(Note from J.D. — I’ve posted this account of last week’s Washington protests from two of my friends (Lee Light and Robin Taylor) who were there. Hope you enjoy.)
These are some observations of two 60+ year old women, veterans of civil rights, women’s rights and anti-Vietnam movements returning to the demonstration circuit. Because the actions of this administration are so disastrous, we decided that we needed to participate in the anti-war rally and march in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 27. Many friends and community members that we told thanked us for taking the trip and said that they were with us in spirit. It was a very cold night on Friday at 10pm when we boarded one of six buses that Peace and Justice Center had chartered to take folks down to Washington. We got on the Montpelier bus and knew only four people out of the 55. Some of the others seemed to be new to the anti-war movement. There were some families and also a church group. Everyone was eager and proud to be representing the anti-war voice in Vermont. We heard of estimates of 500-750 Vermonters in total that went to Washington. We were a proud bunch wearing our “Vermont Says No to War” banners and stickers.
On Saturday under a bright sun and temperatures in the 50’s we listened first to church leaders, then politicians, political activists, ex-soldiers, and celebrities. For about two hours we listened and cheered. The main themes of the speakers were to bring the troops home now and not fund the escalation and the occupation. The bounty of caring for the troops, their safety, and care when they returned home came through loud and clear, as well as concern for the suffering of their families. Speakers also mourned the lost lives of Iraqis and their children who have been caught up in a useless and unending war. But there was an underlying message coming through loud and clear through signs and chants that these Americans wanted Bush and Cheney impeached. Several signs read Pelosi in 2007!
But we would like to mention some of what the media didn’t cover in reporting this event. There were people from all over the country: Washington, Oregon, California, Iowa, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, to name a few. The AP story in the Sunday Times-Argus implied that the organizers, United for Peace and Justice, hoped for 100,000 people and were disappointed. We strongly disagree. At the rally and march we believe we were about 500,000. The park police on orders from the White House no longer give estimates of the size of protest marches and rallies. There was also no mention in the AP story of the `Impeach Bush/Cheney’ signs that were everywhere.
After the rally, demonstrators expected to march down Pennsylvania Ave. As folks were moving forward to start the march, people were being corralled through a passage way to the parade route that funneled the 6 lane boulevard down to three, creating a tremendous bottleneck. People slowly edged forward to get in line. Once we were on Pennsylvania Ave. we were allowed to march 2-3 blocks up toward the Capitol and then the crowd was dispersed because we were blocked from going further. This action of police manipulation of the crowd successfully defused the momentum of the marchers. It was virtually impossible to see how great a number of people there were. While we weren’t herded into corrals like protestors in other demonstrations in New York City, our effort to send our message to the rest of the United States and the world was definitely thwarted.
Eventually the “march” which really wasn’t a march was over. We wondered why we didn’t parade down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the White House. We believe we had been allowed to demonstrate under the control of a government that had absolutely no intention of listening to the people. If Congress allows the Bush/Cheney administration to continue to ignore the vote of the American people then we are only living under the illusion of a democracy.
Did the media minimize the rally by underestimating the crowd? Did they forget to mention the outcry for impeachment? Was the coverage of the rally and march downplayed by only minimally reporting the event in the press? Looks that way to us!
Lee Light farms with her husband in Marshfield.
Robin Taylor is also a farmer in Marshfield.