WPI students join in protests:"Justice" in DC

"Move on with your life."

"There are better things to do with you time."

"We won. It's over. Get used to it."

"Do you really think you can make a difference?"

"Why?"

The ridicules and questions have been relentless.

Last weekend, four members of the newly formed WPI organization named Justice drove to Washington, D.C. to protest against the inauguration of George W. Bush. That is only a tiny part of the big picture.

The reasons for demonstrating were as varied as the protesters themselves. The spectrum of political beliefs extended far beyond the bounds of Democrat and Republican. Many of the progressive groups involved would have protested even if Al Gore had been selected instead of Bush. The crowds chanted messages in support of racial minority groups including the Black Panthers, the National Organization for Women and other women's rights groups, environmentalists, gay and lesbian groups, anti-globalization groups, church groups, election reform groups, labor groups, as well as political organizations such as Greens, Anarchists, and Socialists.

Although the demonstrations were covered on the mainstream news, important details were often omitted. People should know is that the protests weren't just about making known our disgust with the electoral process that selected Bush as president. They were part of a larger movement that first became visible on the November 30, 1999 with the WTO protests in Seattle.

That isn't to say that the protesters supported Bush. The issues that demonstrators had with Bush began before he even entered office. Under his governorship, Texas executed more prisoners than any country in the world (other than the United States), including China and Iraq, including a very disproportionately high number of poor and minorities. His campaign was run with millions of dollars in corporate "donations." Texas leads the nation in air and toxic pollution, and in the four years George W. Bush was governor, the number of smog alert days increased dramatically. Also, once he was selected to be President, his claims of being "a uniter, not a divider" were thrown out the window. His cabinet selections are diverse in race, but homogeneously conservative in ideology.

Despite these issues, the feeling was one of being united for the various causes, rather than being united against Bush, at the rally in Dupont Circle Saturday morning. Speakers at the rally included Doris "Granny D" Haddock who, at 90 years old, walked across the country for campaign finance reform.

Towards the end of the rally, people began to move towards the parade route. The march was amazing. The atmosphere was loud and peaceful. Being in a march, surrounded by such a diverse group of people all united together is an powerful feeling. It's very hard to convey the feeling to people who have never experienced it. There's a strong sense of hope and power over your destiny. As you walk, groups of people ebb and flow past you. Sights and sounds flow into each other.

All around the parade route, the police had checkpoints setup. These checkpoints served two major purposes. The first was to limit the flow of people entering the parade area. The second was to confiscate any "weapons" people may have had, including such things as cardboard tubes, puppets, and gas masks. They were especially persistent in taking cardboard tubes from signs in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a black activist and journalist on death row.

People who wanted to watch the actual inauguration needed tickets. Seats closer to the actual event were generally reserved for VIPs and people who had made large donations. Free tickets for were available for lesser seats. Inside this area, nobody was allowed to have any buttons, stickers, or signs of any kind. There's a full-page color picture of this crowd in the January 21st edition of the New York Times that makes it seem as though no protesters were present at the inauguration.

Overall, the government, the police, and the media did a very good job of containing the message of the tens of thousands of protesters. Despite this, I hope that, even if you don't agree with everything we have to say, you can at least understand why we demonstrated.