Thanks so much for checking in. It should be a pretty long post. And, welcome to anyone that may have found the blog through the Plutocracy Files. This posting will appear on both of our sites. I have quite a few pics from the Times Square demonstration, a few videos I took of the cops rolling in, and headlines from some of the other major demonstrations that took place yesterday.
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| I Think This Was My Favorite Sign Of The Day |
I got on the road about 11am and
got to into New York about 3:30, arriving at Times Square about 4pm.
When I arrived, it was tough to get a sense of how many people where
there. You just can't get a sense of it when you're in the middle of it.
As you looked around though, you see that you are engulfed by people
all on sides, on the edges of Times Square. The police shrewdly put up
barricades to continue to allow traffic through and to separate the
crowd. But this tactic, I felt, really put a cap on the crowd's
enthusiasm, their ability to start chants, get riled up, etc. I'm
guessing there is a "Riot Prevention" handbook out there and this
maneuver falls under "Crowd Dispersion."After settling into where I was, I took in the scenes for a while. We were all waiting for the march from Washington Square Park to join us at Times Square. While waiting, I was interviewed by a network from the Far East (pretty sure it was from Japan). I'm really hoping I can track it down and post it. But, it's not looking likely. A friend did record me getting interviewed. So, you can see me, but not quite hear me.
After the
interview, I continued to take in the scene. The signs, denoting
grievances, ran the gamut. Someone created a pretty nice model of a
Predator Drone, to protest all our wars. Someone held a Che Guevara flag. Signs asked for
investments in public works projects, others asked to end corporate
person-hood, some for investments in education and green technology, and
others to raise taxes. The list goes on. But, if you've followed this
occupation story closely, you're aware of the main issues.
The day
also had an international feel. I saw a sign stating that a particular
group was made up of "Belgian, French, and Flemish" people and sided
with the protestors. I witnessed two different groups flying the flag of
Canada another with Puerto Rico's flag. Later in the evening, I also
met two women from Denmark. I know Times Square is called "The
Crossroads of the World", so the international feel was expected.
Passers-by on double-decker buses also showed support. There were people
waving, "thumbs up" signs given, peace signs, etc. Buses honked their
horns in supports as they went by as well.
From there, I tried to
get to the edges of the protest to get a feel for how far it all
stretched. That was probably not the best idea at first. It took the
better part of 45 minutes to go 3 blocks. Because we were all barricaded
in, it felt like there was a chance of people getting trampled if
someone fell over. As you walked, you passed under scaffolding that
people literally climbed upon to get a better look at the scene.
Photographers climbed atop payphones and stand alone traffic lights to
better to get their shots.
After arriving on at 47th and Broadway,
the protest really started to heat up. The portion of the crowd, right
up against the barricades, wanted to move further into the street the
relieve the bottleneck. The cops beat back a few people, as tensions
rose. One of the police horses fell over. I heard (from an eyewitness)
that one man was cracked pretty good by a police baton and had to go to
St. Luke's Hospital. At this point, I was getting nervous for public
safety. All of this is going on, right in the middle of the tourism
capital of the US. I saw quite a few people with kids in strollers,
small children, and a few elderly people. It could have easily gotten
out of hand, with pedestrians, unaware of the day's events, getting
hurt. My own opinion is that the NYPD would have done anything to keep
the protestors from filling the streets, because there would be no way
to control them from that point. In the process, they did seem to create
a safety hazard. And, did I mention, that across Broadway on the other
side of 47th street, was a large Bank of America branch. It's probably
not a coincidence.Check out Lucy Kafanov's report, for RT America, she's been great during these protests. She was right on the barricades with protestors.
From there, the NYPD shuttled us east towards 6th Street to disperse the crowd. I also noticed some cops positioning themselves behind us and I also saw the orange netting make an appearance. As I went down 47th I saw this, and I really knew it was time for me to go. Before I got out of there, I did have someone write the Lawyer's Guild phone number on my arm, in case I got hemmed in with the large group. So, I did get my first piece of protest swag. Bonus!
Then I saw this follow the cops in:
After I tried to loop back around, I saw these guys come up 48th street, and I got the hell out of there:
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| 2nd Favorite Sign Here |
All
in all, I was about 98% sure we live in a police state. And, now I'm at
100%. These measures from the cops will not quell this movement. You
can't kill an idea (see, terrorism). And, so many of these people have
nothing to lose. Right now, I do have something to lose. I had to get
out of there. But, a few weeks back 700 people were arrested on the
Brooklyn Bridge. There were around 70 last night. With each, more vow to
come back and fight even harder. I don't know where this all goes. But,
it's amazing to have just a little part in it. If you can get to a
large protest, I suggest you do. There's a feeling you get, that you
can't get in too many other places. It's the feeling that you're a part
of something bigger than yourself.
Full disclosure on me: my wife
is from Germany and I can get out of the US, to a place with virtually
free education. A place where everyone has health care. A place with
strong unions and better income equality, a plan on renewable energies,
etc. So, me being in New York, or sleeping outside in Syracuse, isn't
really about me. I'm lucky enough to be working and have health care
now. I don't feel personally aggrieved. But, this is about a better,
fairer world, some greater good. May sound corny to some, but you do
truly feel it when you're there.Before I go, just a couple of the major headlines from yesterday's "Global Day of Change":
-500,000 people marched and sat in Madrid's main square, the Puerta Del Sol.
-Reports estimated 350,000 in Barcelona.
-Here is the scene from Paris.
-Cops violently removed campers from outside the Reichstag in Berlin (Reichstag = Germany's equivalent of the U.S. Capitol building).
-200,000 hit the streets in Rome and it got pretty violent, including a burned out riot van and civilian vehicles, looting, etc (story and amazing video, only 1:35).
- 25 people were arrested at Citibank for trying to close their accounts, including one lady who was just standing on the street.
-About 200 people were arrested in Chicago.
Very last thing, before I finish. I know I gave you a lot today. It was a multimedia posting, and about 1700 words. But, this last thing just warmed my heart. It comes from Madrid's Puerta Del Sol square. A symphony plays Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", but at the end all the people raise their hands, with their palms open, saying, "these are our weapons (in Spanish)." It moves me, to no end, each time I watch it.
Until next time,
James
