Say It: A divided display
The ideologies from protesters at the Republican National Convention
The voice of dissent echoed through the streets of New York last week. People gathered with an overall "anybody but Bush" sentiment, as the president prepared to accept the Republican nomination for presidency.
People from all over the nation gathered on the streets, unified in purpose but divided by affiliation.
Xochitil Moreno, a member of Direct Action to Stop the War explained the importance of a dissenting voice.
"In times of great crisis, as we are living in today, creative direct action and civil disobedience serve to revitalize and strengthen democracy," he said.
As the "no Bush" protestors marched down the streets, they were met by the "pro Bush" protestors of the protestors.
The mass conglomeration of "no Bush" protestors, made up mostly of middle-class citizens, would occasionally clash with pro-Bush groups such as the neo-conservative Protest Warrior.
The Warriors carried laminated, professionally printed signs, done as a satire of the anti-war movement and its liberal/socialist ideology.
At the convention, groups representing the gamut of social issues were present and speakers often hit on issues like health care, unionization, education, and abortion. When opposing sides met on the streets, it quickly turned into a shouting match.
On Thursday night as President Bush accepted the Republican nomination, members of Protest Warrior attended the A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War & Racism) Coalition's "Converge on the RNC" protest. Police quickly divided them from the protestors who were attempting to hold conversations in some cases and pick fights in others.
The New York Police Department moved in within minutes, with a truck full of barriers, to block off the group of about 20 Protest Warriors from over 20,000 protestors. They surrounded the Warriors, leaving them protected by a four-foot ring of stern looking police officers in riot gear.
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition's website later ran a statement capturing the essence of the protest.
"Last night people showed that they were unwilling to be silenced. Thousands of riot-clad police surrounded the protest," reads a statement on the site, "Many people reported that it took almost an hour to find their way to the demonstration. And yet they came, young and old."
Those who were arrested went to what they dubbed "Guantanamo on the Hudson," an old airplane hanger at Pier 57.
At the end of Sunday's march, as he looked to the masses pouring into Union Square, Rev. Jesse Jackson said, "This is the heart of democracy."
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Reach the reporter at Andrew.Benson@asu.edu.
