Counter - Inaugural

The day started early, and five of us piled into a cab to head over to Malcolm X park (called Meridian Hill Park on the maps) for the Counter - Inaugural rally. Caroline, Elizabeth, Linda, Carol and me (Susan) all went together to this rally and parade. The interesting thing was that each of us came to DC to protest from various places in the US, but we all came separately. We were all staying (or for one person, working) at the Wm. Penn House, a Quaker hostel in DC.

Elizabeth came from Santa Fe, NM and she said she was marching so that she could tell her grandkids that she stood against the Bush administration. Linda, from Bloomington, came to protest the war and the cuts in social services and the damage being done to the environment. She said all we get is war and more war. Caroline is from Little Switzerland, in NC. She was in the parade because she felt that she should act on her conscience, and object to today's (events) even if it was just a symbolic gesture. Carol, from Silver City, NM. She came to the parade/rally because she wanted to do something about all the injustices in the world today. I came to protest the war, which I feel is immoral, illegal and oh-so-breathtakingly stupid.

Some of the signs said "arms are for hugging" and "Newsflash Mr. Bush: we are not all Christians" and "No pride in war, genocide and torture" and "We the people want to live in a world where all life is respected" and "Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be maintained by understanding- Albert Einstein." My sign said "War is Not the Answer". Other signs said "as long as we see enemies, we will be seen as enemies" and "Not my president" and "Greed + Ego + Fear = War" and "Draft Jenna and Barbara" and "Looking for a Leader I can trust" and "Guilty of war crimes". One of the slogans chanted was "troops out - NOW!"

This rally was disappointingly small, but it had a few good speakers... like Granny D. They also had some folks selling of buttons, shirts, and passing out literature. I had received word (via email) of "Protest Warriors" who were really Bush supporters who were going to disrupt the rally and parade, but we could not identify anyone who was doing that.

The biggest problem we faced in the parade was cigarette smoke - which drove us crazy.

The parade got started about 10:30, and the sun came out and things warmed up some. As we walked away from the park, the parade grew and grew. There were thousands in the streets, all carrying signs and chanting. It was great. Linda and I stopped at a hotel to use the restrooms, and we picked one with cops every three feet in front of this hotel. They made us leave our signs at the doors. The cops were from Maryland, and I asked one of them how come they ended up there, and the cop said they got lost. I told them they should have asked for directions! Men never ask for directions!

The parade formally ended at Meridian Park, which is fairly close to the National City Christian Church where the exhibit Eyes Wide Open was being shown. There were people hanging around, and some of the local side streets were blocked to cars by buses parked sideways. Some of the protestors went on to the inaugural route to protest some more, and some went on to a die-in. Linda and I went to eat lunch, since we were cold and worn out. All in all, I felt pretty good about being there, but I didn't want to even see Mr. Bush or tangle with police.

I am hoping brainshrub sends me an email of his experiences during the counter inaugural, which were very different than mine.