[Nettime-bold] 10,000 march for peace in Manhattan

["Dimitri Devyatkin" <devyatkin@earthlink.net>]

10,000 march for peace in Manhattan

A mass demonstration against the war was held Friday evening, Sept. 21 in
New York -- a march from Union Square to Times Square attended by perhaps
10,000 people. The marchers walked solemly up Park Avenue South, chanting
anti-war slogans, stopping traffic at intersections. Most of the marchers
were between 20-50 years old; there were a few parents with young children.
People on the street looked on with mostly neutral expressions. Some people
shouted remarks to antagonize the marchers. Many people of Arab appearence
gave the V sign to the marchers. Numerous incidents of violence erupted as
irate drivers stuck behind marchers got our of their vehicles and assaulted
march coordinators. Police were nowhere to be seen when they were needed to
protect the marchers from the muscular, cursing motorists, but the marchers
protected their colleagues. Finally police arrived and actually arrested at
least one thug. One woman in a white convertible actually tried to run her
car into the crowd. She only stopped when warned that video cameras had
recorded her license plate number. Police only became evident at the end of
the march, clearly only to protect stores and property -- No concern was
shown for the safety of the marchers. Police dressed in bright orange jump
suits, with NYPD written on their chests and sports shoes were waiting with
short batons and bloodthristy expressions on their faces. Police blocked
access to Times Square when the demonstrators filled the intersection,
wading into the crowd. No known incidents of violence occurred despite an
ugly mood.

Dimitri Devyatkin
e-mail devyatkin@earthlink.net



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