Showing posts with label Inaugural Protests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inaugural Protests. Show all posts

Saturday, December 18, 2010

ARCHIVES: Press Release on Voter March Grassroots Group, April 15, 2001

PRESS RELEASE    
Contacts:
Louis Posner, Esq.   
New York Headquarters

212-492-5175

chairman@votermarch.org
Bob Rogers             Wash DC Metro
703-620-0625

dc@votermarch.org
Anne Keith  Media – East Coast
804-760-0296

Media@votermarch.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

The Internet’s Fastest Growing Grassroots Group 
New York, NY-- Voter March, a grassroots group formed in the response to the debacle of the 2000 election has logged over one million hits to its Website (http://web.archive.org/web/20070917115303/http://www.votermarch.org/).  Part of the growing Pro-Democracy movement, Voter March has built an online community of activist members. There are more than 60 state and local chapters of Voter March, many of which are several hundred strong.  Membership in Voter March email lists and egroups is currently over 10,000 individuals, with more people joining every day.  Linked to thousands of websites throughout the Internet, Voter March is the fastest-growing grassroots group in the country.

Voter March is the organization that staged the very successful Inaugural Day Voter March in DC’s Dupont Circle on January 20 of this year and is the organizer of the Voter Rights March to Restore Democracy planned for May 19, 2001 in Washington D.C. and San Francisco. Information about both events can be found at the Voter March website, http://web.archive.org/web/20070917115303/http://www.votermarch.org/ and for the West Coast at http://web.archive.org/web/20070917115303/http://www.voterwest.org/.

An Internet-based advocacy group founded in November of 2000, Voter March is not funded or controlled by any other organization. Voter March organizers are all volunteers, donating their time and skills to the cause.  The Voter March platform calls for critically needed voting and electoral reforms.  The chairman and founder is Louis Posner, a New York City attorney listed in "Who's Who in America."  Robert Rogers of Virginia, a retired aviation test pilot, is Vice Chairman and a founding member.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

ARCHIVES: `Rent-a-Mobs' Descend on D.C. (January 20, 2001)

`Rent-a-Mobs' Descend on D.C

Insight on the News, Feb 12, 2001 by James D. Harder

The throngs of demonstrators at Bush inaugural events were not just students or young adults, but seasoned professionals who make protesting their full-time jobs.

While the U.S. Secret Service was setting up sniper posts and checkpoints along Pennsylvania Avenue, Teresa Gutierrez was making posters and arranging housing for the waves of protesters expected to sweep over Washington to harass the inauguration of George W. Bush. Gutierrez, a 50-year-old from New York City, came to Washington two weeks early to help get things ready for well-orchestrated protests.
Today's demonstrators aren't just students and twenty somethings flying by the seats of their pants. Many are seasoned professionals who are part of a fine-tuned, technologically savvy protest machine that is backed by labor unions and individual financial sponsors.

Gutierrez has been a staff member with the New York-based International Action Center (IAC) since its inception in 1992. Coming to Washington early gave her the opportunity to arrange housing, poster-painting venues, bus parking and other necessities for the tens of thousands of protesters who were being recruited to give Bush a black eye. The IAC has had so much practice organizing protests this year that critics have begun calling it "Rent-a-Mob." Two political conventions last summer, and high-profile protests in Prague and Washington state, have helped create a highly professional organization.

And, for Gutierrez, the inauguration was an opportunity to vent what she admits is hatred. "Being originally from Texas, I hate Bush," Gutierrez says, citing his policies on the death penalty and gays and lesbians. "He's not likely to be concerned about most of the stuff the IAC is concerned with," she tells Insight. She admits it is too soon to know what Bush will do as president but, like many of the protesters, she's already made up her mind. "The inauguration protests are not going to be the end of this struggle. January 20 is just the beginning of the fight against the Bush administration."

The IAC had been hard at work setting up 50 organizing sites across the country. Sarah Sloan, an IAC staff organizer, tells Insight that some unions in New York City subsidized bus charters so that low-wage workers could travel to the demonstrations -- including Local 1199 of the National Union of Health Care Workers, the biggest union in the city. "They're subsidizing their members to go on our buses," says Sloan, who added that other unions around the nation had set up similar programs. "There are 450 groups who have endorsed our call to action," Sloan adds.

But not all the protesters who came out on Inauguration Day were in the nation's capital to rain on Bush's parade. Loud Citizen is a Web-based creation of computer programmer Kevin Conner, who in November organized rallies in 300 cities to protest Democratic Party resistance to the Florida election returns favoring Bush. Conner led a "Patriot's March" on Jan. 20. Billed as a rally, not a protest, the marchers convened on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to hear addresses by David Horowitz, the best-selling author and director of the Los Angeles-based Center for Popular Culture; Isabel Lyman, author of The Homeschooling Revolution; the Rev. Jesse Peterson, a radio talk-show host; and Chuck Muth, president of C-Four Communications.

The Christian Defense Coalition, founded by the Rev. Pat Mahoney, also held an Inauguration Day rally, urging Bush to rescind executive orders favorable to abortion that had been signed by President Clinton almost immediately after taking power from Bush pere.

But conservatives were a relatively small part of the street theatrics. The overwhelming number of signs and banners displayed by protesters and demonstrators at the inaugural ceremonies resembled those seen during the left-wing demonstrations at the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions last summer, protesting everything from the death penalty to environmentalism. However, there was no question the issues that brought out most of the protesters were spun directly from the wheel of Democratic Party politics.
"Initially we came together because we wanted them to count every vote. We felt that people had been disenfranchised down in Florida," says Teresa Ward, a spokeswoman for Democracy March. Like many other protesters, Ward and her group are pushing for campaign-finance reform and complaining about the Electoral College. They also share another characteristic with other protest groups that converged on Washington -- the claim that they sprang full blown from the brow of the Internet.

With political parties, special interests and labor unions spending large sums to organize and communicate over the Internet, it is not surprising that it has become the principal tool for strategic communication and mobilization of protest activism. Ideas are presented in affinity chat rooms until there are enough activists to start an email list. Soon a Webpage appears and the organization is under way. Voter March also claims to have been formed in this way. Lou Posner, a founding member of the group, tells Insight it arose spontaneously on the Web a week after Election Day.

"We were formed as a grass-roots organization in response to election irregularities and problems," says Posner. Voter March played a key role in organizing the main protest rally on Inauguration Day, acting as an umbrella organization for hundreds of smaller groups from across the country. They started at 10 a.m. with a rally at Dupont Circle in Northwest Washington before heading through the city on a three-mile march. Posner claimed his group is more mainstream than many of the others in his penumbra, but assured in the days leading up to the inauguration that marchers would be peaceful. "We're taking a pretty strong position that everything we're going to do is going to be legal and lawful," Posner told Insight.

With more than a dozen law-enforcement agencies committed to maintaining security, the authorities weren't taking any chances. For the first time the inauguration was designated a "national special security event," putting the Secret Service in overall charge. Serving under it for the inauguration were the U.S. Capitol Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Park Police, the Supreme Court Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and extra forces from Maryland and Virginia.

"We'll have officers in the field and along the parade route, and we've also asked for anywhere from 1,200 to 1,400 officers from other jurisdictions to join us on the parade route," said Sgt. Joseph Gentile, director of public-relations for the MPD. The MPD force was the flagship organization heading into the inauguration, with all of its 3,600 officers on duty.

The Secret Service and other law-enforcement agencies used mountain bikes to keep tabs on the protesters. According to Shaughn Roettele, a mechanic with Revolution Cycle, a Washington bike shop, the most popular police bikes are made by Trek. He and several other mechanics at the shop were busy putting together an order of 15 of the $2,000 bikes for the Secret Service three days before the inauguration. Bikes have been an increasingly popular mode of transportation for law-enforcement agencies and have proved effective in keeping ahead of protesters. Saturday's parade route saw most of the law-enforcement agencies using the two-wheeled machines to cruise the parade route.

Not to be caught off guard by the crowds, the police didn't limit their efforts only to personnel and transportation. To the disappointment of tourists, about five miles of chain-link fencing six-feet high was erected near the Lincoln Memorial for the opening ceremonies and on large portions of The Mall. In a bold move that confirmed the security presence, people were required to pass through security checkpoints to attend the inaugural parade along Pennsylvania Avenue -- yet another sign of the intense security that blanketed the Capitol over the weekend. The Smithsonian and the Archives-Navy Memorial subway stops, both with entrances on The Mall, were shut down for the first time during an inauguration.

In many respects the scene was reminiscent of the police state that gripped Los Angeles during the Democratic National Convention last August. The Los Angeles Police Department also erected chain-link fencing outside the convention center and had a force there that was seen, felt and heard (see "Insight Staffer Shot at L.A. Riot Scene," Sept. 11, 2000). The increased security in the nation's capital was in part a response to protests during the last two years in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, Prague and Seattle. According to MPD Executive Assistant Chief Terrance W. Gainer, there was one officer every 6 to 8 feet along the parade route, as opposed to one officer every 10 to 16 feet, as has been customary for inaugurations. Not that it deterred the protesters. They made sure their message was heard loud and clear.
"The rubric of security will not be falsely used to prevent demonstrating," declared Brian Becker, codirector for the IAC. To make that point as strongly as possible, the IAC filed a lawsuit at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia only four days before the inauguration. The emergency motion for a preliminary injunction challenged the unprecedented number of checkpoints used, the vagueness of the description of materials allowed to be carried by protesters and various permit restrictions.

"We don't want to be teargassed or create a war zone but, as George Bush proceeds up Pennsylvania Avenue and as the eyes of the world focus on this, the world will see there is a very divided United States," Becker declared.

While the police executed a well-organized plan for keeping the city safe, the protesters worked to maximize their impact. The presence of the Rev. Al Sharpton, the cause-addicted preacher from New York City, drew attention to the alleged disenfranchisement of black voters, a Democratic Party wedge issue. While Bush was taking the oath of office, Sharpton was taking an oath to uphold the Voting Rights Act and to work to federalize voting standards across the country. As Bush gave a brief inaugural address, Sharpton launched a stem-winder for what he dubbed a "shadow inauguration" at Stanton Park on Capitol Hill. Other protests included African-Americans recruited in the city for a "Day of Outrage," protesting an alleged "illegitimate" president, and the Gore Majority and Oral Majority, protesting what they muled was a stolen election.

The Justice Action Movement (JAM) assured Insight it had a large number of demonstrators out protesting everything from labor rights to environmentalism. But Adam Eidinger, a spokesman for the group, said the inauguration protests focused primarily on a package of electoral reforms called the Voters' Bill of Rights.
JAM was another group started two months ago as a coalition front. Many of the professional protesters who do the world circuit are looking for methods of protest that will allow them to avoid getting arrested. Eidinger claims JAM has taken on that project. Maybe -- but according to the Washington City Paper he currently is facing trial on 11 misdemeanor counts -- including criminal conspiracy, mischief and possession of the implements of a crime stemming from an arrest while on route to anti-GOP protests during the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia last summer. If convicted, he could face as many as five years in prison.

This sort of thing may help explain why groups such as Voter March made such an effort to distance themselves from the more experienced troupes of protesters. "Our group does not represent the `professional' protesters that you saw at the World Trade Organization [and] World Bank [meetings] and Republican convention," Posner tells Insight.

Several other groups also made a point of striking out on their own, including the National Organization for Women. They staged a demonstration outside the Senate earlier in the week to protest the nomination of former Missouri senator John Ashcroft for U.S. attorney general, and sent members out along the inaugural-parade route to defend abortion.

The AFL-CIO, whose headquarters is on 16th Street in Northwest Washington near the White House reviewing stand, decided to limit its protesting to Florida, according to public-affairs officer Rich Greer. "Our views were pretty clear when the polls closed up through the final Supreme Court decision," Greer tells Insight.
A half-dozen groups received National Park Service permits to protest along the 13-block section of Pennsylvania Avenue through which George W. Bush traveled from the U.S. Capitol to the White House. Permits also were granted for rallies at such prominent Washington landmarks as McPherson Square, The Ellipse, Dupont Circle and near the Supreme Court. In fact, no inauguration has attracted so much protest since 1973, when Richard Nixon was sworn for his second term after a crushing electoral victory over Vietnam War protest candidate George McGovern. An estimated 60,000 showed up on that occasion to march against the war and give McGovern a last hurrah.

Thirty-six days of election chaos proved to be enough to reorganize a "protest left" for a showdown in Washington. With one more spotlighted demonstration under their belts, organizations such as the IAC have expanded their e-mail databases, recruited new enthusiasts and, if they were lucky, found new financial sponsors to help carry them through the coming year.

Ted Hayes contributed to this article.

ARCHIVES: Democrats.com co-founder David Lytel to Speak at Counter-Inaugural Rally on Saturday, January 20, 2001.

Democrats.com co-founder David Lytel to Speak at Counter-Inaugural Rally on Saturday.
 
Democrats.com co-founder David Lytel will be a featured speaker on Saturday January 20th at one of the major counter-inaugural demonstrations in Washington. Lytel will address the rally organized by VoterMarch.org at Dupont Circle late Saturday morning. About 1:00 a march will begin from Dupont Circle to the White House and a rally on the Ellipse. 

David Lytel is a former member of the Ithaca Common Council who served in the White House in President Clinton's first term. “I am proud to have worked closely with Vice President Gore,” Lytel said. “But I believe that if we are to be successful in organizing opposition to the Bush presidency we need to look beyond Al Gore for effective progressive leadership. There are vitally important progressive victories to be won in the next two years on election reform, the minimum wage, retirement security, an HMO bill of rights and defense of abortion rights and other things. If progressives are to prevail we will have to get fearlessly out in front of our leaders,” said Lytel.
The demonstration is being organized by http://votermarch.org, an non-partisan group. "We are entirely independent and very new, so we invite everyone to join us and we welcome contributions from everyone at http://votermarch.org," said founder Lou Posner. 

Both Votermarch and Democrats.com share a commitment to election reform as a top issue. "Given the shocking success of the Republicans in declaring the election over before all the votes were counted,” Lytel said, "the most urgent issue is election reform. There is clear evidence of deliberate fraud, official misconduct and a conspiracy to suppress voter turnout in Florida. We would not tolerate any of these crimes against democracy if they took place in some other country, and we must hold our own country up to democracy's simple rule -- every vote counts.”
Democrats.com worked closely with the members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the challenge to the Florida electors and is very involved in the campaign against the Ashcroft nomination. Most recently Democrats.com has launched a site called http://AshcroftLied.com that details former Senator Ashcroft’s lies to the Senate and the American people about Judge Ronnie White, about his knowledge of the racist policies of Bob Jones University and about his own misuse of public office to raise money for his political campaigns. 

Lytel, a member of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee, was co-founder and managing editor of the award-winning White House Web site.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

ARCHIVES: J20 Protestor Accounts (Washington D.C, Dupont Circle, January 20, 2001)

J20 Protestor Accounts (Washington D.C, Dupont Circle, January 20, 2001)
 
"The crowds (ours) were tremendous! On the  route, in Dupont Circle, in front of the Supreme Court - we were all  over the place...We overwhelmed the repukes - I don't care what the  media reported. I gave an interview - to a kid from NJ who is doing a high school show on WGBH - a public radio in NJ. I watched 3 woodoo  priestesses - garb + painted faces putting a curs on W at the swearing moment. (pictures tomorrow). I sang "Amen" with Al Sharpton (+ thousand of demonstrators)- videotape to follow. It was a joyful, energizing experience seeing all these good people - many of them very young. I  feel I accomplished something today and I had all of you on my mind.  The repukes avoided looking at us and were intimidated."

"It was a blast! There was a huge crowd in the morning at Dupont Circle, bright an early. There were so many creative slogans. Each speaker did an excellent job especially Granny D. and Mr. Greenberg! It got everyone fired up. Some people left prematurely and went to the parade route, so the crowd thinned out a bit. We all marched at 1:00 p.m. and headed along our "not so direct" parade rout to the Ellipse, where we booed Bush as he passed to enter the White House. It was great we were at the rear and kept the chanting going. The weather was messy, but spirits were bright, and the VoterMarch group was an extremely organized and vocal group." 
--Trish

"Without VoterMarch and other organizations helping bring together a wide spectrum of people, it would have been very easy for the protestors to have been labeled radical left extremists. As the latter I want to thank the moderates for coming out. We gotta hang together - united we stand, yadda yadda. Pity it took such an awful situation to bring us all together."
 
"From what I saw and experienced at the protest, it was a HUGE success! It was cold and damp weatherwise, but that had no effect on the energy and enthusiasm at Dupont Circle and on the parade route. I'm sure you'll get more details over the next few days, but as far as I could see, this struck a massive blow for democracy. DO NOT BELIEVE MOST OF WHAT YOU SEE ON CORPORATE MEDIA REPORTS. From what I've seen on TV (except for C-SPAN), they are completely disconnected from what really happened. There were radical groups clashing with police, but that was only a fraction of what was going on in DC. There were blacks, whites, gays, straights, old, young, atheists, nuns, punks, mainstreamers, the whole gambit, and we were all up for this thing. Much more than what I saw among the Shrubbies. [.] This was a success! Let's keep the momentum going." 
--Dwayne
 
"On Thursday my 74 year old Aunt passed away. My mother who is 89 was/is devastated. She wanted me to take her to the wake 40 miles from her home TODAY, funeral tomorrow. Last night when I received an RSVP from Louis Posner re: the NYC/DC March. I had to reply that I would not be able to make it. I spent the day crying - not for my Aunt, who I love - she lived a long and healthy life. I'm a realist, we'll all die someday. I cried buckets because I couldn't be with all of you who went to DC. I had been looking forward to this for weeks. I wish I could have been there!!!!!! Going to DC was a way to get the anger out over the campaign and the voter fraud in Florida. Now it'll just keep eating away at me. God Bless all of you who went and those who sent emails with updates - I'm going thru them now. I understand there is a march planned for April or May. I don't care what happens - the only way I'll miss another march is if I die."  
--Rosemary
 
"Dear Lou, I just wanted to congratulate you on an incredible job well done!! Our group was so pleased with the way thing were done and how organized everything was - it was an incredible task to take care of so many people and you did a fantastic job.  I was on bus 198 and I also wanted to pass on kudos to Jim(?) who was in charge of our bus - he did a great job - staying calm when we couldn't get to Dupont Circle and being very organized getting us there by Metro. Please keep me on your mailing list and keep me informed of other events that you are coordinating." 
--Sharon
 
"Dear Friends, 
This is just a little note to say thank you for all the work you have done in setting up such a tremendously successful demonstration in Washington. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to talk with you [Louis Posner] yesterday because all of us were so busy. I did get to shake hands with Les [Souci]. Today we got the snowstorm on Long Island that was predicted yesterday for Washinton. All of my Long Islanders got back safely, no injuries or arrests. Not only that, but because you provided a safe organized spot for them to demonstrate, most of them went to Dupont Circle, started to walk toward Pennsylvania Avenue and made it to the bleachers area. Unfortunately our group got to 1400 NW L just as the police were getting ready to sweep people off due to some trouble that had happened previously in the area. I called the legal numbers that your e mails had provided and they explained what was happening. I also called the Washington Post and reminded them of the legal case that allowed people to be at the sidelines and walk in groups of twenty five. I called New York News and the internet live coverage as well and let them know that something was happening there. All of them had people already on the scene. As a result of the quick, efficient work of you and your team, the interactive media, and the beautiful non-violence of the protesters the massive sweep was not made and the massive arrests did not happen. I credit the way everything was handled by Votermarch and many other people who were not going to be instigated. I can't tell you how grateful I am to every beautiful person who went. It really makes me love this country even more. The Bushes et al are not America. The powerful are not our country. The beautiful essence of why we love this country was marching with us in the streets of Washington in the rain. I look forward to bringing even more people to Washington next time to keep telling Bush that he may have the power but like the Vietnam debacle, he does not have the hearts and minds of the people. The people on our bus like Eileen Brenner of South Shore Peace group and those from the East End Helen Fitzgerald, the fifteen year old tenth grader and ninth grader from Easthampton, the eighty something novelist, the several teachers, four philosophy professors (amazing what discussions they must have had), the two IRS employees, numerous church people, Black and White, and mom with her seven year old son, I am sorry I am not mentioning all these beautiful people, felt that they were very heartened by being on this demonstration. They are enthused to continue working for a fair election system. Everyone went home feeling that there was hope and they were energized to continue organizing people to keep trying to make it better. I know I am being long winded as usual. The best of regards to you. Get much needed rest, and know you represent many numbers of people who you will never meet. Both teenage boys are going to share with their social studies classes their experience. We drop little pebbles in the pond and we never even see the ripples that generate from our little toss. Much Love" 
--Susan from Suffolk

"Louis: Many thanks for organizing the protest; in addition to being a catharsis, I think we accomplished something important. The  alternative was unthinkable in the face of the electoral abomination."  --Bill 
"I just wanted to say to all of you that protested in DC or locally that I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! What a sight you made! At first I was worried that there may be some attempt at a media blackout of the protests - after all it wouldn't look good for the country or world to know there were unhappy Americans out there, you know. But as soon as the Shrub headed down the parade route you could see protesters and their signs very clearly. Pictures of "Hail to the Thief", "The Emperor Has No Clothes", "Gore/ Lieberman" and "W" with a big red slash through it beamed their way around the world! C-SPAN and MSNBC in particular weren't afraid to pick the camera shots that showed the full extent of the protests. One memorable shot on MSNBC showed around one hundred protesters at a particular site who, almost to a person, raised their hands in the one finger salute when Bush went by - not too subtle but very eloquent. ;) And one newscaster reported that the protesters and the police outnumbered the Bush supporters in most spots along the parade route. YOU DID GOOD FOLKS!" 
--Kirsten

PROTEST SIGNS AT DUPONT CIRCLE FOR THE INAUGURATION OF GEORGE W. BUSH, JAN. 20, 2001: (1) Bush selected, not elected (2) George the Usurper (3) The Day Democracy Died (4) George Washington - the father of our country; George W. - defrauder of our country (5) Stolen election - American disgrace (6) SNUB THE SHRUB (7) The People have spoken - all five of them (8) Hail to the Thief (9) Heil to the Thief (10) Shame! (11) "GWB" - Good White Boy (12) Gotti for Chief Justice (13) NO MORE BUSHIT (14) Bushwacked by the Supremes (15) "No Count" election, "No count" President (16) America flunked Electoral College (17) Democracy amBUSHed in Florida (18) Don't blame me - I voted with the majority and my favorite: (19) Clarence Thomas - the only black vote that counted
"Berg spoke at Dupont Circle. I heard him before we marched. I heard a woman speak at Dupont Circle from Tennessee who spoke of massive violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 et al. Profoundly disturbing problems in Gore's home state. I am so proud to have been a part of the protests yesterday in DC with Voter March, and will continue to work hard for justice. yours in North Carolina, " --Nancy
"Hi, Mr. Posner, I just wanted to thank you for all the hard work you put in to make sure all of our buses got to Washington and back and had people in them.  I was one of the folks traveling with the Zen Buddhists (although not directly "with" them) and I very much appreciate the trouble you went through with us. I'm glad I went to this and was glad to have the opportunity." 
--Sharon
 
"just got home and I'm reading the posts to the board. I am so proud that I went to D.C. and made the yutz's day one that he will never forget. we all did good whether we were there or not. I thank the people who encouraged us from home - they were there in spirit. Each one of us counts and each ballot should have counted. We will continue to rock the house while the imposter is in it. let's hope that may march is even better (and hopefully a little warmer and drier , please!! :-) )" 
--frederique
 
"Hi Lou & Bob, I have to thank you both for giving me the opportunity of my life....the march and activities were better than even my wedding. Dave and I had a group of 55 from Michigan....and we're already working on May. Three of us ended up in the altercations at 14th & L in the front line.....have face to face video of the police then the riot police. We saw a flag burned (or something burning) and heard glass breaking though not loud and I'm not sure what it was. As this was my first protest ever I'm surprised at how brave I was to not back off from the police but the rage of this rape of democracy burned so strong in me that I stood my ground... Thank you again so much....you have given me a priceless gift in my life....our entire family, including kids and Grandma, will see you in May with a much larger group from Michigan."
--Cheryl Warner

"The protesters this Saturday were amazing! Wherever you went, you were not alone. We were everywhere. I hope to see more of folk's pictures and videos! I was upset to get back to Dallas and search through the Dallas Morning News though. There was very little mention of the protests. Most news centered around the flag burner, nude people, and black Panthers. Ironically, I was not even aware of these incidents during the day yesterday- yet I still was keenly aware of our numbers as we moved from road block to road block until I settled just up from 14th on Pennsylvania. I felt like part of a river- a force of Nature that would not be stopped. It was awesome! Thank-you folks who helped to organize this. You are wonderful. Thank-you everyone who could go to Washington, or who protested closer to home. You are so wonderful! Now we must tell all of our friends about our trips so that it cannot hidden and forgotten!"
--Shannon

"I LOVE EVERY ONE OF YOU WHO WENT. And, Louis Posner and staff, you are simply the greatest. I've heard so much about how well-organized, thoughtful, safe, and elegant this protest was. You did it. Best to you, " 
--Susan
 
"My wife, her sister and I went to DC for the counter-inaugural protests. While it was cold and wet, we had a great time. We left Boston after 11:00 p.m., and got into DC at about 9:30 a.m. We took the Metro to Dupont circle, where thousands had already gathered and speeches and chants were going on. The signs and individual comments were fantastic--I wish I could remember more of them. There were flags with $ signs in the canton, lots and lots of "the people have spoken--all FIVE of them!" At 1:00, the march began to the Ellipse. It was a somewhat confusing, exhilarating, wet and exhausting day.  There were, indeed, tens of thousands of us in DC; but we were spread out at many different sites. No matter where you went in DC, there were protestors everywhere. It was uplifting to see so many people so fired up about the theft of this election. The chants were moving: BUSH, CHENEY, GOP, THIS IS NOT DEMOCRACY!! and the more mundane WE'RE WET--WE'RE COLD--DEMOCRACY'S BEEN SOLD." 
--Dan in Salem

"Just got home from DC a while ago!  What an inspiring experience!  It was great to be surrounded by people I knew felt like I do about the election, which is not a common experience where I live!  It was wet and cold, but that didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirit! My husband I got to Dupont Circle at about 10:15, and spent a lot of time just walking around trying to see all the great signs.   We heard someone announce that we should start marching soon, and then a few minutes later people started towards P Street, so we followed along!  We all went along in the middle of the streets, chanting and waving at supporters in the buildings along the way. The protestors were really great.  I just loved the feeling that we were really working together to show that not everyone was satisfied with the result of the election.  It was funny to me to read stories later about people saying the protestors were scary or seemed dangerous.  There were older people with us, and families with their children. What an experience, I'm so glad I went, and I can't wait to go back in May! Hope to see you all there!"  
--Cherie

"Up on the stage, the view showed the circle full, and every side walk from 6 streets intersecting Dupont Circle was almost full for a block...crowd estimate, then at 15,000. When I got up to the mic, I felt a momentary terror, but as I started to speak, I felt at home, when the crowd responded to "We The People, and continued repeating it, so I could add the lyrics...."Whose got the power?" "Who really has control?" "Bush Cheney don't have it...the Partisan 5 Supreme Court Justices, they don't know" "We the people, must exercise control" "'Cause we the people...sharing..the same soul" : they were still doing it (singing): I knew I was at home and our hearts were beating as one. I may never have this experience again, so I will not forget it." 

- Les Souci

"The rally at Dupont Circle was wonderfully arranged and managed.  It fired me up, particularly Michael Collins!  The march itself was a positive experience too.  I had my 10-year old daughter with me and she was moved by it.    Part of me, particularly since I had my daughter with me, is glad that everything went so smoothly."
--John

"Just wanted to say thanks for organizing the bus transportation. Everything went as planned -- our bus got there in plenty of time and left on time in the afternoon. Good job! I imagine we will be doing this trip several times in the next four years. It's nice to have a reservation system that makes it so easy. Could you arrange better weather next time? The hail did fit in well with the "hail to the thief" chant, but still ... Thanks,"  
--Kathy

"Just wanted to say what a fantastic experience this was for me!  If there is a million voter march, I will definitely participate.  Dubya really did prove to be a uniter after all--he united a  myriad of different groups of people who would never agree on a lot of other issues.  He united us against his theft of the Oval Office.  He united us enough to get us all out in the rain to protest his reign.  We may disagree on a million different things, but we all agree that in a democracy you are supposed to count all the votes.  So he united us after all.  I pray that we  all stay united in this goal of returning democracy to our nation.  As we chanted on the march, "The people, united, will never be defeated!"'

Our Crowd: Welcoming Bush as he Sneaks in the Back Door 
By David Lytel of Democrats.com

"Despite an attempt by some media outlets to dismiss the protests on January 20th, I believe that the message was heard by all. I was unable to make the trip, much to my dismay, but I did spend the day watching the TV and coverage of the event. While some of the media tried to dismiss the protest and diminish the actual numbers of protesters, the live coverage of the parade could not be edited. On all the stations covering the parade, the protest was very loud and visible along the parade route. The media was forced into showing it and at some points even expressed concern for the safety of the Shrub. It was quite evident by the speeding up of the motorcade at several points along the route, that the protest was making an impact. I have been watching politics since the days of Nixon. No President in my memory had to endure what the Shrub did on the 20th. I also like to observe and listen to peoples reactions about politics without soliciting a response from them based on my beliefs. I have not encountered one person that did not mention the protest when speaking of the inauguration, liberals and conservatives alike. I believe the message got out loud and clear and it will always be remembered when this inauguration is mentioned in history. The key now, is not to let up. The fight must continue on. If not, the Shrub wins and we will be dismissed by him as simply disgruntled voters left over from the election. By staying focused and united we can help shape the destiny of the next four years and see to it that he is replaced by a candidate chosen by the people." 
--Robert
 
"This is a belated thank you for all your effort in getting the inaugural protest off the ground and getting a permit for us to march, a direction in which to march, an identity and a recipe for a safe passage through the day of January 20.  I am writing on behalf of the hundred or so North Carolinians who  followed my lead to DC on Jan.20, and I think I can speak for all of them in extending our thanks to you and Mr. Bob Hawk and probably a number of other individuals whose names are not known to me.   I simply want you to know that there were no complaints from our group;'  we had a great experience; every single one of us wants to participate in the next protest in DC; it was an exhilarating and fulfilling experience for all of us.  And, as far as I am concerned, it was a feat to pull it off, given the short amount of time and the limited resources that were available to mount such an effort.  So, we thank you sincerely and hope you will follow through on your plan to do a great big unforgettable, history-making march in May." 
--Susan

ARCHIVES: Remarks by Ronnie Dugger of the Alliance for Democracy, Jan. 20th, 2001, at 11:00 am at Dupont Circle in Wash. DC

Remarks by Ronnie Dugger of the Alliance for Democracy, Jan. 20th, 2001, at 11:00 am at Dupont Circle in Wash. DC

"When Mr. Bush is sworn in at noon today the United States Government will be seized in a judicial coup d'etat. Congress and the Presidency have already been delegitimized across the past 20 years, among the American people, by the triumph of uncontrolled campaign finance corruption and bribery over the common good--the seizure of deciding power from the people by large corporations and the very rich.  And now, in Bush v. Gore, the Supreme Court has delegitimized itself and the court system by stopping the vote counting in Florida and selecting the President.  The corporate media will not record it, but let's say it together: When Mr. Bush is sworn in an hour from now by the Chief Justice who abused his power to select him, the government itself is being seized.

The only basis for democratic legitimacy is the consent of the governed.  That was the deal. The Presidency has been seized. Today the government is seized.  The covenant is broken.  Mr. Bush is not the President--he is the Special Master appointed by the Supreme Court.  After the secret four-month constitutional convention in Philadelphia, a matron of the city asked Benjamin Franklin what they had produced. "A Republic, if you can keep it," 
 Franklin said. Well, we have not kept it--it has been seized from us--we have lost the Republic into a corporate oligarchy.  And free Americans do not accept, and we do resist, a court-appointed Master as our President.  This is no longer a respectable system of government.  

We move on now, civilly, nonviolently, and with determination, to replace the American Republic, which is being taken from us at noon today, with a new American Democracy.  For this nonideological, nonviolent rebellion to work, nothing is more necessary than closure and alliance between white Americans and the maximum victims of the American Republic, the blacks we enslaved and still cruelly oppress. 

For our part, the Alliance for Democracy affinity group will be pulling away from this fine rally in about half an hour, getting on the Metro, and going to Union Station and Stanton Square, for the counter-inauguration being led by persons of color, including Al Sharpton, Ron Daniels, the National Action Network, and the Pro-Democracy Campaign, in a National Day of Resistance and Shadow Inauguration.  In this special announcement authorized by the leaders of this Voter March, we invite you to join us in this act of solidarity--and in any case in your will to be in solidarity--with our black and brown brothers and sisters in a new democracy.  Although whites and blacks and browns were not able to come together enough to heal the American Republic, we will all come together now in deepest equality to form the new American Democracy."

Speech by Ronnie Dugger, founder of Alliance for Democracy.

ARCHIVES: Performers At J20 Rally (January 20, 2001, Washington, DC - Dupont Circle)

Performers At J20 Rally (January 20, 2001, Washington, DC - Dupont Circle):


1. Luci Murphy
Renowned vocal artist, who sings and teaches in the Washington area, and internationally on behalf of universal human rights. She believes, "if you can talk, you can sing."

2. Rande Harris
Wonderful activist/singer: He can be heard on the CD "The Secret of Sharing - Randolph Harris and Pete Seeger" recorded in 1998.

3. Les Souci
Activist, Speaker Coordinator for Voter March Rally: RollingStone.com editor's pick, top 10 Internet Underground Artist (http://www.iuma.com/ ) has several internet music sites.Souci (sioux-si'), (Director: For Justice, speaker/organizer at "We The People" Rally

4. Joel Landy
Voter March Organization Coordinator, activist/singer has his own Award Winning Cable TV Show.

5. Sharon Abreu
Sharon Abreu and Stammers Rameau met in Greenwich Village. Their energetic "new roots" music blends elements of folk, blues, and early rock in original tunes and novel adaptations of their favorite songs. Sharon & Stammers recently performed in concert with Pete Seeger.

6. Judy Klass

Has written a number of parody songs about the election, has been featured on Joel Landy's Internet TV Show.

7. Julia Rose
An alternative acoustic artist, began performing on Baltimore's streets. She has since performed at prestigious venues including Blues Alley in DC and CBGB's Gallery in New York.

8. Zehm Aloim
From Phoenix Arizona, wrote a very on-topic song "Lady Freedom" expressly about the fraud of this election and has been performing it live.

9. Heather Lev
Activist/singer-songwriter. Wonderful unifying anthems.

10. Jenny Hurwitz
Voter March Performers Coordinator: "I can be referred to as the Chairwoman of the National Just Another Jew for Pat Buchanan Committee"

ARCHIVES: J20 VoterMarch Rally Speakers

J20 VoterMarch Rally Speakers (January 20, 2001, Washington, DC, Dupont Circle)
 
1. Mike Malloy,
Our Emcee, Talk show host, Atlanta, syndicated 
audio of speech
 
2. Patricia Ireland.
NOW President

3. Elaine Van Der Linden,
S. Carolina: Founder, MollysMilitia.org,
S. Carolina Organizer, VoterMarch.org : speaker/organizer at "We The People" Rally)

4. Lou Posner, Esq.
Chairman, VoterMarch.org: NYC & Washington, DC
Trust The People activist/organizer

5. Arthur Buonamia
FLA,  Democratic Executive Committee of Miami-Dade County

6. Zak Exley
Director, gwbush.com,
Founder, countercoup.org

7. Granny D,
N.H. :  Captured the nation's heart as she marched across the US for Campaign Finance Reform

picture of Granny D, also see grannyd.com/dupont.htm

8. Deidre E. Newton
Palm Beach Activist, District Supervisor , Soil & Water Conservation

9. Ronny Dugger
Alliance For Democracy) spoke & led group from our rally  to US Supreme Court Shadow Inauguration.Les
(see below for written text and audio of Dugger's speech)

10.  Michael Collins
Georgia, Director, One Citizen One Vote   GA Organizer, Votermarch.org: United Progressive Athens & Athens Free Press Founding Member)

11.   Cathy Danielson
TN, Director of Nashville Insanity
investigating Vote Fraud in Tennessee)

12.   Phil Berg
PA, Attorney former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania and political activist,
has filed Class Action Lawsuit to overturn FLA Election)

13.   Lucy Herschel
NY, Voter Rights Activist,  Campaign to End the Death Penalty

14  Bob Rogers
Vice chairman,  Chief Marshall, March Details

15.  David Lytel
NY, Democrats.com, TrustThePeople.com ,
collected 3,000 complaints of disenfranchisement affidavits in Palm Beach!)
- text of David Lytel's Speech

16. Asa R. Gordon,
Executive Director,  Douglas Institute Think Tank, 
filed a civil action (Dec. 29th, 2000) that challenges the constitutionality of Florida's Presidential electors

ARCHIVES: Inaugural Voter March - Dupont Circle - Washington, DC - Jan. 20, 2001





   
 



   


On January 20th the VoterMarch Inaugural Day Rally was held at Dupont Circle.  Thousands of individuals from across the nation were in attendance to voice their outrage at the disregard for voter rights in the recent Presidential Election. 

  
      
  
Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002 Voter March LLC. All rights reserve