Caller on Ed Shultz from Portland describes the protest in her area

[LittleClarkie]

She said she was disappointed because many of them were shouting "Fuck the police!" and when the media came to film the event, shouted "Fuck the corporate media!" and being generally unruly.

When she asked several of them if they'd voted, they sneered and said that they wouldn't vote in that corporate election.

She said there were about three different groups: this one that seemed to be made up of several punk type folks, the middle-aged Operation Pink ladies, and some other group.

She felt that this weakened the protest, especially the attitude toward the cops who hadn't done anything untoward at that point but their job in crowd control.

She felt that this weakened the protest and dilluted the message, if I understood her p.o.v.

Ed agreed with her position that this sort of behavior wasn't acceptable.

Opinions? Do you ever wish we were more unified in our message at some of these protests?

[proud patriot]

1. That's very common here in the Bay Area too

:shrug:

[Kerrytravelers]

2. In Los Angeles, the ANSWER protest was peaceful and

to the point, none of that going on. Everyone was respectful tothe police. No arrests, no problems and no counter protests either!!!!

[Ken Burch]

3. I was in the labor feeder march to the Portland Protest

We marched from the Wobbly Hall on East Burnside(there is a surprisingly young and active IWW chapter in Portland)and our wing of the march was peaceful and spirited, with a percussion group keeping march rhythms.

The unruliness started late in the march, when we arrived at Terry Schrunk Park. One young protester(who was either a complete idiot or a plant)burned a flag. That image was the one shot that most of the NW press had of the event.

There should have been something more organized and positive at the end of the march, in order to hold things together and prevent rowdiness.

[LittleClarkie]

6. I forgot about that

That was something else the caller mentioned. She was just disappointed by how things turned out. I don't think I blame her.

I like your suggestion of being more organized. You don't want to stilt the spontaneity, but I do think a touch more structure might have helped, it sounds like. Hopefully the organizers will live and learn.

[femme.democratique]

4. Realize that there are a LOT of pissed off people out there

and not all of them are that sensitive and thoughtful about the execution of the protest. not that I condone it, but I think reflects the seriousness of the situation. unless these fuckers are just Rovians doing it just to provoke...jerks.

regarding the fractured groups, only thing i can say is about that is these are all groups that have a pretty focused self-defined identity, an identity that they don't want to change. they don't want to mix and dilute their message in to the crowd.

[LittleClarkie]

5. That shrug smilie always looks so angry.

I always wonder if the person using it is angry too.

Do you think it matters much who shows up to protest. I know there is little or no control over such things, but these folks sound similar to the anarchists who beat the living crap out that cop during the RNC.

(And I didn't appreciate the media refering to them as "Kerry supporters" because they weren't supporters of anything but anarchy, but then that's the media for ya. Whatchagonna do.)

It bugs me that such things as this add fuel to the fire, and make us look looneytunes to even average Americans who otherwise are sympathetic. I just can't picture the dad I know from Sunday School who calls Bush "Hitler" getting up and shouting "Fuck Bush" "Fuck the cops" "Fuck the corporate media!"

I suppose you can't pick your advocates sometimes. But I don't think behavior like this, (or nekkid PETA people, for that matter) help the Stop Bush opposition. Stopping Bush is too important for the message to be dilluted by people who go after Jimmy Carter for fishing and by people who are against most everything organized.

I'm frustrated. People have the right to do what they want. But I would join with this caller in being disappointed.

If protests are going to be this weird, then how can we get our message across without using the protest as a tactic?

[OffWithTheirHeads]

7. Please be aware that during the Viet Nam war protests

There were multitudes of "agents provocateur" It can, and does happen here. Most of us are sincere but it only takes a few freepers to cast aspersions on us all.