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LIVE BLOG: Scores arrested at the Capitol
As I sit here on a bench, a group of polar bears is running past me, with signs that say "No War, No Warming". A group of policemen on bikes is chasing them.
The kids who shut down Independence Ave. this morning are arrested and on the bus, but other groups are behind them, each doing a different, and often, creative action.
It is not going to be a typical Monday in the Capitol City.
The Women in Pink are holding court, several dressed as Condi and Cheney, dancing in their prison garb.
The polar bears have a rap song, I'll try to get the lyrics.
I haven't seen effective action like this, since... wellllll.... 1977? Clamshell?
Will keep adding photos.
UPDATE: As police walked by escorting a polar bear contingent, I overhead one of the radios crackle: "Twenty on bikes heading east on Constitution."
The kids block the street
Laurie tells the police who they should be arresting
UPDATE: All the kids blocking the street have been moved to the Capitol grounds but the mayhem continues.
The polar bears have circumnavigated the Cannon Building and reopened their "No War No Warming" rap act on the steps of Cannon.
Adam Kokesh and Geoff Millard, Iraq War Vets
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Is there a sense of how many people are there and will be arrested?
There are lots of small groups of people doing very different things. So I have no idea really. But this is effective: helicopters flying overhead, overweight policemen running all over.
The action is now moving to te other side of the Capitol. I am wondering if I can hitch a ride with the cops, heading there now...
Karen's liveblog is at Kos.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/10/22/9558/0105
Good to know there are more than the usual faces involved in this protest.
You're at DU too.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2106584
We are at the Capitol now, having a small press conference. Rev. Yearwood and Medea Benjamin are speaking now.
Medea just arrived from the West Coast--she is also with Global Exchange, you know, so the war and climate change have always been linked.
Hmm.
Given the high degree of confusion about the meaning, purpose, plan, and point of this particular event that's evidenced in the many WTF? posts in the dKos thread about it, I should think it might have been a good idea to include a some background info and a clear link to http://nowarnowarming.org somewhere in your diaries & threads about it, rather than just leaving the readers wondering what the heck is going on over there in DC today...
Interesting .. I'll pass this on.
Background is nice but it's nice surreal too, as I'm sure it actually is.
A case can be made that staging still more street theatre in the same sets of obvious places is bound to be less than 100% effective in the public eye because of the accumulated been-there-done-that burnout factor, though, and adding in elements of unclarified surreality certainly doesn't help make it any more so.
Contrast that with the kind of real-world groundswell activity displayed in this threader from the DCP archives -- I can't help thinking that it's more significant to most people when their friends and neighbors are taking action on the local level than when they see yet another bunch of distant protestors sending out mixed messages on the cable news channels...
(That's not to say, of course, that passionate action in the seats of power isn't important too -- but that it needs to be clearly focused and properly promoted if its message is going to propagate to people outside the Beltway.)
That was an excellent post, Otter.
Waging Peace in Flyover Country
Check it out if you didn't see it the first time around.
I think street theater is effective when it has a potent effect - something visible from passing cars & that even affects the unconscious.
Some would say the zombie activities I covered yesterday were frivolous yet they are fundamentally political on several levels, I discovered.
Alot of it is in the eye of the beholder.
Sometimes we need a little less "serious" to make people think. It's a strange irony.
If something is too spelled out and structured, it is NOT going to get the unconscious layers.
There is all too much policing of our minds and bodies nowdays. It is going to result in backlash.
This is also "live blogging" - it enfolds as it happens.
You are "there" if you keep up.
Spontaneity is a good part of life.
Everything we hold on to is illusory and transient anyway.
Would love to be there with you guys!
Anyone have pictures of the bike mobs? Round-up of news items at:
http://artandresistance.net/
Trevi Fountain, in Italy - need we wonder what it symbolizes?
(Abracada News)
Wow. Cool pic, not my president.
As for comparing today's actions with other types of activities (large-scale marches, local actions, rallies, etc.), I'm not sure that's the right way to go. Today's actions were novel, and successful, and good will all around. No need to play one-upmanship!
It is as important, in my opinion, to do different things at different times. One of the nicest parts of today was the number of young people who found that collective action is empowering. They will return home and share their tales of speaking truth to power. Another important outcome was the creativity and spontaneous play that emerged, and how effective it was as a way of engaging the people who came outside of the House office buildings, and opening up some conversations among observers.
Good spirits prevailed, even among the cops.
All of those arrested are out, by the way (DC police are getting more efficient too!). We are now working hard on freeing the car that was impounded last evening. The four students from Canada are staying with us--all of their ID and money is in the car, so they cannot return to school in Ontario, nor can they get their possessions out of the car because the police are holding the car as one used in a criminal activity--which is not true. Pizza is forthcoming.
Given that so few are willing to do much more than show up with a sign on a sunny day, I took heart from today's events. Actions do speak louder than words and the media coverage alone is worth a great deal. Anytime a small group of people acts in the service of peace and justice and better legislative policies, others are emboldened as well.
Karen,
Thanks for sharing this story/event. I take heart in it as well!
I love the polar bears! And I love the fact that these kids are taking things in their own hands, in a positive way.
Perhaps otter had a little fur ball today. :0)
Or maybe a bad crab.
I love the visual of the polar bears being chased!! and I think we, the pople, ned to use EVERY method available (that includes only legal & ethical methods of course, not like this administration which beleives any method is fine)
I lost heart in large demonstrations after the last pro choice demonstration-over a million folks and the media & administration didn't give a damn about any of us. So theatre is OK by me
Hey there,
I have a few more photos of the event here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/isisdc/
Peace!
Isis
any video on You Tube?
Any news organizations cover it??
ralpheh,
Tons covered it--it was on all news stations tonight. But the YouTube stuff will come in the next few days, as people edit their tapes.
We had about five video cameras today, lots of still cameras, and there were at least three major TV stations as well.
WHyNotNews will have a few segments up soon--some of which will be used for the court cases.
Karen said:
Wow. Cool pic, not my president.
As for comparing today's actions with other types of activities (large-scale marches, local actions, rallies, etc.), I'm not sure that's the right way to go. Today's actions were novel, and successful, and good will all around. No need to play one-upmanship!
It is as important, in my opinion, to do different things at different times. One of the nicest parts of today was the number of young people who found that collective action is emp
@@@@@@@@@@
You could always throw red paint into the street or sidewalk. I have thought of doing this in front of my Congressman's office. I just don't have the guts to do it - and I would be a prime suspect from the beginning when the police are called...
This protest was in January...
very noisy..... right next to the Capitol...
I went to the Magnuson awards tonight, WA State Dems.
I saw Hillary but I wasn't able to ask Ralpheh's extremely long question so consequently I didn't get tasered.
There were long lines for booze and snackies so I figured I'd go stand where the teens came out with trays headed to the Big Donor area and beg some protein off them & it worked!!
Came out on 2nd Avenue and it looked like NYC with streetlife and the motorcade. Talk about surreal!
I went to the Magnuson awards tonight, WA State Dems.
I saw Hillary but I wasn't able to ask Ralpheh's extremely long question so consequently I didn't get tasered.
There were long lines for booze and snackies so I figured I'd go stand where the teens came out with trays headed to the Big Donor area and beg some protein off them & it worked!!
Came out on 2nd Avenue and it looked like NYC with streetlife and the motorcade. Talk about surreal!
There were also some antiHillary protesters from a group called MoveRed. One guy's sign said "Hillary Scares Me" and I think I know why - because when I came home some guy from Florida had sent me a picture of an item sold by a novelty company called Stupid.com and it is a Hillary nutcracker.
She does have the gender gap in her favor.
Gender gap:
That's cause Hillary isn't just some little woman bakin' cookies in the kitchen. (She's lawyer/Senator with lots of money, and a lot of working women - even if they bake cookies - can identity with someone as rich as HIllary)
Hillary is a little woman standing by her man (Bill) and using his name and fame to be elected presdent.. dat's the way to do it ladies... git yourself a strong man... and follow in his footsteps..
And Ladies, Do Triangulate!!! Listen to that Dick Morris
Here is a YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbvTkfWtBV0
Peace!