{"article":{"id":38066,"heading":"URGENT REQUEST TO LA PROTEST ORGANIZERS","author":"protesterinla","created":"2003-03-22 06:14:03","modified":"2003-03-22 17:35:21","last_modified":"Sun, 23 Mar 2003 00:35:21","article":"

While we appreciate all the work organizers in Los Angeles have put in, we would like to ask that they look to the demonstrations in San Francisco as an example of how effective we can be. The all night, long lasting protests throughout SF (in much worse conditions than the balmy LA weather) have been dynamic and powerful. We had the cops in our hands tonight. We should have stayed as long as we could. We need to be prepared to fight hard. Lets SHUT DOWN the Oscars. We need to be willing to push farther than ever before. THERE IS SO MUCH AT STAKE.

(P.S. Organziers from different groups i.e. answer and NYON need to work together, the chant and information leading from two different but close by places was divisive) COME ON LA, LET'S GET OUR ACT TOGETHER! WE CAN ROCK THIS CITY, AND HAVE IT FELT AROUND THE WORLD. WE NEED TO ACT.<\/p>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"We ask the organizers in LA to look to the example of San Francisco, stop the hype, and push further!","numcomment":15,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2003\/03\/38066.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":38094,"heading":"absolutely","article":"yeah with these numbers we could do so much!! shutting down wilshire, even if it was for over two hours, is just not enough anymore.... \r\n\r\nwhy do you think the cops let us just sit there in the middle of wilshire blvd? because they *knew* we could do so much more and so they let us have wilshire for a bit. \r\n\r\ncome on people, aren't we hungry for more?! it's our streets, right? well, it's our block! and our federal building!\r\n\r\ni loved it tonight, don't get me wrong, but we need to think bigger and connect more of the issues... this isn't just about bush & oil & war & people dying. it's also about police terror & abuse. and about a system (whatever you want to call it) that treats people unequally & is uncaring. and about our strengths & possibilities as a group! \r\n\r\ntomorrow morning at 8 am donwtown. \r\ntomorrow all day at the fed'l building.\r\nsaturday at hollywod & vine\r\nsunday at the oscars\r\n\r\n& tons of other places all around you..... the possibilities are staggering & exciting.","author":".....................","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 07:19:29","modified":"2003-03-22 07:19:29","fileurl":""},{"id":38096,"heading":"why do wwe need to disrupt the city?","article":"Aren't we supposed to stand for PEACE not disruption? Blocking the streets is simply counter-productive. Blocking the Fedral building or the Oscars i can almost uunderstand but blocking the streets of LA? How are other protestors supposed to get to the protest with the streets blocked? Isn't our goal to promote unity, peace, goodness & justice? Creating chaos isn't very positive.\r\nmy .02","author":"Katie K","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 07:28:46","modified":"2003-03-22 07:28:46","fileurl":""},{"id":38111,"heading":"Hit them where it hurts...","article":"IN THEIR POCKETS!!! Not only do we need to shut down the streets, we need to shut down everything. No business as usual means no business! Remember what happened when the dock workers stopped working...it HIT THE ECONOMY. If we want to make Bush and his warhawks listen, we have to HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS!!","author":"Tendai","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 07:43:21","modified":"2003-03-22 07:43:21","fileurl":""},{"id":38124,"heading":"unity,peace,goodness & justice","article":"katie k. i understand what you're saying & yeah geez of course i don't want to block the streets so that others can't even reach us to join us! :P \r\n\r\nBUT i do think the pedestrian is really abused in los angeles and that there's a beautiful feeling to stopping traffic & sitting on something i see all the time but have no safe access to- the roads! it's amazing! and i love that feeling! \r\n\r\nthen, i really love the feeling, since l.a. is so all about cars, that we have gathered enough strength to be more important than the allmighty car.\r\n\r\nbut blocking the streets isn't that great, as i indicated earlier in my other post & even though i'm all raptuous about stopping cars in *this* post, i'm fine if we never do it again.\r\n\r\nmy point though is that we possess the power to block one of the most major roads in one of the largest cities in the world for over two hours and that does mean something. it at least addresses one of your four wishes, that being unity. \r\n\r\nand of course we did it without violence so that addresses wish #2, peace. yeah!\r\n\r\nas for goodness & justice, i saw at least some while sitting on the blvd. watching people around me talk & pace nervously & sit still with eyes closed & dance.. i hope to see more tomorrow & saturday & sunday...\r\n\r\n;) does that makes sense? i hope so..\r\n\r\ndid it seem really chaotic to you? i hope now- at least not in a frightening way. (chaos isn't all that bad, in some ways, right?)\r\n\r\nfor me, the only time i was frightened was when the cops were pushing us & then i got really angry too, i was practically pulsating with anger.. but when we were in the street, for me at least, it felt more like a festival. \r\n\r\nyeah, reclaim the streets!\r\n\r\np.s. tendai, i absolutely agree with you, too ;) ","author":"yeah","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 07:55:34","modified":"2003-03-22 07:56:50","fileurl":""},{"id":38203,"heading":"Ms","article":"Please! We are here to save the Iraqi people and all victims of our tax dollars, not to boost our own egos, not to get "excited" or to be "pulsating," or to "take over" a street or a city. This is the very language and emotions of the arrogance and imperialism we are trying to rise above. Yes, I understand, unity for a cause is beautiful, it's a peak experience, but this is not very different from the "Go USA\/United We Stand" testosterone rush that drives soldiers to kill and skinheads to beat up Arabs (and activists). Constantly, we must ask ourselves, am I acting out of compassion, or out of selfishness in whatever form? Our magnificent movement will self-destruct if we do not stay conscious of this. Only Love can conquer hate.","author":"Stephanie","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 09:32:49","modified":"2003-03-22 09:32:49","fileurl":""},{"id":38213,"heading":"Still a good point","article":"While shutting down streets per se is not ideal, why not shut down capitalist war-making companies in the LA area? You know there are plenty! Go to SF indymedia to see what they did today at the places that will profit from Iraqi suffering.\r\n\r\nThe way I see it, disrupting business-as-usual for these corporations is a signal to them and the government that we will not sit idly by and let them murder the Iraqi people to line their pockets. Shutting down sections of LA would be a much more powerful statement of opposition than yet more permitted marches. While I don't like the idea of *just* blocking streets, I think that blocking streets as *part* of a wider strategy to shut down a section of the city is a powerful tactic. Stop the war-profiteers from going to work!\r\n\r\nJust reading about SF was inspiring. We can do it, too!","author":"direct activist","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 09:46:15","modified":"2003-03-22 09:46:15","fileurl":""},{"id":38218,"heading":"What to do What to do?","article":"Ask your socialist masters what to do next.\r\n\r\n\r\nHOWTO: Build a revolutionary people's fighting cadre\r\nby Mao T'se al Milsoevic \u2022 Friday January 17, 2003 Frit 02:57 PM\r\n\r\n\r\n1) Create a front-group. The ANSWER "coalition" is a very good example which involves several layers of front. At the top is the frothy coalition which involves the religious, frothy peacenik groups, and some "anti-war" groups like Not In Our Name and International Action Center. \r\nBeneath this icing we find that NION is run by the Revolutionary Communist Party and the IAC is run by the Workers World Party. Hiding yourself and your policies is the only way that you're going to be able to trick people into agreeing with you after all. \r\n\r\n2) Advocate (secretly, not in the front-group of course!) strong-arm, end-justifies-the-means methods for achieving a "dictatorship of the proletariat". Be sure that you ignore the lessons of history. \r\n\r\n3) A consequence of point 2 is that you will defend the "degenerate worker's states" of Saddam Hussein (after all the Ba'ath Party does call itself socialist right) and Kim Il Jong (nice little dictatorship of the proletariat there) and Slobodan Milosevic (he was resisting Yankee Imperialism and he was a member of the socialist dictatorship so he must be good too). \r\n\r\n4) Make sure that you accuse critics of "red-baiting". After all, you're a socialist and they're criticising you so they must be right-wing! \r\n\r\n5) BUILD YOUR PARTY STRUCTURE. This is the most important thing. It's the main point of your involvement in the anti-war campaigns that the deluded Christians, hippys and Buddhists are tricked into participating in. Above all recruit and gather funds. The success\/failure of the possibility of an effective coalition against Bush is secondary to the goal of accreting more party structure. \r\n\r\n6) Have more marches. Marches give people something to do and they all do it in one safe places under your "leadership". That way you get credit for leading the anti-war movement, recruit a few members and swell the coffers. Without marches people would be out protesting all over the city, but with marches everyone can blow off steam. The cops can photograph them, the media can ignore them and no-one more than a couple of blocks away will have any idea that there's an anti-war movement. \r\n7) Stifle opposition (especially from anarchists). The easiest way to do this is to criticize them for criticizing you. \r\n","author":"MadMaxim","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 10:00:38","modified":"2013-11-10 23:49:11","fileurl":""},{"id":38219,"heading":"Pasadena Activist","article":"Hi,\r\n\r\nI will be at the Downtown Federal building at 8am. I want to win this peace effort. Most US citizens agree with us on this issue. I want a just non capitalist world in the long run. But I want to win this struggle. It felt so good to be on street corners the last too nights and having the majority of cars honking support. I want to appeal to those people to continure to agree and to do more. Everyone should stay in the streets as long and as often as possible. Look for peace vigils in your local areas. \r\n\r\nRemember you might be on camera at any time. Keep the peace. In Tianamin Square the authorities where having a hard time getting the military to move in against the million protesters, until they showed the army movies of protesters burning army trucks and beating up soldiers.\r\n\r\nLove and peace, thanks for everyone's efforts, let's achieve our goals.\r\n","author":"StevenG","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 10:01:52","modified":"2003-03-22 10:01:52","fileurl":""},{"id":38223,"heading":"Oh Utopia, what an original idea.","article":">>I want a just non capitalist world in the long run.\r\n\r\nYou arrogant children think you're the first ones to think of this?\r\n\r\nWhat are you going to do with those of us who refuse to be assimilated into your "Vision"? \r\n\r\nWill you follow the traditional lesson plans of the Khmer Rouge and Stalin to establish a "clean" society?\r\n\r\nAnd while you're quibling over that, do you think China or our other enemies will sit by and resist the temptation to take advantage of the chaos and weakness you'll create?\r\n\r\nAre you prepared to lead? I think not. You can't even make up your mind what your objectives are.\r\n","author":"MadMaxim","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 10:27:00","modified":"2003-03-22 10:27:00","fileurl":""},{"id":38259,"heading":"Work for a living","article":" to Mr. MadMaxim:\r\nWork for a living\r\nproducing something other than a management burden to labor\r\nand resources. This is unwise, it is wasteful. It is ultimately destructive and counter productive, threatening survival.\r\nIt is in your self interests to back down now real quick before more of us get more angry.\r\nCut him loose with impeachment and throw him to the circus in hell and distance yourself. Be generous for the sake of survival of the human species or you lose.\r\nOut.","author":"Sheepdog","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 13:08:14","modified":"2003-03-22 13:08:14","fileurl":""},{"id":38320,"heading":"misdirection","article":"so we're protesting because the Pedestrian is abused? Or because we don't agree with our President? i thought it was the latter. And the "feeling" you get by blocking traffic and disobeying our policemen is the very feeling Dubya gets by bullying the world-arrogance, adrenaline.... Sitting in the street, "no war" graffiti and the like are stooing to their level. We must rise above the need to antagonize and disobey. It's about uniting to work together... Many of those officers *are* there to HELP and are very very pleasant when your not diliberately trying to provoke them. Sitting in the streets and disrupting business to effect the economy is not going to be seen by Dubya as a reason to stop the war, but a reason to get aggressive with protestors making it so that families like mine will not be able to protest without putting our children at risk. Misdirection will kill us.","author":"Katie K","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 16:50:58","modified":"2003-03-22 16:50:58","fileurl":""},{"id":38322,"heading":"wow","article":"wow\r\nstooing to their level\r\nwe try\r\nwow","author":"wow","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 16:52:48","modified":"2003-03-22 16:52:48","fileurl":""},{"id":38324,"heading":"Idiots on the Left, read it and weep...","article":"You people for "peace" for the Iraqi people are morons. Here's is your proof. And it will ONLY GET BIGGER. Are you starting to feel stupid yet? \r\n\r\n"No Saddam Hussein!" one young man in headscarf told Gurfein. "Bush!" \r\n\r\n\r\nU.S. Marines Rip Down Saddam Portraits \r\n1 hour, 5 minutes ago \r\n\r\nBy ELLEN KNICKMEYER, Associated Press Writer \r\n\r\nMilling crowds of men and boys watched as the Marines attached ropes on the front of their Jeeps to one portrait and then backed up, peeling the Iraqi leader's black-and-white metal image off a frame. Some locals briefly joined Maj. David "Bull" Gurfein in a new cheer. \r\n\r\n\r\n"Iraqis! Iraqis! Iraqis!" Gurfein yelled, pumping his fist in the air. \r\n\r\n\r\n"We wanted to send a message that Saddam is done," said Gurfein, a New York native in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. "People are scared to show a lot of emotion. That's why we wanted to show them this time we're here, and Saddam is done." \r\n\r\n\r\nThe Marines arrived in Safwan, just across the Kuwait border, after Cobra attack helicopters, attack jets, tanks, 155 mm howitzers and sharpshooters cleared the way along Route 80, the main road into Iraq (news - web sites). \r\n\r\n\r\nSafwan, 375 miles south of Baghdad, is a poor, dirty, wrecked town pocked by shrapnel from the last Gulf war (news - web sites). Iraqi forces in the area sporadically fired mortars and guns for hours Thursday and Friday. Most townspeople hid, although residents brought forth a wounded little girl, her palm bleeding after the new fighting. Another man said his wife was shot in the leg by the Americans. \r\n\r\n\r\nA few men and boys ventured out, putting makeshift white flags on their pickup trucks or waving white T-shirts out truck windows. \r\n\r\n\r\n"Americans very good," Ali Khemy said. "Iraq wants to be free." \r\n\r\n\r\nSome chanted, "Ameriki! Ameriki!" \r\n\r\n\r\nMany others in the starving town just patted their stomachs and raised their hands, begging for food. \r\n\r\n\r\nA man identifying himself only as Abdullah welcomed the arrival of the U.S. troops: "Saddam Hussein is no good. Saddam Hussein a butcher." \r\n\r\n\r\nAn old woman shrouded in black — one of the very few women outside — knelt toward the feet of Americans, embracing an American woman. A younger man with her pulled her away, giving her a warning sign by sliding his finger across his throat. \r\n\r\n\r\nIn 1991, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died after prematurely celebrating what they believed was their liberation from Saddam after the Gulf War. Some even pulled down a few pictures of Saddam then — only to be killed by Iraqi forces. \r\n\r\n\r\nGurfein playfully traded pats with a disabled man and turned down a dinner invitation from townspeople. \r\n\r\n\r\n"Friend, friend," he told them in Arabic learned in the first Gulf War. \r\n\r\n\r\n"We stopped in Kuwait that time," he said. "We were all ready to come up there then, and we never did." \r\n\r\n\r\nThe townspeople seemed grateful this time. \r\n\r\n\r\n"No Saddam Hussein!" one young man in headscarf told Gurfein. "Bush!" \r\n\r\n\r\n","author":"Rich","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2003-03-22 16:54:36","modified":"2005-08-15 01:17:22","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/03\/reagan.jpg7zxo6e.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/03\/reagan.jpg7zxo6e.jpg"}},{"id":38355,"heading":"The New X","article":"The New X\r\nby The New X \u2022 Thursday March 20, 2003 Thut 04:33 PM\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nthe fear that Saddam will attack the US with WMD shows how PARANOID americans are. \r\n\r\nthey don't really know why he will attack \r\nthey just know he will \r\n\r\n"we don't know what a nigger is, but we're just gonna hate 'em anyway" \r\n\r\nAMERICAN HYPOCRISY \r\n\r\nTO ANY PRO-WAR ADVOCATE \r\nI DARE YOU TO REPLY TO THIS: \r\n\r\nThe US government supported Saddam during his most murderous years. They supplied him with WMD and the technology to make his own WMD. EVEN THOUGH HE WAS A KNOWN TYRANT. Why? So that he would use them on the Iranians. Even after Halabja in 1988, the US government CONTINUED to support him. \r\n\r\nNow in the year 2003 (whether it is morally just or not), Saddam no longer wishes to play into US global strategy. So he is ALL OF A SUDDEN branded a TYRANT ------ EVEN THOUGH HE WAS A MURDEROUS TYRANT ALL THE YEARS THE US SUPPORTED HIM! \r\n\r\nIsn't it hypocritical that although he was even more murderous back then, he was considered an ALLY and FRIEND OF AMERICA simply because he was killing Iranians (if 5,000 kurds happened to be gassed in a single attack thats no big deal). Now he's still murderous but now the US actually acknowledges that he is a tyrant. Imagine if he was still following US wishes by fighting with Iraq, would the US be calling him a TYRANT? I DON'T THINK SO. \r\n\r\nHYPOCRISY HYPOCRISY HYPOCRISY. \r\n\r\nUntil the US apologizes to the victims of Saddam terror DURING THE YEARS THAT THEY SUPPORTED HIM, this war will only be about US PARANOIA and its attempts at gaining a FALSE sense of security. \r\n\r\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------- \r\n\r\nwar advocates only want to see sand nigger blood being spilled. they try to improve the body count \r\n2,500 Americans (WTC) < 100,000 Sand Niggers. \r\n\r\nSo they can feel better about themselves and feel as if they "won" the overall battle. Their oh so precious American pride was hurt on 9\/11 and now they seek to get it back by killing sand niggers left rite and center \r\n\r\n(basically this is the whole starship troopers scenario)\r\n","author":"The New X","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 17:30:18","modified":"2013-11-10 23:49:11","fileurl":""},{"id":38365,"heading":"STOP THE WAR","article":"GO HERE FOR ALL YOUR ANTI-WAR STUFF http:\/\/www.outwar.com\/page.php?x=490159","author":"FUCK BUSH","parent_id":38066,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 17:35:22","modified":"2003-03-22 17:35:22","fileurl":""}]}