| nettime's_roving_reporter on Mon, 17 Apr 2000 06:11:46 +0200 (CEST) |
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| <nettime> A16 report Sun 23:07:03 |
A16 WDC metro weather: 75F, sunny
photos:
<http://www.mit.edu/people/nrbutler/a16.htm>
<http://www.guestchoice.com/protestcam_highlights.html>
live images:
<http://www.guestchoice.com/protestcam.html>
*QTVR demo panoramas*:
<http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/panoramas/imfpano.htm>
<http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/panoramas/imfpano02.htm>
Blocking Streets is fun!
<http://clients.loudeye.com/imc/washingtondc/soa.ram>
Real Audio: "But it's a sunny day and revolution is in the air."
<http://www.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=454>
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26402-2000Apr16.html>
Washington Post Staff Reports
Sunday, April 16, 2000; 9:24 PM
D.C. police are urging anyone who works downtown to stay home
Monday, and the federal Office of Personnel Management announced
Sunday night that only emergency employees should report to work
at federal offices inside the protest zone, bounded by 12th and
23rd Streets and by K Street and Constitution Avenue NW.
Other federal offices in the District will operate under an
unscheduled leave policy; employees may take leave without
receiving prior approval from supervisors, an OPM spokesman said.
Federal offices in Virginia and Maryland are to operate as usual.
Also, the Farragut West and Judiciary Square Metro stations will
be closed Monday. Trains will run through the stations but will
not stop.
<http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000416/ts/imf_mayor_2.html>
On the number of protesters, Williams said: ``What I've heard is
up to 10,000 and we're expecting more tomorrow...''... Williams
warned protesters that the damage they could inflict on the
identity of Washington ``could be irrecoverable''....
<http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000416/ts/imf_police_1.html>
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington police, cracking down early and
hard on protesters trying to block meetings of world financial
leaders, seemed to have learned many lessons from demonstrations
that turned violent in Seattle in late 1999. Police in the
nation's capital used pepper spray and clubbed and arrested
hundreds of demonstrators.... One block away, Ramsey's deputy
Terrance Gainer defused another potential volatile situation
where police had just liberally pepper sprayed the crowd which
had been complaining that the vast majority of police were not
displaying badges.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_715000/715044.stm>
[IMF] Delegates started arriving at 0500 local time (1000 GMT)
before the protesters had assembled. However, correspondents say
it is not clear whether they will be able to leave.... However
IMF officials said some heads of delegations were absent from the
meetings. At one point, French Finance Minister Laurent Fabius
was negotiating with protesters to gain entry. Police were also preventing
people from leaving the building because of the danger from tear gas outside.
---
From: Jonathan Prince <jonathan@killyourtv.com>
To: <Recipient List Suppressed:;>
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2000 3:15 PM
Subject: WorldBank/IMF Protest MP3 Webcasts
--- fowarded
Sorry for the SPAM - but here's what I hope to start up tomorrow.
I'll be out in the mayhem of protests in DC with my tape recorder
talking to people and later I'll upload the audio to live365.com for
MP3 streaming.
This is the first real experiment in this plan of mine to create a
Geocities.com-style web site of people who want to create MP3 audio
talk/news web radio.
Email me for more details, and listen in Sunday night.
Thanx!
Jonathan
-- MASS LETTER --
<please forward this letter to friends who would appreciate it, thanx>
WorldBank/IMF Protest MP3 Webcasts
TalkAboutTheNews.com's First MP3 Webcasts
TalkAboutTheNews.com will be recording interviews and conversations
at the Mobilization for Global Justice in Washington DC and later on
each night webcasting using Live365.com.
Please come to our web site to subscribe to our newsletter for
updates and how you can create your own MP3 news/talk webcasts in the
near future.
TalkAboutTheNews.com will soon provide free webspace, discussion
boards, polls, and a whole lot more so you can create your own Web
Radio!
Stay in touch!
http://TalkAboutTheNews.com
---
<http://prorev.com/fastnews.htm>
damage report
-- 20% more arrests than in Seattle: 637 v. 525
-- police illegally shut down demonstrators' HQ
-- two universities ban public forums, events, student guests
-- Printshops intimated into closing by police
-- illegal sweep arrest traps 600
-- homes of protesters broken into and ransacked.
-- demonstrators visited by police and threatened with arrest
shut down....
75 square blocks closed by police
Downtown print shop close after police intimidation
Metro closes three key subway stops....
REUTERS: [Chief Ramsey said] that the police had arrested 637 on
Saturday -- a figure that already dwarfs the 525 arrested in a
week of similar protests last year in Seattle. . .Body-armored
police used batons "liberally," a witness said, as they clashed
with about 500 protesters at one point before they reestablished
the security fence that had been set up to keep the protesters
away from the meetings. . . .In another incident, protesters
surrounded a minibus full of delegates wearing business suits who
were trying to get into the meetings. . . After about 20 minutes,
a squad of riot police, backed up by a dozen mounted police,
dragged the protesters away from the minibus, throwing them to
the ground and beating those who had sat on the ground in front
of the minibus. . . Some fund staff spent the night in the
building, and many delegates arrived at dawn before the crowds
gathered.
Illegal sweep arrests. Print shops intimidated into closing by
police. Universities canceling public forums under pressure from
officials. Homes of opposition leader' broken into and ransacked.
Headquarters of the opposition raided and closed by police.
<http://dc2.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=609>
Blac Bloccades on the streets of DC
by si @ squall 8:28pm Sun Apr 16 '00
antidote11@angelfire.com
Masked teenage ninja mob who gained legendary status on the
streets of Seattle n30 rise again in DC
"No justice, no peace, fuck the police!" America's infamous Black
Bloc were once again out in force in the streets of the nation's
capitol today, April 16. A posse of around two hundred masked-up
teenage ninja revolutionaries marched on the IMF and World Bank
at around 7am under a sea of black and red flags and a twenty
foot banner declaring them the "Revolutionary Anti Capitalist
Bloc." They then set about on a running, wall tagging, barricade
building, cop baiting rampage. 'Fuck the Whorehouse' appeared on
a Whitehouse outbuilding wall, The World Bank's door plaque now
boasts a natty anarchy sign and a federal spook's motor lost a
couple of windows.
Not yet up to speed with their Eugene counterparts - who reduced
downtown Seattle into a sea of shattered glass and corporate hair
tugging - the DC Bloc were big in numbers and young in years.
Every dissafected youngster in the land of the 'free' is telling
mom and pops to go hang and running away and join the black bloc.
Four am alarm calls had woken a several thousand strong protest
contingent early Sunday morning to get their butts down to the
first IMF and World Bank meetings of the 21st century. They
dribbed and drabbed down to the meeting points, dotted round
downtown, but the old bill had been working overtime and had a
fifty block area cordoned off. The mass of mostly twenty
something, white American's (though a significant contingent of
internationals were making their presence felt) pissed off with
the destruction being wreaked on the planet's poorest nations by
IMF and World Bank so-called development packages, locked on,
linked arms and boogied about with giant puppets - as has become
the hallmark of 'The mobilisation for Global Justice'.
Every law enforcement agency in Washington was on the streets, US
Marshalls, City Police, Park, Sate and military cops mingled with
comically badly 'disguised' FBI agents.
It soon became evident that the Bank and Fund meetings were going
ahead, big-business as usual, despite a gathered crowd of over
twenty five thousand. The police reclaimed several blocks and
City Police chief Rainer banged on to anyone who would listen to
how "chilled and restrained" his officers were being.
Billy clubs and pepper spray were brought in to quell violent
er...... chanters. The ubiquitous badgeless cops manned the
barricades. As well as the cops, the spread of protesters over
such a large area made them a less effective force than that that
stopped the WTO in November.
Attempts by police to extend their cordon area were held back by
the kids on the streets with dumpsters, sticks and lots of: "Fuck
you pig bastard," sort of stuff.
The extensive organisation for the event was badly hit as
training and convergence buildings were evicted, Independent
media cellphones were blocked and anyone who looked like a
beatnik throwback got shook down and had their puppets, banners
and lock on gear confiscated. An entire eight hundred strong Free
Mumia /US justice demo had been arrested and bussed out of town
on Saturday night. They were held on the busses with the usual
disregard for their civil rights - no lawyers, water etc -
brought into play. Half are still locked down.
Mid afternoon saw the majority of blockaders leaving the
barricades to go down to The Ellipse - a large park just south of
the Whitehouse - to join a 'permitted' anti globalisation rally.
Things seemed to be fumbling to an anti climax, until Park Police
horsemen tried to storm into a five hundred strong bandannered
partying posse. SWAT teams quickly came to the rescue of both
horsemen and corporate media teams who were attracting the odd
slap. Horse shit and sticks sent the police out of the park.
Buoyed by their mini victory a significant contingent of
activists headed back to the IMF to monster delegates coming out
of their meeting, but police whisked them away in buses and most
headed home to prepare for round two tomorrow - the last day of
talks.
Around fifty arrests were made, one protester was hospitalised
and activist legal teams are talking about bringing law suits
against the police for brutality and violations of their first
and sixth ammendment rights.
As usual the mainstream media ignored the true story of
structurally adjusted genocide and concentrated on the mythical
violence of shouting and paint. Nigerian activist, Oronto
Douglas, pointed out: "Puppets and songs don't kill children,
bullets and poverty do."
<http://dc2.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=616>
<Many police actions in Washington DC
by Michael A. de Yoanna 8:46pm Sun Apr 16 '00
mdeyoanna@hotmail.com
Michael A. de Yoanna
Edirot in Chief
The organizer of protest told the CU-Denver Advocate just
previous to his arrest, and the arrests of others, the
demonstration was meant to address the "booming" US prison
population.
It was the first major activism of the weekend.
The arrests came as the demonstration moved from the Department
of Justice building at 3 pm, down Pennslvania Avenue past the
White House, headed towards the World Bank building located just
blocks away. Washington DC metropolitan police set up a barricade
and quadroned off protesters, arresting everyone trapped in the
area. At least four members of the Independent Media Center were
arrested along with a Washington Post Pulitzer Prize winner
photographer.
A majority of those arrested were charged with parading without a
permit and failure to dispurse. By Sunday morning many protesters
had posted a $50 bond and had rejoined the demonstrations.
A 90-block radius of downtown was sealed by police, preventing
access to several important buildings including the World Bank
and White House. Many police wore body armor, horse and
motorcycle patrols were on duty, and an armored personnel carrier
with a turret several times was used to reinforce police. Many
said police had used tear gas, a charge they denied, stating they
had used "smoke grenades."
Demonstrators confronted police early, matching the 90-block ban
by pursuing a tactic of preventing IMF delegates, police, and the
media access to the World Bank by forming a human blockade by
linking arms.
Early on Sunday many sources reported a "single" pepper spray
incident, however, reports filed by major news providers
documented several different incidents....
Just 20 minutes prior to the pepper spray incident, several
protesters refused to move for a patrol car, locking hands and
dropping to the ground. The stand-off continued for nearly 15
minutes when police, who said they had wanted to avert a
"situation," backed off, but not before the patrol car had been
vandalized with red spray paint.
Nearby, several members of Reclaim the Streets of New York City,
took control of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Ave, preventing a
tourist bus from moving forward. Tourists appeared amused by the
incident, snapping pictures of demonstrators. Within 15 minutes
several police on horseback appeared along with officers dressed
in body armor, who forcibly removed the five protesters sitting
with their arms locked. Police arriving on the scene use batons,
striking several individuals to the ground. CU-Denver Advocate
photographer Steve Jacobs was nearly clubbed by an officer while
photographing the incident when he was pulled out of the way by
CU-Denver Advocate staff.
Earlier in the morning a man who identified himself only as
"Frank" moved through a group of protesters. Many accused him of
being a member of the IMF, though he denied the charge. The
well-dressed man made his way to Lafayette Park, directly across
from the White House, and was escorted by police towards the
World Bank building after being assisted over a police blockade.
Moments later carloads of men who appeared to be IMF delegates
sped through downtown in a limosine escorted by two patrol cars.
Though an employee of the World Bank told the CU-Denver Advocate
that demonstrators prevented him from working his usual Sunday
shift, meetings progressed, slightly delayed by the tactics of
protesters.
<http://dc2.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=590>
Ten Demandments
by Cool Hand Uke 6:30pm Sun Apr 16 '00
address: Box 2065, Nevada City Ca 95959 phone: 530-477-7393 dscanlan@oro.net
Guide for betterment
1. Protest the WTO, WB and IMF everywhere at every opportunity.
2. Assert the long view: WTO continues the dirty work of Columbus.
3. Run up your credit cards and refuse to pay them.
4. Refuse to pay federal income tax.
5. Merge issues, consolidate actions.
6. Urge good cops to bust bad cops. (Good luck!)
7. Tend to spend cash only with friends.
8. Convene without borders to write a new Constitution.
9. Sing, dance, play music and eat together.
10. Help everyone.
<http://dc2.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=582>
On Monday, April 17, 2000 at 11am students at Rice University in Houston will
gather in front of the statue of William Marsh Rice, the founder of the
University, in the academic quad as part of a nation-wide walkout in support of
the mass protest occuring on the same day in Washington D.C.
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