600 protestors arrested in DC

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(AP) - Demonstrators chained themselves together, bicycled through downtown streets and rallied at downtown parks Friday as finance ministers began a weekend of meetings. About 600 protesters were arrested and one was slightly injured. The protesters had threatened to shut down the nation's capital, but caused only minimal disruptions to the morning rush as they snaked through the city on foot and on bicycles, waving signs that said "End Corporate Greed" and "Drop Bush not bombs.

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Source

Anyone here from the DC area or know anyone who was there?

I read the article: What Idiots (sorry to all you save-the tree's poeple out there) but whats the point. I can't belive they accually think that the structure and ideas that their protesting against will change. Also what's with:

"We've called for peaceful, dignified, nonviolent, creative actions," Reinsborough said.

Then you read:

"About 65 people were charged with rioting after they broke windows at a Citibank office and tossed smoke bombs in Washington's business district. Those demonstrators will have to appear in court."

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I also found the part about the "Gaptivists" to be rather funny. But, if they were against Gap, why do they wear it. Hmmm......

--thats all i have to say:


FATALbreed

I believe everyone has a right to protest if the need arises,but why get stupid about it and start breaking stuff and get yourself arrested.Does that really solve any problems?There aren't any trees to hug in jail.At least out of their four requirements of peaceful,dignified,nonviolent,and creative they met one.The smoke bombs were definately a creative touch.The window breaking is a little overdone though,and becoming a little lame.If any of them had half a brain,they'd realize that all that money they'll be spending on bail and fines could have been donated to a save the whales foundation or whatever else floats their boat.

I personally believe that one of the fundamentals of American society is the right of people to speak. These people had something to say and they said it.

To that end, one thing that people don't realize is that nobody has to listen, no matter how important one thinks their cause! Another fundamental of American society. As soon as they realize this then all will be in perspective...and we'll all be on the same page.

Just my two cents...

you all make sense so ill put my worthless 2 cents in as well.

Sometimes its necessary to go the limit any maybe be arrested to get heard. this can be accomplished with out violence, mayhem and being a general pain in the ass to people who might have listened to what they had to say if they remained civil. as soon as they started getting out of hand the ruined any credibility they might have had.

seemed like a pretty useless affair. stop corp greed, drop bush not bombs. i mean why stop there. curb your dog, don't speed my mommy works here, don't drink and drive, stop stupid slogans, free ted kazinsky. if your gonna diversify...diversify. Or maybe their blaming all this on bush and i missed it.

Well I agree with you all that they lost credibility when the got out of hand, I must say on the plus side, thus far the polices officers have seemed to handle this event better then those in Seatle. Hopefully the protest won't get very violent the rest of the weekend.
But thats just my opinion.

Protester sign "End Corporate Greed"
Aren’t corporations are greedy by definition?

It’s kind of hard to emphasize with people who burrow their parent’s suv so they can drive to the latest protest. I say if you have something you think is worth protesting to go for it but just don’t act surprised when no one listens.

Well despite yesterdays eventful protest todays (saturday) started and ended peacefully, to bad they already lost their chance for respect yesterday when they broke the window and threw gas.

Nothing wrong with protesting anything, but they lose all credibility when they begin destroying property and causing the other disruptions. I think they'd be more apt to be listened to if they dressed a bit more fashionable than leftover late '60's attire and got haircuts, along with being civil. I can't argue with the message, only the way they try to deliver it.

from the sound of it, none of you have actually ever been involved with activism. let me inform you of something. The governments of the "free world" for sometime now have been having closed door meetings concerning the persuit of issues that the majority of their constituents seem to be opposed. Having said that, ever since the wonderful Reagan era, protests concerning globalization, free trade, human rights and the environment have had such intimidating police presences that one cannot help but think that a move to criminalize protests has been initiated. Many cities, despite the "fundamental right" to protest, require protest organizers to obtain a permit to assemble where in case of a march, must inform the police of their route. Many cities also create protest friendly zones requiring the protest to run its course under certain confides. This is not FREEDOM TO ASSEMBLE, this is government controlled freedom of speech. There is definitely a problem when the government and police control who and where someone can protest against them. Next the mainstream media more than ALWAYS ignores the protests that are against their issues, and the ones they don't ignore, they offer very small reports where the issues usually aren't discussed at all. Having discussed all this, when you mix this form of repression with legitimately outraged and concerned activists who want nothing more than their voices heard - a problem arises. When you are trying to tell people how things really are and excersize your right and police in military gear with heavy weapons are surrounding you, should you just shutup? The people adopting violence as a tactic are doing so in an attempt to take back the streets from a new much more militarized police, they are trying to get the mainstream media to listen to their anger and to the issues (which the media usually does following urban guerilla tactics and violent protests) It is easy for you to say that things can be accomplished without adopting violence, but things are NOT changing. The US government is rejecting the kyoto accord for reasons of PROFIT. Free trade and globalization are being pushed FORWARD without even letting any non-government input into the treaties, not just that, without even letting the public know what is involved with these treaties. The world bank is forcing third world nations to privatize their water systems in exchange for desperately needed loans in order to feed their populations -> what does this mean, less access to water for those that can barely even afford to eat. You people should be very thankful that activists are willing to go to JAIL, to get BEATEN, to breath in CHEMICAL WEAPONS and in some cases even DIE for you people.

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Originally posted here by celforama
from the sound of it, none of you have actually ever been involved with activism. let me inform you of something. The governments of the "free world" for sometime now have been having closed door meetings concerning the persuit of issues that the majority of their constituents seem to be opposed.

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No, I remember Kent State. Enough said.

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Next the mainstream media more than ALWAYS ignores the protests that are against their issues

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Well duh. The media is biased. What's new about that? And IMO, they're more often in favor of the bullshit issues you seem to favor

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The people adopting violence as a tactic are doing so in an attempt to take back the streets from a new much more militarized police, they are trying to get the mainstream media to listen to their anger and to the issues

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Oh, is that what it is? I guess I was mistaken. I thought the streets were supposed to be for people like me to be safe from violence

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It is easy for you to say that things can be accomplished without adopting violence, but things are NOT changing. The US government is rejecting the kyoto accord for reasons of PROFIT.

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Maybe some of us don't favor the change you are pushing. If your side resorts to violence, the rest of us are not permitted to speak. Debate cannot happen under threat of revolution and terror

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Free trade and globalization are being pushed FORWARD without even letting any non-government input into the treaties, not just that, without even letting the public know what is involved with these treaties.

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Free trade is a good thing IMO. Again, I ask, who is trying to stifle debate, the ones for or against free trade?

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The world bank is forcing third world nations to privatize their water systems in exchange for desperately needed loans

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If you want to borrow money from me, I have the right to impose conditions. Those third world dictators need to privatize some of those assets controlled by their cronies and corrupt family members.

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You people should be very thankful that activists are willing to go to JAIL, to get BEATEN, to breath in CHEMICAL WEAPONS and in some cases even DIE for you people.

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Thank you Ted Kazinski. And if we fail to be sufficiently grateful, you'll start a riot, right?
:cool:

liberals

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from the sound of it, none of you have actually ever been involved with activism.

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You would be wrong... I have been involved in activism for some time... I am a staunch supporter of my 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms and I have doen work along those lines... I have marched, protested, and written letters to my Reps... And none of the marches or protests I have been to have ever gotten out of hand and the participents were all armed... Funnt how that works ain't it?

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protests concerning globalization, free trade, human rights and the environment have had such intimidating police presences that one cannot help but think that a move to criminalize protests has been initiated. Many cities, despite the "fundamental right" to protest, require protest organizers to obtain a permit to assemble where in case of a march, must inform the police of their route. Many cities also create protest friendly zones requiring the protest to run its course under certain confides.

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Could this be because the so called protesters out there tend to cause problems and cost cities and business in most cases hundreds of thousands of dollars from the damage they cause?

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It is easy for you to say that things can be accomplished without adopting violence, but things are NOT changing.

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So that makes it ok for you and your fellow protesters to destroy my business and take food from my families mouth because you are not as important as you think you should be?

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The US government is rejecting the kyoto accord for reasons of PROFIT

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No way possible that it could just be that the acord goes against American intrests huh?

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The world bank is forcing third world nations to privatize their water systems in exchange for desperately needed loans in order to feed their populations

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this couldn't have anything to do with the fact that these "water systems" are so full of polution and what not that by privatizing they might actually have water that is safe to drink could it?

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You people should be very thankful that activists are willing to go to JAIL, to get BEATEN, to breath in CHEMICAL WEAPONS and in some cases even DIE for you people.

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And just why should I be thankful that some 20 something punk kid who has absolutly zero knoledge of what I want or need is out there not working and destroying everything he can get his hands on? I should be thankful for that? The people you call activists I call criminals... They quit being activists the minute they broke the first window because they weren't being given the attention they thought they deserved... Besides what gives those people the right to speak for me? I don't agree with what they have to say yet in their and apparently your mind I have to support them... Now where is MY freedom in that?:(

BTW... I am white, hetrosexual, married, Christian, male. I eat meat, own guns, hunt, burn wood, and my wife wears fur.... Any questions? :D

Well first off, when I was reffering to activism, I was making reference to leftist/social justice movements, not to right wing redneck whacko movements of people who think that it is their birth given right to shoot guns and kill animals for fun. Whether you agree with the left or not is not really what's at issue here, the issue is the government, BEFORE any violence has ever occured, has traditionally criminalized the left movements, as we saw in the 50s labelling them COMMUNISTS and TRAITORS.

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Well first off, when I was reffering to activism, I was making reference to leftist/social justice movements, not to right wing redneck whacko movements of people who think that it is their birth given right to shoot guns and kill animals for fun.

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First off son I am not a "right wing redneck whacko" who kills animals for fun.... When I shoot an anmial it s for food and no other reason.... Before you start calling people names you should at least try to know what you are talking about.... I am a colege educated business owner... And just because being a socilist is good for you does not mean that it is good for me... I happen to like my freedom and I will fight to keep it... What you call a Justice movement I call slavery in disguse... I have spent my adult life fighting against people like you and the regimes you think are just and right... I served during the cold war against the Soviet Union, fought communists in the jungles of central america, and I do what I can to keep scumbag s**theads like you from spreading your brand of colectivism is good, kind, and just BS in my country... Just like those you aspire to be like (that is if you aren't already one of the lets go to the US and raise some hell bunch because we don't like what they have to say) those you support in your post you did not like what someone said because it is not what you believe so you attack them... Yep buddy I really want to be the hipocrite that you are... IMHO you proved my point for me by the response you gave my post...

Psst...psst...Midget....there are commies under the bed :D

Hehe j/k

well it's wonderful that you fought the communists but you completely missed my point. The leftist activists are not communists, they are not trying to enslave you, they are not potential dictators - they are people concerned by the lack of voice and representation in the government. they are sick of closed door meetings, they are sick of lies and coverups and propaganda. they are sick of the government giving contracts to electric companies and oil companies to run lines and pipes through their communities with out public consultation. they are sick of the rich being given tax breaks while the poor slave at society's most difficult jobs only to get paid minimal amounts. they are sick of the government forcing other governments to do things that negatively impact their citizens because it benefits US interests. they are sick of the government bombing innocent people to punish the few (who usually end up escaping). they are sick of needless pollution and of racism. I am sorry that you are too concerned with your own interests to care about the ones that suffer. Oh i think it's obvious what government i am referring to. Explain to me how socialism equates to slavery. Its good that you hunt for food, not enough animals are being killed already for such. And finally, next time you decide to throw your 'colege' education in someones face, you could bother to spell properly you redneck.

couldn't have said it better... thx celforama.

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The leftist activists are not communists, they are not trying to enslave you, they are not potential dictators

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Funny you should say that… That is exactly the type of BS that the communists spewed in Honduras right before they would kidnap the males age 14-30 to fight for their cause. Those that did not want to go were killed and their mothers, sisters, wives, and daughter gang raped and beaten just so the other would be a little more cooperative.

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they are sick of the government giving contracts to electric companies and oil companies to run lines and pipes through their communities with out public consultation

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While it may be the case in your country that the government does not give the people a say in where power lines and such go it has been my experience at least in every town or city I have ever lived in that long BEFORE any type of pipeline is laid or power pole put up the city and county have open meetings to hear what the people have to say… And I have personally seen where it has made a difference in whether or not the construction was done…. Although must say that in most cases very few people ever show up to let their leaders know what they think.

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they are sick of needless pollution and of racism.

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I personally have a problem with racism and those who think they are better because of the color of their skin… It will probably surprise you that hunters and fisherman do more in a year to help wildlife than all of the protest and marches you do in the same year… Why do I say this you ask? It is simple… How much money did Greenpeace give to say Virginia last year for wildlife conservation? Not much I would bet… Yet the hunters and fishermen who bought licenses last year gave over 750 million… and that is each and every year.

As for your bashing of my government what gives you the right? You are not a citizen of the US so in my eyes you have no standing to come to DC and be part of a protest of the government here… But I forgot that isn’t what you people do… You whine as loud as you can and when you see that those you are trying to free are happy for the most part you destroy our businesses and homes.

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they are sick of the government bombing innocent people to punish the few (who usually end up escaping).

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Now on to a particular sore point with me… It saddens me no end that any one has died as a result of bombing… You see I do put a great value on human life… So much so that I spent over 15 years doing everything I could to save the sick and injured… I still volunteer my time as a paramedic for the local rescue squad… You are too young IMHO to truly understand that people die in war… You have never had a shot fired at you in anger (unless maybe by the guy whose store you tried to loot and burn) and as such you can have no true concept of what war really is… It is a sad fact that people die in war… s long as we have war “innocent people” will die… It is not the fault of the US that those people have died and that others will die… It is the fault of the terrorists that crashed planes into the WTC towers… It is the fault of Saddam who seeks WMD to use against Israel and the US… If you and your friends must find and lay blame then why not step into the real world and place it where it belongs? Do not think for one moment that Saddam would not hesitate to put a dirty bomb in Toronto if he thought it would hurt the US or Israel….

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they are sick of the rich being given tax breaks while the poor slave at society's most difficult jobs only to get paid minimal amounts

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The rant you make about the “poor slave” doing the hardest job in society honestly sounds to me like a kid who had to go out and get his first job and doesn’t like it because heaven forbid they did not make you CEO your first day… There is such a thing as working for what you want and earning what is given to you… If you do not like your job at McDonald’s then get an education and better your station in life… There are reasons why people do not get the great paying jobs they want and more often than not it has to do with the fact they are not qualified for the job… it would surprise me a great deal if you have ever had a job that required any real manual labor… I have had the jobs you call the worst in society just so I could feed my family… Sometimes son, you do what you have to not what you want to… I would not doubt that you still live at home…

As for something you said in an earlier post that I just now thought about… You talked about the criminalization of your protests and such… I wonder if the Canadian government would be real happy if I organized a protest of say your health care system here in the US and brought all my friends who oppose socialized medicine to march in your capital… Think they might get a little bent out of shape??? I think they would…

My country may not be perfect… no country is… but I thank God each and every day that I was born an American… I live in the greatest nation in the world bar none… As an American I can say that I do not want or need the changes that you and your type are trying to force down our throat… If being an American means that a vast majority of the world is going to hate me then so be it…I guess that those who have will always be hated by those who do not…

One last thing celforama if serving my fellow man, defending my country, and working my ass off to make a better life for my family makes me a redneck then I would have to agree with you that I am… And you know what? I am damn proud of it too! At least when I die I know I will be able to look God in the eye and say that I am not ashamed of anything I did in life…. Will you be able to do the same I wonder??

ok let's leave it at that - obviously you are a great humanitarian, you're right "people do die in wars". I'm sure their family members are greatful that the USA has bombed their village. Its true, native communities have always been consulted prior to hydro construction projects and its true residents of mountain towns in virginia are consulted prior to coal companies trimming the tops of mountains thus destroying their entire town. I am so greatful that the USA has brought Canada free trade, now we can sell our lumber at inflated prices thanks to US punitive tarrifs!!!!!!!! Oh no, you are right, US policy doesn't concern Canadians at all. Oh yes oh yes you hunters help the environment so much, those tree huggers at green peace taking boats into nuclear test zones in order to halt them and raise public awareness to them are completely wasting their time. Lets all kill animals! KILLING RULES. to the killing field!!!!!!!

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Oh yes oh yes you hunters help the environment so much

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I agree with you that the government may not do everything in the publics interest but hunters do acctually help the enviroment. Take an area of land that has 2 million deer, they reproduce at rate of about 35% a year with a natural death rate of about 10%. Now in this area of land there is only enough food to support 2,020,000 deer. If the hunters didn't harvest some of the deer they population would quickly out number the availible food supply. Those deer would starve(that does cause suffering in the animal) however with conservation the deer do not out grow availible food. Remember to hunt you need a liscence, and there are a limited number of liscences, and also remember not everyone with a liscence will get an animal in a given hunt season.

And back to the government and protest, violence does not help sway the public, the public is who the protestors need to convince, not the government. The protestors are in too small a circle of support for them to get much done yet and the violence won't up the amount of support the have as you might have noticed from the flaming between you and the the right winger above.

thats just me, you need to inform yourself before complaining others are uninformed maybe pick up a book or two, for your interests I'd recommend:

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Mark
--I do like this piece but he is a bit idealistic for the current society
The Revolution of Everyday Life
--This might help you as you move out into a world hostile to your views
AdBusters Magazine
--This is a magazine that often supports the things you claim to, its one of my favorite reads tho I often find they might be a bit on the irrasponsible side.