Protesters advocate justice, not war
Brian Polk
Staff Writer
Photos by Bill Ross
10/3/01
Opposed to possible violent U.S. retaliation to the Sept. 11 attacks, 1,000 peaceful demonstrators gathered at City Park Saturday morning for a march to the Denver City and County Building. The rally was organized by the Colorado Campaign for Middle-East Peace(CCMEP), which has recently decried what it sees as a pro-war news media.
The
morning began with speeches from members of the CCMEP, who called for a peaceful
solution to the escalating situation. A speaker for the coalition said, “We’re
out here again to say war is not the answer. ... We’re going to stop (it) before
it starts.”
The large turnout of attending the rally left many questioning recent polls that show a 90 percent approval rating of President Bush’s call for war.
George Tinker, a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who also spoke at the gathering, said, “I’m incredibly heartened to look around and see the crowd that is with us here this morning. When Bush’s approval ratings are reaching 90 percent, it makes me feel wonderful to see all of you here. Evidently all of us are here, if the polls are correct.”
The non-violent minority marched together to the Denver City and County Building, voicing its opinion by carrying signs promoting peace and chanting slogans such as “You can’t fight hate with hate” and “War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing.”
The march remained peaceful until police officers targeted a group wearing black clothing and facemasks, stating that police have the responsibility to stop anyone who conceals his or her identity or acts in a manner contrary to the rest of the group. When certain individuals refused to stop marching, they were taken into custody for resisting arrest.
Many
activists condemned the actions of the police.
“This was an unprovoked attack,” said a woman who identified herself as Emma Goldman. “They just started pushing us. Then they were ordered to arrest people simply because they were wearing masks.”
Altogether, 11 people were imprisoned, with 10 arrested during the march, and the last person detained as he walked toward the jail carrying $1,000 that had been raised at the rally to bail out the previous 10 people arrested.
The police say they arrested the man with the money because he was holding a drumstick. Out of many demonstrators drumming Saturday, he was the only one arrested.
The gathering was celebrated with music and spoken word performances. Most speakers remained jubilant at the number of people who came to support peace and justice. But they also expressed concern about the long and difficult task that the non-
violent movement may encounter in the future.
“God
bless America,” said Dr. Vincent Harding, a professor at the Iliff School of
Theology who also participated in the desegregation movement of the 1960s. “God
bless America with compassion, with courage, with hope, and especially, my young
Americans, God bless America with great persistence, because even though we have
come a long way, we’ve still got a long way to go. And I need you to go with me
and you need me to go with you. ... Let’s go together.”
After the speeches, the marchers went together to the jail to protest the previous arrests.