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January/February 2001
Nationwide protests against Bush's inauguration
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Forty thousand or more protesters came here on Jan. 20 to rain on George W.
Bush's inauguration. About two hundred of us came on four buses from
Chicago, and at a rest stop we ran into an equal number of NAACP-organized
women from Detroit.
There were a number of separate demos in D.C., called on short notice by
various groups, and with a great element of spontaneity in the turnout by
people from all walks of life: working people, women and youth, gays and
lesbians. Ten thousand Black marchers turned out at the Supreme Court.
Security was heavy and at times harassing. When many of the demonstrators
began to converge on Pennsylvania Avenue along the parade route, it clearly
worried the Bush camp enough to delay the start for hours.
A lone military band was drowned out by cries of "Shame!" Then came hours
of empty street. The parade spectacle was essentially buried beneath our
utter contempt. Bush was vilified when he sped by as "the
president-select," "a coup leader," "the Thief," "the Texecutioner" and
"the second president of the Confederate States of America," among other
choice descriptions. One man pointed across the street to the National
Archives and said, "That's where they keep the original copy of the
Constitution that they're tearing up today."
The ascension of Bush to the White House raises very fundamental questions
about American society, not all of them finding voice at the anti-inaugural
demos. As the struggles against capitalist globalization and the criminal
injustice system struggle to coalesce they will be facing an even more
reactionary landscape.
-Gerard Emmett
***
SAN FRANCISCO
The ubiquitous "Hail to the Thief" signs among the 15,000 gathered here on
Jan. 20 to protest Bush's inauguration had hand-written variants. Many
wanted to compose their own signs since they felt their voice was silenced
in the electoral spectacle. "Jail to the Thief," "Heil to the Thief" and
"Hail the High Executioner" reflected people's creativity during the
spontaneous massive outpouring against the results of this year's election.
Another sign, "Down with the Supreme Coup," referred to the Supreme Court's
decision to stop counting votes in Florida, which thus appointed Bush the
winner. Clearly, Bush's electoral "victory," labeled more appropriately
"coup" or "coronation" ("King George II is not my King"), has mobilized a
tremendous opposition. Every issue was raised: the racist death penalty,
the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, threats to women's right to choose, the
ongoing incarceration of youth, environmental justice, the environmental
disaster threatened by more oil exploration, queer liberation and many more.
Not since Nixon's inauguration, during the height of the opposition to the
war in Vietnam, has there been such a massive demonstration against the
inauguration of a president. People came from all over California, from
Colorado and from other western states to show it is a lie that the West
solidly supports Bush.
One Black woman expressed a hope that with so many people so vocally
opposed to him, Bush will not be able to railroad through his conservative
agenda. Clearly it is a fear of what he might be able to do that motivated
tens of thousands to come out to protest against him. In the midst of
California's energy crisis, for example, Bush, representing the interests
of the oil companies eager to cash in on the windfall, is expected to turn
a deaf ear even to the businesses that gave millions to his campaign, such
as those in Silicon Valley.
At the same time, in Oakland about 200 community activists and outraged
local residents wore black armbands at a rally in front of the Federal
Building. All ages and ethnicities were represented.
There was another demonstration in Sacramento of over 300. A demonstrator
said that Bush's "victory" might have a silver lining: that it did mobilize
a huge opposition against him and his ideas. The bitter election drove home
the point that America is not a democracy. There is a hope that capitalist
ideology itself can become challenged as people ask what kind of democracy
do we need to create. It's not just a matter of voting standards in
Florida, or getting rid of the anti-democratic Electoral College.
-Urszula Wislanka and David Mizuno'Oto
***
LOS ANGELES
Five to seven thousand people gathered at Pershing Square in downtown Los
Angeles to protest George W. Bush's presidency on Inauguration Day. Many
that addressed the crowd were liberal reformists: a spokesperson for the
NAACP, one for the National Organization for Women, a rabbi, a Santa Monica
city councilman, and U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Actor Ed Asner was
the event's M.C.
Others whom I heard included a speaker from the Campaign to End the Death
Penalty. One speaker talked about monopoly capitalism and another about
Mexican and indigenous issues.
The protesters, in high spirits, marched through downtown to the Federal
Building. The sidewalks were filled with smiling onlookers, mostly Mexicans
and poor people of other ethnicities. The marchers were mostly white but
included significant numbers of Blacks, Browns and Asians. They included
longtime leftists of various tendencies and many new activists, including
Greens, environmentalists and Screen Actors Guild Members. Their ages
ranged from youths to spunky elderly.
Signs made by individuals read "Free Mumia," "No more Gary Grahams," "Not
my president," and "Hail to the Thief."
-Basho
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