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One beautiful Saturday afternoon those opposed to war in Iraq gathered to show their feelings the world over. Apparently one of them lived in my building, and chose to discard their placard. | |
| It was a strange day in the city. Although protests have popped up from time to time, this was the first big one. It was well-advertised and fought out with city officials. The organizers wanted to march in front of the United Nations. The city said no, in the alleged interest of public safety. They claimed that no group has been allowed to do that recently. So, the demonstrators were not given a permit to march. They were, instead, given an area across the street from the UN where they could gather and demonstrate. This created an air -- before the protest even began -- that the city did not want dissent on the Island. That day, the police put up traffic barricades to control the crowd. This created an impression that anti-war protestors were being penned in. The crowd pushed. They shoved. They laid down in the street in an act of civil disobedience. They even tangled with horses. Police horses. If the NY Post is to be believed, they even toppled one of the beasts. Organizers seemed to have coordinated a campaign to encourage people to call local television stations and complain about their coverage. I know this because -- though I would have preferred to be out with the demonstrators myself -- I was inside putting together the 6 o'clock news with what I believed was complete coverage. I was screamed at, yelled at, called a liar, insulted and called a tool of the White House. For keeping the truth away from the viewers. I will admit that it baffles me -- that pacifists and anti-violence demonstrators would be so bellicose and violent. Hey. Make Love. Not War. | ||