M19 1600:

Report that New York IMC is also having 'difficulties.'

Demonstration at the Federal Building has quieted down, but if the war starts at 5, there will be another one.

M19 1550:

Woman in wheelchair is being taken away Press seem to be documenting it Helicopters from channels 9, 2 & 7 have been sighted...My source says the crowd seems to be relaxing... About fifteen policemen are walking down the middle of Wilshire diagonally... both sides of Wilshire are lining Wilshire mostly on South Side with barrier tape up... rows of police on both sides... "What do we want? Peace! When do we want it? Now!"

All protestors are out of the street, up onto sidewalks Woman in wheelchair is near paddywagon Paddywagon may not have wheelchair access...Policemen are taking a statement from woman protestor in wheelchair... A lot of reporters and tv crews in the street...

M19 1545:

There's one woman protestor in a wheelchair, and one woman in a walker sitting cross-legged in front of the paddywagon...sitting calmly... Taking one protestor who is skipping to the paddywagon...crowd cheers...

Police are carrying the woman in the walker away... There are about five seated protestors left. Woman in wheelchair and a man are seated but apart from this group... A police officer on the North Side of the street with a tear gas cannister...

Taking more seated protestors...crowd chants "Pray for Peace" Traffic is being diverted off Wilshire onto Westwood... A number of those arrested seemed to be teenagers or in their twenties... Earlier there had been a lot of high school students.... Motorcycle policemen are moving... Police are talking to the woman in the wheelchair... There are video cameramen filming the discussion... the cameras aren't marked...

M19 1535:

March was stopped at Federal and crowd turned back and got caught between Gayley and Federal... Protestors are saying they will gather at the Federal Building after the arrests... One source says some of the police look like their hearts are not in this...

Maybe three hundred on South side of Wilshire and maybe two hundred by paddywagon on North Side of Wilshire... Protestors have blocked South Side and Police have blocked Federal...(I have reports from two sources coming in)...

M19 1525:

Protestors are being arrested on Wilshire East of the Federal Building Wed Mar 19 15:20:46 2003 Police have been methodically arresting a group of about thirty protestors seated in the street... They're putting the arrested protestors into a new LAPD bus...People are being pushed up onto the curb...

Trying to get people away from the arrest site to go to another intersection which he said would be bigger... There was reportedly violence earlier... Police grabbed a sign out of protestor's hand and threw it to the ground... Police grabbed a world flag from a protestor and threw it onto the street... Most protestors (about a hundred) moved onto the sidewalk and about a hundred seem about to be arrested... Reports of kids being kicked...unconfirmed...

M19 1515:

Police Chief Bratton is there in uniform (nm) [I didn't see him but did see a 3-star brass later on] — Every arrest is videotaped by police, Wed Mar 19 15:15

One protestor would not stand, made them carry her (nm) — Crowd cheers...Wed Mar 19 15:18



M19 1510:

Just took one guy away...crowd is cheering — Rings of police with billyclubs around protestors, Wed Mar 19 15:10

Police are documenting the arrests with videocameras (nm) — Crowd yells at a cop to put down his gun..., Wed Mar 19 15:12



M19 1507:

Rally on Wilshire, just East of the Federal Building (nm) — Right now! Come down if you can! Demand Peace Now!, Wed Mar 19 14:34

Police are asking protestors to (nm) — move onto sidewalk, Wed Mar 19 14:46

Police are pushing people up onto (nm) — the sidewalk, Wed Mar 19 15:04

First arrest... (nm) — on stomach cuffing him, Wed Mar 19 15:05

Pushed a photographer aside who was (nm) — photographing the arrest..., Wed Mar 19 15:06

A group of about thirty sitting on the ground (nm) — surrounded by police with billy clubs, Wed Mar 19 15:07



M19 1500:

Wilshire Boulevard is closed from Westwood to Barrington. Massive civil disobedience is under way. 4 LA Sheriff cars were seen (code 3) enroute via the 405, which is backed up to the 105. The IMC is down, as are many phone circuits in Los Angeles. This feels bad.