PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Freedom Plaza Site of Massive Arrests of Pittsburghers in Washington, DC
by Quinten Saturday, Sep. 28, 2002 at 8:10 PM
quinten@andrew.cmu.edu IMC Convergence Center, DC

Protests, marches, and non-violent demonstrations agains the policies of the IMF and World Bank Friday morning end in massive arrests of protesters, media, legal observers, and bystanders alike in Freedom Plaza and Pershing Park. All 80 protestors from the Pittsburgh affinity group detained on unclear charges; most released on a no-contest agreement that required them to pay between $50-$100 USD apiece.

About 80 Pittsburghers came to Washington on Friday expecting a disagreement with the police over both their goals and their tactics as they joined the Anti-Capitalist Convergence's call for a "People's Strike" against the policies of the IMF and World Bank. They came prepared for a non-violent confrontation of ideas; prepared for the possibility of violent police reaction with chemical weapons or billy clubs; prepared for arrest. Prepared, but expecting a day of affirmation of the first amendment guarantees of speech, assembly, and petition. Instead, they faced an overwhelming police presence that intimidated and limited the exercise of these Constitutional guarantees and massive arrests. All 80 members of the Pittsburgh affinity group who participated in the day's non-violent direct action and marches were eventually arrested by police in Freedom Plaza and Pershing Park.

The day for Pittsburgh began at 7:00 AM in an action to disrupt traffic in one of the larger arteries of the District of Columbia. Stringing in a single line across the seven lane highway, the activists attempted to make use of traffic cones in the area, a roll of police tape, and their own bodies to slow down traffic as much as possible. The group from Pittsburgh made the decision to let through the line a public transit bus and a woman and her son, headed to a local school, but let through no other vehicles for about 15 minutes, at which time police arrived in force and forced the group to disperse.

Thus began a march through the streets of Washington that spanned much of the Federal district and lasted for approximately two hours. Although police attempted to keep pace with the marchers with officers on bicycles and motorcycles, the march advanced at a strong pace and the demonstrators were quick to change direction to keep the police force decentralized and to prevent arrest. The march started in two lanes of the seven lane highway and remained in the street for several blocks, then moving on and off the sidewalk as the street's layout and police presence dictated. Protestors sang songs and shouted slogans like "Human Need Not Corporate Greed," "Hey Hey, Ho Ho, the IMF has Got to Go," and "Who's Streets? Our Streets!" They also showed a sense of irony as they were flanked by the police, shouting "Who's Cops? Our Cops!" and "The Police are Blocking Traffic!" Throughout the march, protestors made it clear that their disagreement was not with the citizens of DC, greeting the people heading to work as they crossed intersections and passed curious onlookers, mostly employees of the buildings that they passed, with a simple "good morning," and often got the same in reply.

At a one point during the march, the group of 80 protestors was divided. The front of the group continued marching on as the police attempted to encircle the protestors left behind. The use of two-way radios and cell phones allowed the two groups to communicate their locations, and they headed together, leaving behind police officers who tried their best to follow through the increasingly crowded streets. Activists from other affinity groups joined Pittsburgh and headed to Freedom Plaza, the site of a planned and permitted drum circle and anti-war rally.

Thus began a story that became extremely visible in the local and national media; the so-called standoff at Freedom Plaza and Pershing Park. As activists moved to the center of the park to join in a drum circle, police encircled the parks. Police in riot gear, on bicycles, and mounted on horses stopped the exit of protestors, members of the media, legal observers from the National Legal Guild and Justice and Solidarity, and even bystanders who were in the park for other reasons. As the drumming circle ran down, a group of bicyclers in the so-called "Critical Mass" bike ride against the war on Iraq were also herded into the park as protestors who moved from the drumming circle tried to march with them. Eventually, the park was completely surrounded and no entry or exit was possible.

The crowd chanted "We want to leave peacefully," but did not find a response. As the standoff entered the second hour, every move by the protestors resulted in a further closing of the circle and the arrival of more officers of the law. At one point, a press was attempted at the officers mounted on horses to break the line, but this was unsuccessful. The officers used billy clubs to enforce an order to constrict the crowd even further, up off of the sidewalks and onto the steep grass hill. Eventually, the protestors stood shoulder to shoulder surrounded by a mob of police in riot gear. Chants to "leave peacefully" were raised once more and joined by calls to learn "what are the charges," and "we want our attorney," both met with silence. Police began offering "voluntary" arrests for the people now cramped into the corner of the park, an offer that most of the crowd slowly took up. In one dramatic moment, a young man who volunteered for arrest shouted at officers to leave his sister alone as she struggled to remain in the crowd. She was pushed forcibly and the young man beaten back with a billy club, falling down the cement stairs.

All of the protestors in the park were arrested, with reports of accidental bystanders being arrested as well. The question of the protestors that day, "what are the charges?" remained unclear for the protestors as they were hand-cuffed and herded onto commandeered Metro Buses and driven to a temporary processing facility set up at the Metropolitan Police Authority's Police Academy at Blue Plains where they remained for hours, many for more than 26 hours, unprocessed. The temporary goal of the City to halt the interruption to business as usual met, concerns over legality and protection of rights were pushed aside. The words of one officer made it clear: "Now you won't want to come back next year." Only time will tell, but the mood of the protestors remained defiant as protests continue this weekend.

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