REPORT FROM D.C.

              by Kris

              Washington, D.C. - Jan. 20  -  Lots of people turned out to the DC
              protests, which were in several  different areas. The group I was in met
              at Dupont Circle and was supposed to march to the Ellipse, an area behind
              the White House. However, halfway through our route was blockaded by
              the police. No explanation was given, but there was a rumor that some
              protesters had started fighting with the police. If this happened at
              all, it would have been well before our group reached that location.

              While we were stopped, some protesters climbed signposts -- one
              burned a flag from there -- while some police fiercely ordered us to
              get back on the sidewalks. No easy thing, so many people and so
              little space. At one point it looked as if the police were clubbing a
              protester, but I did not get a good view of this. One of our group,
              Cheryl, said she got it on her video camera, so it's documented.

              By the way, Cheryl's sign was wonderful, and you should have
              seen some of the looks the repugs gave it as they walked in the
              freezing rain in their fur coats. Priceless!

              Eventually we were able to resume our march, but we were diverted
              to another route, one that took us to one of the checkpoints at
              Pennsylvania Avenue. (There were several checkpoints -- the first
              time this had ever happened at an Inaugural Parade -- and I
              understand that protesters overwhelmed the police at one
              checkpoint, causing them to shut down all access there.) Next to
              this checkpoint some bleachers had been erected that were full of
              protesters by the time our group got there. I found out later from
              local news reports that a group that had secured a permit for a very
              narrow area along the parade group had persuaded the police to let
              them occupy this bleacher section as well. So Bush et al. got a
              good look at a whole section of protesters on elevated bleachers.

              Some of our group kept hiking to the Ellipse -- police had closed
              many streets in the area, so we had to take a circuitous route --
              and we finally made it as the rally was breaking up. However, the
              parade was still going on, and the police let us stand in an area on
              the parade route -- Freedom Plaza -- that was opposite the Old
              Executive Office Building, which is right next to the White House.
              As it happened, I was there when Bush's limo rolled by -- I think it
              was his limo because it was accompanied by a squad of running
              Secret Service personnel -- and the crowd at the square let out the
              loudest boos I'd ever heard, as well as cries of "Thief" and some
              other things. Most of us left after that -- the weather was miserable
              all day, drizzling or raining and very cold -- but some hung on a bit
              longer.

              Some of the protesters who'd been to protests in DC for many
              years thought there were more of us now than had been at the
              protest against Nixon's inaugural; a friend from Chicago told me this
              morning that he'd heard this size confirmed on some news report.
              However, the local DC news was largely playing down the protest --
              as expected -- that evening.

              I met up with some of our group at the Starbucks as planned, but
              unfortunately we got separated in the ensuing chaos. Still, I think
              we got heard -- now the real work begins.

              You can read an early press report of the doings in DC at this link:

              http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010120/ts/bush_protests_3.html
 

              Kris
              It's the coup, stupid -- work now to
              restore legitimate government in 2002!