Garry Goodrow on the NYC Demonstrations

Friend Goodrow reports:

Saturday, February 15, 2003, 4:20pm



"Glamericans for Peace" have their signs trimmed with fur. One of them reads: "Botox Not Bombs!" They are outside the NYP Library, 42nd and 5th, together with a thousand or so other people, all preparing to walk to 51st St. & 1st Ave. for the demonstration. There's an entire samba contingent, with very big puppets. There is a woman who says, "I had to bring my 14 year old son, because what is going on is outrageous." A lovely girl has a patch on her backpack that says, "Whorehouse of Representatives." I had no button or sign, and saw a guy with a peace symbol button on his hat. I asked him where he got it, meaning where could I get one. He said, "I got it out of the closet. It's from 1968." There was a contingent from the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, and they all were still moving.



Anyone who tells you that there were fewer than a quarter million people in New York for that rally is either lying or simply uninformed; and for a news organization, being uninformed is one technique of lying.



Eve Shopsin and I went up there together. I was supposed to meet people at the Library's north lion, but never found them. Eve and I walked east on 42nd St, and the sidewalks were crowded with signs and songs.



The police department had made a big, dumb mistake by getting an injunction banning a march past the UN and up to Central Park. They had assigned 1st Ave. between 51st and 60th as the place to hold a rally, and in the end, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Lexington Avenues were choked with people and cops from 42d up to at least 63d.



Evie and I only made it to 2nd & 54th. The police were letting no one go the next block east to 1st, but they were not letting us got north either. Both sides of the avenue were jammed with people, and of course we spilled into the street, At 54th we were stuck, and there the police did one of their little shows, with horses herding the crowds and sassy teenagers (and oldsters) getting arrested. I got a chance to bend down and say to a horse's ass: "Good afternoon, officer." There was an amazing Police General Staff on hand, including a 4-star General, two bird Colonels, a major, several captains and lieutenants. The lesser officers pushed us onto the sidewalk, then kept pushing.



I'm such a shy, even-tempered, mild-mannered guy, y'know? But I almost lost it a couple times. They brought in one of those plastic webs, about three feet high, and they were shoving us and moving the web along. A rather nasty cop had his baton across my back, and was pushing me steadily, but I had my legs in opposition because there was really no place for me to go. Then he wapped my back with full length of the stick, both hands. It hurt. I turned my head and yelled at him, "You cocksucker!" Instead of arresting me, he used my lack of balance to push me further into the crowd. Then he seemed to lose interest.



My second thrilling brush with destiny was moments later. One of the Colonels, a big fat, red-faced guy, started to plunge into the crowd to grab somebody. He was furious and redder every second. He cried, "That sonofabitch is going!" as he charged. But we got in his way. I actually put my hands on his rather available stomach to hold him back, at which point my little mind whispered, "You off to jail, Jack!" But, perhaps sensing what a stupid figure he was cutting, he strutted off and to confer with other brass.



There is always a jerk around to ruin a nice day. As I was holding back the cop with the club, a guy in front of me yelled at him, "Don't do that to him! He's an old man!" And the jerk who yelled that had a gray beard. When I mentioned it to Evie later, she said, "Yeah, I heard that. That was terrible."



The cops were taking a lot of shit, of course, from excitable young folks and loudmouthed older ones. They were in a ridiculous position. All because of that ridiculous injunction.



We left, and tried to go down 3rd Ave., but riot police were making arrests (there was no rioting) and filling up a PD bus, and we

couldn't get past the next corner. We went over to Lexington, which was one big street party of cops and protesters, all the way down to Grand Central, where we could get a shuttle and a train home. (One funny sign: "FUCT TAPE")



We went to stop at the Oyster Bar, but they, like the NYPD, had not anticipated the number of people who might want oysters (don't forget, many demonstrators were from out of town, and looking to take advantage of a visit to Gotham.) The Oyster Bar was swamped. Too long a wait, hungry as we were.



I have been told that 5th Ave. was also thronged with signs, and that there were crowds northward as far as the 80's.



Yes, I smiled and laughed a lot to see this outpouring of my Murrican friends. The official response from Pres. Twerp so far has been that he is seeking peace too, and Americans have a right, and so on. I wonder if anyone has turned him on to the "Glamericans?" Maybe they're a matter for Ashcroft's Torquemada Squad.



Smile and laugh, friends. And come out for the inevitable next one.



All we are saying . . .

Is Oop Bop Sh'Bam!



IN RISU VERITAS--GG."



Mike again: Jon, got any scenes you'd like to share?