More Than 150 Arrested at Iraq Protest

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

(09-15) 15:00 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

Thousands of protesters marched Saturday from the White House to the Capitol to demand an end to the Iraq war, leading to the arrests of at least 150 people.

Many of the protesters were arrested without a struggle after they jumped over a barricade near the base of the Capitol. But some grew angry as police attempted to push them back using large black shields and a chemical spray. Protesters responded by throwing signs and chanting: "Shame on you."

Before arriving at the Capitol lawn, the demonstrators marched on Pennsylvania Avenue holding banners and signs and saying, "What do we want? Troops out. When do we want it? Now."

--
Army veteran Justin Cliburn, 25, of Lawton, Okla., was among a contingent of Iraq veterans in attendance.
"We're occupying a people who do not want us there," Cliburn said of Iraq. "We're here to show that it isn't just a bunch of old hippies from the 60s who are against this war."


Read more: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/09/15/national/a150051D83.DTL

[napi21]

1. I heard the leader of this group on the radio saying she fully expected

to be arrested. I applaud them for doing what they did. I would have joined them if I could have. I'm too old to worry about getting arrested for demonstrating. Unfortunately, I physically can't do it.

[The Doctor.]

2. Wonder how many infiltrators...

Wouldn't surprise me. It's too easy with so many people.

[Warren Stupidity]

28. none. Its called civil disobedience. nt.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[demnan]

4. I was there

I wasn't really close to where the arrests were. They asked us to lie down on the grounds at the Capitol in solidarity, which I, my friend and many of us did. We were close by on the hill next to the Capitol Building. I wasn't sure what the solidarity was, there were some on the steps of the Capitol, we assumed that was the Die in. The guy playing Santa Claus on Stilts said that that wasn't true that you had to jump the fence to be in the die in.

Later someone told us that if you stayed on the lawn past a certain time you would be considered to be arrested.

My friend and I were part of a bus group so we went back to our bus.

I don't know. This is just what I heard and saw

[Puregonzo1188]

7. I was there too and on the Capitol lawn and saw Santa too

I had no clue nor still have a clue exactly what happened with the die-in. I know we were asked several times to lay down. I had also heard that the Iraq Veterans Against the War who were going to lead the die-in had been arrested so that could of been part of the confusion. I really don't know what happened.

[Tess49]

5. I'm not sure I like the way he worded this! Makes me feel ancient.

"We're here to show that it isn't just a bunch of old hippies from the 60s who are against this war." Brat.

[rodeodance]

6. suspose they figured this was the only way they would get some press? I

wish them well.

[Tyler Durden]

8. "THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING! THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING!'

That was the chant of the demonstrators in Chicago in 1968.

[Puregonzo1188]

9. I heard people chanting that one today too.

[tavalon]

10. Nowadays, that would be

"NO ONE IS WATCHING! nO ONE IS WATCHING!"

The world is burning and so few care and pretty close to no one in the "mainstream media" gives a fuck, for sure.

[lligrd]

11. Why Do Even Liberals Disparage Hippies?

They did a damn good job of stopping another quagmire and representing peace. And they were distinctly an American phenomenon.

[ProudDad]

12. Indeed, we DID do a good job

but we were international...

Now we're subversive... :evilgrin:

[lligrd]

13. Started in America I Should Have Said

And thank you for your patriotism! I was too young but I remember them hanging out at our park.

[lovuian]

16. I don't like to remind people this but Vietnam we beat the Repubs

butts and Nixon resigned this is the same scenario

it echoes to our memories of the Past

and WE WON

[Warren DeMontague]

18. I know. Like being a hippie is a bad thing.

Ridiculous. At least hippies produced some good music.

[conscious evolution]

19. I don't get it either.

Oh well.
We changed the world once
and we are doing it again.

Peace

[slampoet]

22. The reason the younger generation criticizes hippies is ...

...That there was no carry through.


Also the hippie movement started with the Dutch Provos party and not in the USA.

(Abbie Hoffman said so)

[lligrd]

23. Interesting...Thanks nt

[LaStrega]

14. Are there any estimated numbers ... ?

"thousands" of anti-war vs. "hundreds" of pro-war peeps? Heh. FReeps couldn't amass the numbers apparently. Surprise surprise.

I did the march in Minneapolis today. Wish I could've been in D.C. *sigh*

[LaStrega]

15. nevermind reading the "Die-In photos" thread n/t

[Kolesar]

24. link?

[ScottytheRadical]

20. I read 100,000 anti-war and 1,000 pro-war demonstrators

I've noticed from reading and watching the news over the years that, regardless of how many people actually show up to any event, the MM will *always* quote "thousands". The entire country could take to the streets, and CNN would simply say "thousands". So in an article I read, it said that organizers quoted an attendance of 100,000 at the anti-war rally (but it couldn't be confirmed by police, of course), and that there was an estimated 1,000 people at the pro-war rally.

I've also noticed that, irregardless of how many pro-war people show up to an event, the media will *always* quote one of them. I was at a protest recently where there were literally *5* pro-war demonstrators, and the media had a two-minute interview with one of them. Obviously a liberal bias here! :sarcasm:

[mvd]

32. Yeah - they talked like it was equal!

Thank you for giving me the real number. I hadn't heard it before this thread.

[Tesha]

33. Those are both the right "order of magnitude"

> I read 100,000 anti-war and 1,000 pro-war demonstrators

Those are both the right "order of magnitude" -- the counter-
protesters filled the sidewalk of one or two city blocks (in
front of the FBI; how appropriate!) and we filled many blocks
of Pennsylvania Avenue.

There was a "counting station" set up at the corner of Pershing
Park (15th St. and Pennsylvania Avenue) but a lot of us were
bypassing it as it was holding up "traffic" for a very long
time; At my stage of life, I can march but I can't stand still
roasting in the sun for very long.

Tesha

[orleans]

21. wasn't it the parks department to do the head counts and bush

disbanded that probably in his first week as resident.

(can't have counts of protesters, now can we?)

[Tesha]

30. Mr. Tesha and I guessed "100,000"

100,000 people is represented by a square with
about 320 people on a side, 320 people deep. The
crowd in Lafayette park before the march was in
this range.

Tesha

[Marrah_G]

34. There are lots of numbers floating around

We were told 100k people, 5k did the die in and 400 were arrested. Personally I felt those numbers were exagerated. My guess would be about half those numbers. But I was up next to the vets so I could be way off on the numbers behind us.

I have to say the whole day was incredibly intense.

[L0oniX]

17. Remember Kent State ...this is what they will do to us eventually

[0007]

25. The neocons have nothing but contempt for us, they can't win

an honest debate so they act like the thugs they are.

[Laughing Mirror]

26. 189 arrested, 10 of them veterans of the war

Capitol Police used chemical spray against a small number of the protesters and pushed back others who tried to jump a barrier in a self-described effort to be arrested. The "die-in," on a walkway in front of the Capitol, was generally peaceful, but scores of arrests came when protesters tried to climb over metal fences and a low stone wall.
...
The march opposing the war was led by about 50 veterans who served in Iraq, according to Iraq Veterans Against the War. Many wore fatigues as the crowd marched down Pennsylvania Avenue, where several blocks were lined with war supporters. At times, back-and-forth shouting grew confrontational and obscene.
...
After being processed and released last night, one of those arrested said he had come by train from the Boston area. The protester, who identified himself as Walter Ducharme, 78, of Cambridge, Mass., said he had been arrested at an earlier demonstration and "figured I had to do it again."

Organizers of the antiwar event said tens of thousands turned out. A law enforcement official, who declined to be identified because authorities no longer provide crowd counts, estimated the gathering at closer to 10,000; the march permit obtained in advance by ANSWER had projected that number.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/15/AR2007091500826.html?hpid=topnews

[Laughing Mirror]

27. AP says more than 190

The number of arrests by Capitol Police on Saturday was much higher than previous anti-war rallies in Washington this year. Five people were arrested at a protest outside the Pentagon in March when they walked onto a bridge that had been closed off to accommodate the demonstration, then refused to leave. And at a rally in January, about 50 demonstrators blocked a street near the Capitol, but they were dispersed without arrests.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_WAR_PROTEST?SITE=VAWOO&SECTION=US

[Dervill Crow]

29. He says old hippies like it's a bad thing.

I was still in elementary school in the 1960s, but the hippies served as a wonderful role model. The peace movement part of it, anyway!

[mvd]

31. Stupid AP!

I hate them. Way to put the number of arrests in the headline rather than the large number there.