Iraq Vets Protest; A New York Welcome for Delegates

Arriving at Ground Zero yesterday afternoon, as a group led by the War Resisters League gathered to begin a sidewalk procession to Madison Square Garden, I encountered some unexpected protesters: National Guardsmen in full uniform. They were members of Iraq Veterans Against the War; formed just over a month ago, the group already has forty members, including some soldiers who haven't yet returned from Iraq.

"I saw bombed-out cities, and entire towns on fire," said Michael Hoffman, who served as a lance corporal in Iraq beginning in March 2003. "Some of my friends lost people in their unit, who died in their arms." A number of WRL marchers planned to engage in civil disobedience after the procession, a "die-in." Hoffman and his fellow veterans wanted badly to take part, but couldn't risk arrest. If they went to prison, the new organization would suffer. "There are still so few of us," he said. "Someone has to answer all the e-mail, all the calls."

The WRL had gotten permission for their procession from Billionaire-in-Chief Michael Bloomberg himself. It was a quiet, peaceful crowd, but before the march from Ground Zero even began, two hundred of the participants had been trapped in a bright orange net, arrested and charged with "obstructing governmental administration."

The remaining group--more than fifty--was impressively disciplined. Someone tried to lead the crowd in a chant of "This is what a police state looks like," but fellow demonstrators demurred, clearly not wanting to escalate tensions with the cops. After a while, they marched from the site, chanting the First Amendment aloud, to powerful effect.

When they reached 28th Street and Broadway, 54 of them did lie down in the street and "die." Police allowed that, but ordered bystanders to disperse or risk arrest. (Obviously, those who "died" were later arrested.) I was out of there in a hurry, determined to see as much as possible without getting caught in one of those scary orange nets. I walked a few blocks uptown, and spent the rest of the evening around Herald Square, where hundreds of other protesters had gathered, many still in their work clothes. Surrounded by cops, they acted sensibly, admonishing each other: "Don't throw things!"

When delegates walked by, people simply chanted "Shame!" or "Go Home!" (No obscenities.) Police continued to arrest crowds of people at random. Some probably got closer than legal to a busload of Republicans, but others arrested with them were just standing around. Throughout the evening, over a housand people were arrested.

New Yorkers showed that while the city is now a nice place for Middle America to go on vacation, it's definitely not a hospitable site for a gathering of reactionary extremists. Thank goodness. I almost wish the GOP would stay a few more weeks --just so they'd have to keep battling this splendid, loud, multi- national, queer aggravation that is New York.

Liza Featherstone

Comments (0)