Month: September 2002

So I get off my bus to find a ton of cops standing in formation in McPhereson Square and a protest going on at Vermont/15th and K Streets (I think it was the “Put The Squeeze On Capitalist Greed March” that started in Franklin Square at 14th and I streets around 7:30am). I went into the CVS and bought a couple of disposable cameras. By the time I got back outside, the police had moved in (a broken window at the CitiBank where the protesters stood was probably the reason).

I started taking pictures as the police broke up the protest. Someone set off a smoke bomb or a stink bomb of some sor (I eventually heard it was tear gas). The group of journalists and onlookers that crowded the police started to back away. Someone said something about pepper spray. Either way, the police quickly worked to break up whatever protest was going on.

People were backed up across the street into McPhereson Square while the police cleared out the protesters. They were put in plastic cuffs and then led onto two Metro busses and then taken somewhere.

A crowd stuck around to watch, protesters mixed in with journalists and bystanders. Now, here’s something I don’t get. The protesters off to the side, still protesting, holding their signs, hiding their faces, playing “Fight The Power” on their tape deck, if you’re so adamant about your cause and what you’re trying to push here, why aren’t you with those other guys getting arrested? Where were you when the cops came in? Running? Hiding? Or did you just arrive? I got more respect for the folks who are willing to stand their ground and get arrested than for the people who run away or come in afterwards to continue their protest. If you’re not willing to go down for what you believe in, how much do you believe in it?

Oh well. PICTURES!!!

There are 15 pictures, please give them time to load…
(NOTE: The following pictures are the property of Jason Kenney and their use without permission is prohibited. If you want to use one of these pictures for anything, just ask, I’ll probably say yes.)

As I approached	Another view	A closer look
Something’s happening	Tear gas!!!!	Everyone cleared out
The police kinda dug the extra room	So they started pushing everyone back	A few more quick shots
Nothing over there	The crowd I’d be joining shortly	One last close look
Everyone, on the bus!	The bus leaves, full of protesters	The police keep everyone back (probably my best shot)
People looking on	The corner’s now empty	And the police line up to go bust some more heads

These pictures were taken with two disposable CVS Photostar Flash Cameras with 400 speed film and developed by Ritz Camera One Hour Photo.

So this Friday the International Monetary Fund is coming to DC and with it the protestors. All of these anti-capitalist groups (they call themselves that) have said their goal will be to shut the city down, blocking streets, bridges, Metro stations and then some. And then they say how they’re not out to hurt anyone.

Bull.

Hey, guess what? If people can’t get to work, they can’t get paid, and if they can’t get paid, who’s going to pay their bills, put food in their stomaches, a roof over their head? You? Many people don’t come to work in DC for their health, they come because the pay is better here and they NEED that money to get by. You’re really messing with people’s budgets when you prohibit them from going to work.

What a wonderful way to get your message across.

Hey, you ever think about the fact that capitalism, the great evil you are protesting against, is the reason you are even able to organize and protest? Really.

Capitalism is the natrual byproduct of a free society. A society that allows freedom of speech, freedom or expression, freedom to buy and sell land and goods, that society natually leads to capitalism, an economic system that thrives when the government stays out of it. Capitalism occurs because the government allows these freedoms. When the government starts to step into this economic system and make drastic changes or even a move to get rid of it, you begin to see a loss of freedoms.

Sure, the government should and needs to do more about working conditions, wages, inflation and the like, but that needs to occur as a simple regulation of the capitalist system we have.

And, really, what is the alternative to capitalism? None of you guys are giving any options, you’re just jumping up and down and screaming about how evil it is. What would you prefer, communism? Barter system? Total government control in production and distribution of goods?

Christ, you need a message and a goal before you set to blocking off streets and disrupting the financial stability of untold thousands.

Besides, isn’t the IMF getting together to discuss sending money to poor countries? Aw, man, that SUCKS! Let’s protest that, shall we?

Grow up guys or you’ll never be seen as anything more than a neusance.