New York - A wake for the dead through struggle

national | miscellaneous | news report

Sunday February 03, 2002 01:13

by h. - Casuals

Heavy Policing in NYC

Just a quick greeting and report.

They said we shouldn't hit the streets, that the City was still overcoming trauma. But we are the city, its albour, its blood, and overcoming grief means reforging a sense of meaning in struggle. I watched the towers come down from Houston Street, those towers for some a symbol of cpaital but for us the mass grave of thousands of workers. Exploited in life, and especially exploited in death.
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Not a bad day, even if somewhat cold and relatively uneventful. The crowd was bigger than expected, about 12-15'000 on the demonstration organised by Another World is Possible (who despite their name have nothing to do with ATTAC). The composition of the crowd was very interesting: lots of people over 40, and tons of youngsters, many of them clothed in ritual radical garb. Some trade unionists, greens, the obligatory cacophony of trots, but the whole event had a very libertarian feel, which was nice. Contrary to the media's charcterization of the protest, there was a large workling class presence and all the glory of NYC's racial melting pot, from latinos to Afro-Americans, Latinos and Chinese. And yest there were Irish rebels there, both other emigre friends and others whom I recognised from Dublin but hadn't seen in ten years. The Irish Echo wants to run a story about Irish particpation in anti-WEF actions which will be published next week if it happens at all.

Notably absent were groups such as the Ruckus Society and Global Exchange, former media stars of the 'movement' who refuse to endorse the demonstrations. I think their cowardice in the face of the demonization should not be forgotten. That Global Exchange released their book 'Ten Reaons to abolish the IMF' '... in solidarity with the WEF demostrators.....' as a free etext is a cynical joke.

Policing was of the type we have come to expect from the NYPD. After the arrival of the Reclaim the Strrets Contingent from Columbus Circle without hindrance, people massed on Fifth Avenue. As the march made its way off from the east corner of Central Park at 59th street, the anarchists were penned in and the police made a few sallies in to arrest people for wearing masks. In the midst of this some banners were also lost. Similar police operations took place on Mayday 2000, and is obviously designed as a disciplinary lesson to let people know that they're not afraid to pull the big stick. A couple of people were pepper gassed as well. That block was primarily organised by NEFAC and gathered an impressive number of participants, including a few people with Ya Basta style shields. Meanwhile, seperately but nearby, a large American flag was burnt.

Further police intrusions took place on 59th street as we made our way to 2nd Ave, and more arrests took place at the corner as we turned on to the avenue. I can't imagine that any of the charges wil be serios, probably justr the usual crap under the mask law.

The end of the march was just a few blocks from the Waldorf Astoria, but was a pretty sedate affair due to the level of physical restriction imposed by the police. Ubiquitous barricades balkanized the crowd and prevented the development of any significant momentum.Otherwise the city has been a surreal place all week. Police were stationed outside of every Starbucks, GAP and MacDonalds, ATM lobbies of ther banks.Irtonically this made mainfest just how much of the city's landscapoe has been colonised by such businesses. Secret service personnel did not even attempty to conceal their presence and sat outside the Indymedia Center and other known rendez-vous points, occasionally indulging in some petty harassment.

As of writing, there has been approximately thirty arrests. Most of these took place early in the day.

When a clearer picture of events of these days transpires, I'll write further. All in all though I felt that it was an important event, not as some might say 'to show them that the movement isn't dead' (which begs the question of whether there is a real social movement at all...) but rather because the pre-event campaign of demonization by the Police politicans and media was so intense, that one really felt that dissent weas threatened with total suppression. So systematic it was as to bring me back to the end of ther 1980s - early '90s when republicans in Ireland were subjected to the same relentless calumny. What's happened in the six counties in the last years shows us how quickly marginalization can be turned around. Now, I think the discussion about purpose and stratgy can recommence, and do the sdame thing for the movement against capitalist globalization.

From the Lower East Side of NYC,

Beir Bua,