I liked the energy of today's rally, and the diversity of people and political stances. I and the older people with me also appreciated the "Buffalo Springfield" cover. Only one thing, we had to leave before the march even started, because we had parked at Union Station for the maximum of three hours, and our time was running out. It was already two hours, and we hadn't even started walking! So we left. We really did want to march, but it just seemed like it would never start, and we didn't want to risk getting towed.

Somebody suggested to me that maybe the speeches were front-loaded this time because people have a habit of drifting away after the march arrives at its destination, so that many people don't hear the speeches. Uh, yeah, that's right. Maybe the solution is fewer speeches, not delaying the march. I personally don't agree with that type of planning decision, because you have to consider that people don't want to stand still in the !@#$%& RAIN for OVER AN HOUR. Also, older people may find it easier to walk than to stand in one place for a long time. When it's dripping rain, and people are chanting in the crowd, "Start the March!" -- START THE DAMN MARCH ALREADY.

I hope my criticism is taken as constructive, not as destructive. I know it's hard to plan and carry out these things, but constant feedback, evaluation and self-criticism are an essential part of the planning process.

If anyone wonders why some activists are fed-up with the ANSWER/IAC style and"leadership" of the local anti-war movement, one needed only to be at today's event.
1. A one hour rally before the march drained the spirit and energy of the march. 2. There was no attempt to communicate to marchers that they would be required stand in the rain for an hour listening to endless speakers before they could march. 3. Unless you were at the front, you couldn't hear the damn speeches anyway. 4. The dynamic created was the crowd being treated like sheep, while they were being endlessly pontificated to by the "wise leadership." ANSWER can thank their lucky stars that the anarchists and others didn't try to do a breakaway march with the situation that the organizers created. And anyone who thinks blunt criticism like this only aids the right-wing has not learned from history that honest criticism within a Movement only helps the Movement to change and grow.

The people posting this presume that a march is somehow a better activity than listening to speakers. What, does that mean that we already know all that there is to know? Then how come so many people attend these things and then just go home without doing anything else?

I would compliment ANSWER for attempting to raise the level of awareness of those who just treat these things as some kind of giant block party.

ANSWER is not the answer. ANSWER takes the anger and energy out of protests.
No more parades, No more speeches.
Taking out a permit to march around with signs and banners is not going to change anything. Why no media coverage? Because there is nothing news worthy about it any more. It’s boring.
It's time for direct action.
We need 2000+ people to engage in massive CD every day and night to stop this thing.

If those same 2000 were to surround and occupy a recruitment center or some defense contractor HQ now that would be something. The mainstream media could not ignore that. A sustained campaign of non-violent direct action on a large scale works. Gandhi and King proved that it does. This is what we need to do. And we need to start now!

I just received an email from answer LA and they are boasting 20,000 attended the march this weekend. Are they kidding?? This is probably the first time I am more inclined to agreeing with the police estimate (2,000-3,000). Look at the pics on this website for Christ's sake... turnout (and the same, tired rhetoric from the speakers) was pathetic.

I spoke with other attendees who, like myself, were once again disappointed at the low-turnout. So, when I read fabricated numbers like the ones answer is dishing out, it makes me feel ashamed as well. What benefit does this movement get with such exaggerations?

I am definately tired of answer's weak stance. I've seen them time and time again bow down and steer away from the very minimum of what could be considered a 'next step' in standing up for what we believe in. When we should have been united in taking chances and making lasting impressions, they were on the bullhorns telling us not to. I'm tired of it.

Now, I'm not normally this pessimistic but, if hundreds of thousands (in some cases millions) of people the world over, speaking out against this war in one day didn't make Bush flinch, a cordoned off, permitted march/rally of a few thousand isn't really going to make an impact either. We weren't able to stop the war before it started. Two years into it, we still not stopping it. And, at this rate, I'm afraid we won't... as long as we leave everything up to answer.

Still, I'd like to say a huge thanks to everyone who protested... thanks for coming out. I just think we need to step it up a few in the near future.

What if this is all so screwed up because ANSWER is really headed by Chimpy McHitler and Karl Rove? We're playing right into their hands, brothers and sisters!
Gotta go, time for "Dharma and Greg" with that luscious Mimi Kennedy.

I'm sure they are getting some sort of kick-back for weaning the fire out of each and every "rally". A.N.S.W.E.R. has turned out to be, time and time again, to be the wrong organization to be heading "protests". They should become parade organizers. They allow protestors to be corralled by the pigs. Sh*t, they work WITH the pigs! How can you be a dissenter when you're working with the very people that you're supposed to be against? A.N.S.W.E.R. IS FALSE.

Let me remind folks that ANSWER was created from a coalition of organizations. Many that did come together from the Battle in Seattle. The Arabs, Koreans, Mexicans, Filipinos, and other progressive groups. They have maintained a strong relationship that continues to discuss and resolve issues and questions regarding the movement's direction. As the United for Peace and Justice jumped from a "Support our Troops" line to directly supporting the Democratic Party. ANSWER continued to draw an Anti-Imperialist line. ANSWER is not owned by anyone group and it's very disrespectful to the organizations that make up the coalition to accuse them of being some power hungry egomaniacs. These organizations meet and go right back into their communities with their own campaigns and programs that strive to draw the lines between all their struggles. No ANSWER does not belong to IAC or any one group. You are all more then welcome to come to the work meetings that ANSWER has to help this movement be more effective. Every one is. It's every Tuesday at 7pm at the Hollywood and Argyle office. The war will not end with one rally. But it is a way to measure how far have we gone in developing a comprehensive movement for social change. The youth have taken more and more of a roll in supporting the ANSWER Coalition. They are learning how to establish organizations and mobilizations in their schools. While ANSWER has always done what it can to support them logistically and politically. So let's look at track records and we'll see that the orgs that make up ANSWER have been in this movement for quite some time and together it's that much more effective. Your right, the movement was there challenging the WTO and now they're challenging the U.S. Imperialist Empire together through the International Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition.

As far as getting the permits to hold this event, ANSWER has consistently utilized the legal aid of the Lawyer Guild to fight against the fascist forces that try it's best to keep the people from participating in this mobilizations. As the cops trid to snatch the Anarchists flag polls ANSWER backed their play and got that back from the pigs. Young Brothers and Sisters have some faith that the people aren't stupid. Particularly those that have been consistent with the Anti-Imperialist movement that make up ANSWER. As haters want to come on and accuse ANSWER of being "incohots" with the fascists, I challenge them to lay down a concrete game plan for implementing change.

By Every Means Necesary

Woah,

Our friend "The Youth" (speaking remarkably like an old political rhetoritian) really has added nothing to this debate, though I think poking Answer is not quite a good response either.

We need ot get serious about decentered events with a flowering of neighborhood flyering about the war. ANSWER is not the group for the hour. I wish that we could just get it together in other ways and organize actions. The old DAN from the post-Seatle/ DNC in 2000, and Arts In Action Convergence space are sorely missed. Additionally, the Neighborhood Vigil groups seem(ed) to be on the right track.

To me, this march proved that ANSWER lacks sensitivity to its crowd- only that the event was billed as a march, not a stand around and listen. The rowdy groups actually started yelling "Start the march."

In itself, this is not evil, its just dumb.

But for me, and perhaps others who have been saying this for a while, Marches do not work in LA. San Francisco, New York, sure... but here?

Oh, yeah, FYI, Answer in LA really didn't have much to do with organizing in the immediate post-seatle period. They were nowhere during the DNC. I really don't have a huge bone to pick with them, its just that we shouldn't rewrite history.

Don't waste time critiquing ANSWER, let them do their thing and lets build up something that meets this moment instead.

So I'm an old guy??

Home Boy we've been grinding it since 187, 209, every year with October 22nd, The DNC... THE WHOLE WEEK, The Battle in Seattle, and what has been cracking since 9/11. Maybe if you actually organized and developed your community and mass base then you would have a strong base of youth that would step it up and represent. I know the Koreans have always been a part of this drumming with the people, so have the Chicanos and their Aztecan dancers, the Filipinos and their chants, the Palestinians and the other muslim brothers and sisters. Hell you got teachers organizing and youth taking action in every way they can. No these marches aren't the ends but if you've recognized that the Radical Teen Cheer Leadres have been consistently coming to mobilizations WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU??? It means in their own circle they have been organizing and raising the counsiusness of their collectives. So yes folks have been coming out and supporting large mobilizations while taking on their own local tasks and issues.If you think for a second that none of the orgs that make up ANSWER have been doing shit I ask you WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN??? How about you type up your annalysis of what the youth are dealing with in Long Beach??? As the youth are dealing with a countinuos race war, with nearly 1-2 youth dieing Each WEEK? Just recently a kid got shot in the face right next to LBPD Westside Division. You connecting that to the perpetual occupation of working class communities of color?

You know what this movement needs? Is cats that love to say they've been here and there and how the current Anti-War Movement ain't cutting it for them step the fuck up. No history is being rewritten here homie. Just consistent accounts to what has been happening for the past 10 years. I have been in this grind since junior high and there's cats that I've seen grow up in this struggle. Maybe your one of them hipster cats that are slowly taking over our neighborhoods? Talk BIG about change but go right out and buy up property in Echo Park and evict immigrants so you can raise rent and lease it for double to your hipster "Coffee Shop Revolutionaries".

I was trying to make comments on a more respectful reader friendly manner. But fuck it. You want the truth. Here's a taste.

Serve the People

SATURDAY APRIL 10, 2005 10am
EAST LOS ANGELES
ANNUAL ZAPATA MARCH

"Tiera y Libertad"

Just the next next step in this movement!!!

So I'm an old guy??

Home Boy we've been grinding it since 187, 209, every year with October 22nd, The DNC... THE WHOLE WEEK, The Battle in Seattle, and what has been cracking since 9/11. Maybe if you actually organized and developed your community and mass base then you would have a strong base of youth that would step it up and represent. I know the Koreans have always been a part of this drumming with the people, so have the Chicanos and their Aztecan dancers, the Filipinos and their chants, the Palestinians and the other Muslim brothers and sisters. Hell you got teachers organizing and youth taking action in every way they can. No these marches aren't the ends but if you've recognized that the Radical Teen Cheer Leaders have been consistently coming to mobilizations WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU??? It means in their own circle they have been organizing and raising the consciousness of their collectives. You may smirk at them, but they take all the information that they network with during the mobilizations and bring it back to Franklin High. So yes folks have been coming out and supporting large mobilizations while taking on their own local tasks and issues. If you think for a second that none of the orgs that make up ANSWER have been doing shit I ask you WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN???

How about you type up your analysis of what the youth are dealing with in Long Beach??? As the youth are dealing with a continuous race war for the past 12 years, with nearly 1-2 youth dieing Each WEEK. Just recently a kid got shot in the face right next to LBPD Westside Division and they haven’t done shit (except crack more young skulls). You connecting that to the perpetual occupation of working class communities of color?

You know what this movement needs? Are cats that love to say they've been here and there and how the current Anti-War Movement ain't cutting it for them step the fuck up. No history is being rewritten here homie. Just consistent accounts to what has been happening for the past 10 years. I have been in this grind since junior high and there's cats that I've seen grow up in this struggle. Maybe your one of them hipster cats that is slowly taking over our neighborhoods? Talk BIG about change but go right out and buy up property in Echo Park and evict immigrants so you can raise rent and lease it for double to your hipster "Coffee Shop Revolutionaries".

I was trying to make comments on a more respectful reader friendly manner. But fuck it. You want the truth. Here's a taste.

Serve the People

SATURDAY APRIL 10, 2005 10am
EAST LOS ANGELES
ANNUAL ZAPATA MARCH

"Tiera y Libertad"

Just the next next step in this movement!!!

una lucha.

I am organizing and have been around.
I am not talking about you, Im talking about ANSWER.
Don't confuse the two, and other activists shouldn't be either.

We need a lot of organizations. A light machine that moves.

Just to name a few of these orgs that have been holding it down.

IFCO/Pastors for Peace
Free Palestine Alliance - U.S.
Haiti Support Network
Partnership for Civil Justice - LDEF
Nicaragua Network
Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines
Korea Truth Commission
Muslim Student Association - National
Kensington Welfare Rights Union
Mexico Solidarity Network
Middle East Children's Alliance

That's just the National Steering Committee.

How about all the orgs that have been running with ANSWER locally?

NION and their mass base run with ANSWER at mass mobilizations.

What I'm trying to say primo is we've ran with these cats. Supporting each other’s events and been able to link and raise it on that Anti-Imperialist tip.

Brother I was out of line throwing my response directly at you, but to read this forum give my 2 cents and then get accused of being some poser sparked the frustration that I was feeling from reading this forum and many like it. One group that I can personally vouch for that I've seen step it up and hook up with our youth has been those Filipinos. They sit on the ANSWER local and they have brought up what many folks discuss here on regarding tactics. What I have seen, many times is right after large rallies what do they do for their compadres? Bring that shit right back to their neighborhood. I'm Salvadorean and I grew up in Echo Park I've ran with them. I know and seen the time they put in and they also make up ANSWER. So as folks call them pigs or power hungry I got to say something. You feel me. I'm Salvatrucha but on April 10, 2005 I'm marching with RAZA in EAST LOS as I know so will they and other cats in ANSWER.

All Power to the People

OK,

So "The Youth", sorry for the out of line comment on your name (but speaking for an entire age-group really gets me bad).

Look, again, ANSWER does what it does well enough. But seriously, holding marches and having them as the ends to the means doesn't do much. Yes, they are a good time and that has to be counted... but ....

All I'm saying is that instead of responding in a binary "Answer Sucks/ Answer Rocks" we need to see what the tool does and where its limmitations are.

DAN and the DNC had some success in organizing spectacular protests based in neighborhoods, organizing in the neighborhoods and linking it to a global agenda. And yes, the local community struggles do do that to, and more the power to that.

But an event like a march with all the KPFK press, the postering... someones have to keep an eye on that prize and say "we can do it different, and better." Its like attending your bosses birthday party at the office, you can have a good time and it might be a meaningfull relationship but it can only go so far and the boss is always the center of attention.

Better meaning more interaction with people, more conversations in a focused media blitz. Better meaning revealing the work of organizing while the organizing is being done. Meaning de-mystififying activism and struggle so that its not some strange mob wondering down the street but it is talking to you face to face and getting you hooked up and into in a way that both goes with your lived life and challenges you to change it.

Movements are not made with a march.

Again, sorry about the name- that's my bad.
But again, ANSWER itself (not the people who may have constituted it) were not around after Seattle.
The tool called ANSWER filled a void of anger and a need to collectively act after that whole 911 mess.

Create tools that do the job. Keep all the tools on the shelf.

See what I'm saying with basterds like this bro???

Internet banging is easy.

Talking their shit over this is safe.

Putting your kneck out there grinding in the neighborhood isn't. It's hard painstaking work. So your right ANSWER wasn't immediatly there after Seattle but it's what has emerged from the struggles for the past 4 years. I do agree with you, we gotta turn it up a notch.