On January 17, 2003, 46 peace activists from Carbondale, Illinois chartered a bus out to Washington, D.C., to participate in a mass demonstration against the war in Iraq. On January 18th, 500,000 or so people marched and demonstrated against the war in Iraq. The following day, several hundred marched to the White House to demand weapons inspections at the U.S.'s own Presidential Palace.
Since this wasn't an everyday occurence for the people of this nation or the people of Carbondale in particular, local film makers Mike Covell and Jyotsna Kapur created a documentary about the trip titled "We The People." Since I don't have the skill myself to do such a thing, I thought that the least I could do was snap a few pictures.
Onward: Here we have a cluster of Carbondaleans taking their first steps from the hostel we stayed at to the march for peace. In the foreground, we have Marc, Joel, and Jen. In the background, I can make out Lisa, Pat, Tracy, and Raphi, but can't make out or remember who the others were. Maybe next time I'll be quick enough to get a photo like this while we're all still in the sunshine! Note Joel's refreshing revolutionary enthusiasm.
Rhythm Workers: Here are some "rhythm workers" making some music for peace.
Motorcycle Cops: Here they are, all lined up and ready to go. Don't you feel much safer now?
Women Peacemakers: The sign says it all.
Koreans and Filipinos Unite: This nice banner was made by a contingent of Koreans and Filipinos who are united in their opposition to the war in Iraq. Good to see!
U.S. Out of Korea and Phillipines: The Koreans and Filipinos were also united in their commitment to seeing the U.S. military withdraw from their respective countries. See, the international community CAN work together against dangerous aggressors!
March on the Capitol: I couldn't get a good picture, but this is the general spot where all of the hundreds of thousands of us gathered for the march. There's a storm brewing in the nation's capitol...
Peace Mural: I love bringing art and activism together, so you can bet I loved this banner for a mural project. Wage peace!
Carbondale Crew at Rest: I didn't get any good pictures of the entire 46 person contingent that went to DC, but here's a shot of a few of the people that I spent a good amount of time with out there. Leah is looking at a map, figuring out what building we're staring at as we wait for everyone to march. Lisa is resting her legs after a long stretch of walking, getting ready for the longer walk ahead. Pat is yawning with intense anticipation of the coming hours. Raphi is scowling with black flag in hand, ready for the revolution. Joel is sitting with the same Corporate Flag that won him a second-page photo in the New York Times last year. Marc is weilding his homemade American Peace flag, which he often loans me at the Carbondale peace vigils. Tony is banging the drums of peace. And in between taking pictures, I'm trying to keep the feeling in my fingers on this cold, cold day with an icy metal flagpole in my hands!
Flag Diaper: Unable to find a public restroom, Marc discovers a convenient new use for the American flag.
Armored Vehicle: No, this is not a shot from some "third world" nation - it's a photo of an armored personnel carrier of some sort rolling through the streets of downtown D.C. Raphi in the foreground and the Corporate Flag to the side add to the atmosphere of the moment, clashing worldviews travelling together down the same road. Which path will the people of this nation and the world follow?
Peace Not Wars: This beautiful sign is a good answer to the above question, if you ask me.
Too Young To Die: These dead baby dolls are presumably representative of the civilian casualties that are inevitable in a war against Iraq. The familiar face of Marc in the foreground with peace flag over his shoulder adds to the significance of the image for me - if this is what will happen to the people of Iraq, then what does that say about the security of people here in our home?
Counter Protest: These counter-protestors had a few kind words for us, and we had a few kind words to offer in return. I'm surprised that all 500,000 of us peace activists didn't just turn around and go home at the sight of this overwhelming support for the war!
Salute the Flag: The "Republican Guard" pictured above aren't the only ones who can seize the high ground. In this photo, an anarchist climbs a stoplight and hangs a red and black flag - an anarcho-syndicalist or perhaps anarcho-communist banner. We have nothing to lose but our chains...
Behind Bars: When the police tried to divert the weapons inspection march from the White House, we managed to make our way there anyway. What can I say - we're quicker on our feet than their regimented batallions! As we came to the fence, several people decided to hop it and make a break for the White House. Needless to say, the police did not appreciate this and made several arrests.
Bring Our Troops Home: Contrary to popular belief, most of today's peace activists do feel the humanity of our soldiers and long to see them brought home safely. This is a part of our motivation for working for peace. Not only does a war of aggression harm the people of the other nation; it also harms our soldiers and all of us at home. War is a double-edged sword; it hurts both ways. I know that I have at least one friend who I love dearly who's in the military and may get called up eventually if this war continues. I really don't want to see that happen. I'll hold up a sign for her at the peace vigils if it happens. I don't want anyone who's at war today to be hurt or killed, no matter what side they may be on. All that I want is peace.
Down in Front: An affinity group of maybe two dozen people decided to do a sit-down protest in the street. Before they could even make it to the center, the police stopped them, leaving them sitting off to the side. The police carried them over to the side of the street, and eventually they decided that holding a few feet of blacktop off of the curb wasn't doing much good and wasn't worth getting arrested for.
Collateral Damage: An older woman who sat in the street was lifted and thrown rather callously onto the pavement to get her out of the street. She suffered unknown injuries and had to be taken away on a stretcher in an ambulance. Even before Bush's ultimatum and war, the collateral damage had already begun... notice the gentleman in the center of the picture who is recording the crowd. I do so enjoy taking pictures of the picture-takers...
Thin Blue Line: Ah, how wonderful to look upon the thin blue line that protects the institutions of our great republic from all of the people that it supposedly serves. In this case, it's more of a black line - some of the police are wearing their stylish black Storm Trooper outfits. People may complain about the "Black Bloc," but I've seen more violence from these blackclad Storm Troopers than any number of Black Blockers.
The Horses Speak: If you look at the sidewalk at the bottom of this picture, you may notice a large pile of horse poop lying on the well-guarded path to the White House. This wasn't the only one - the whole area was littered with fragrant feces. It would seem that the horses have made their statement on this war and our supposed President.
My favorite experience from this day was one that I didn't get a picture of. A very small group of mostly women - maybe five or so - began singing "All we are saying is give peace a chance," over and over again. After two days of raising angry, militant energy against the war, this was a wonderful counterbalance for me. After a while, I and a few dozen others joined with them. The police became visibly more relaxed, and the demonstrators who were hell-bent on angry energy went off to another spot to carry that with them. It was a beautiful moment - all thoughts of time faded away as we spent as much as an hour or more chanting this single verse, drawing down the energy of peace and sharing it with the world through our voices. There were a few moments of this captured in the documentary "We The People," but it's hard to fully appreciate without having been there.
If you would like more information on this demonstration, these pictures, or the peace movement, please contact me and I'll be happy to help. Until then, peace, salaam, shalom...
