiers chiseled in cold stone who fought in the Vietnam War. They don't include the countless names of Vietnamese who died at battle defending their country or Vietnamese civilians who died from napalm and carpet bombs.

On the minds of many marchers today was what will it take to stop this war machine?

BRIEF INTERVIEWS -

Ian, a 20-year-old student from Santa Cruz, California said he'd flown to DC on his own. "I feel this demonstration is important because it's symbolic. It may influence others who hear about this."

A woman from Maine who described herself as a "radical feminist" said she was "heartbroken about the imminent destruction that will be caused by a war."

A group of Japanese stood with a banner that said, "Don't Admit the War - from Japan Federation of Student Councils." Speaking English with difficulty, one of the women holding the banner said, "We have to stop the war, many many people get killed and children. This war is not answer. We are not for the US administration and imperialism."

Brian Barrett of Baltimore said, "I'm against the U.S. doing over again what was done in 1990. Their reasons are not clear."

Joel and Kathleen from Minnesota talked about stopping the war and working for justice. They said, "We need to build a new society."

21-year-old Erica from Colorado said, "The power of the people will stop the war."

Hannah Maris from Kennebunkport, Maine, said, "There's hope out here. But we need to have a march that will surround the White House."

Sister Carmen Divras of the Dominican Sisters from Long Island eagerly spoke. "It doesn't behoove a nation of peaceloving people to be an aggressor instead of an enhancer. We don't want this done in our names and money and blood."

END

More photos: baltimore.indymedia.org/media/all/display/968/index.php or dc.indymedia.org/front.php3

Audio: dc.indymedia.org/front.php3