This is a very long recap of my experiences at the
massive peace demo in New York on Feb. 15th.

read it or skim it or delete it...you have been
warned.



My impressions of Feb. 15th 2003...

What an incredible weird mixed up emotional day, yet I
was so impressed and amazed with the turn out.  It
truly was incredible.  I started my day on a bike,
exactly where I wanted to be.  No fix gear, no Viking
helmet, no obvious markings to instantly profile me as
a demonstrator.  The idea was to be stealth, mobile
and able to move freely about the streets. 

The set-up was obvious this time, especially cause
this demo was going to be right in my backyard.  We
were all being set-up to fail, to look bad, to react
and to make the demonstration look bad.  This is what
the city wanted.  First they told us we couldn't have
a permit to march, a rather unheard of demand due to
the fact that people have marched for all kinds of
things from police brutality causes to the klu klux
klan.  The reasoning was security.  Their favorite
word besides, "terrorism".  They told us we were on
high alert, you know that system that Tom Ridge and
Ashcroft cooked up to scare everyone with their color
scheme.  Code Orange is like a game of simon says,
where suddenly we must rush out and buy duct tape or
iodine because of a miscellaneous tip from some
unknown Al Qaeda suspect, in some secret bunker.
Suddenly its justifiable to have advanced military
hardware laden police officers stationed in front of
the half price ticket booth in Time's Square, as if
some disgruntled Taliban will blow himself up cause he
can't get tickets to Totally Modern Millie.  And what
are they planning to due with those assault rifles?
(By the way on average police officers only fire their
pistols in training twice a year)

So, simon says, we are on high alert...which later
started to become a big joke to the point where even
Mayor Bloomberg thought buying duct tape was
ridiculous.  High alert means most people won't
question the massive amounts of troops in time's
square and never link it to the fact that Feb 15th is
combing up and is supposed to be the largest protest
in the world, with simultaneous protests in over 300
cities.

The media tells everyone, this is a bad time to
protest.  That it makes sense to only give the
expected demonstrators a permit for 100,000 people.
That porta-potties are a security threat, that 2 tents
is asking too much and that there is a need for the
largest barricade system known to man.  This I saw
coming and had instant flashbacks to every kind of
demonstration I've ever attended in New York.

New York loves the pen.  Its all about macho control
of the people.  New York would never resort to the
military look of riot cops like we see in DC and
Seattle.  Thats not their style for officer Vinne
pots-and-pans.  Besides, NYC has the numbers...40,000
police officers, the sixth largest army in the world.
So put everyone in a pen.  Block off their access to
move freely, tell them you don't know where to enter.
Show people empty barricades and then tell them their
full.  Tell people to walk 10 blocks out of their way
only to find other cops to tell them to walk 10 blocks
the other direction.  This is how the NYPD operates.
This is the denial of our civil rights, this is not
courtesy professionalism and respect, which all police
cars have written on them and is the code of conduct
that the po-po expects the people to have as well.  I
am not here to bash cops, they are robotic by nature
and only follow orders from above.  So voice your
complaints to Mayor Bloomberg who may be too busy
flying his helicopter to Bermuda.

Enough about that, the stage was set.  This did not
deter 500,000 people from coming to NYC.  Neither did
the freezing weather.  What this event created was the
the need for people to respond to the city's denial of
our rights to assemble.  To make people want to march,
to move freely about the streets that belong to us.

Oh no...simon didn't say.

So around 9:30 I was in the city.  I picked up a
nextel from Comm.  I figured I'd be on a bike and
could help with communications for the whole demo.
They had an RV as a command center and about 12 people
on walkie.  But someone forgot to charge the batteries
so we all resorted to cell-phones.  Then Brandon and I
rode bikes around the city and did a quick scout.  I
saw a huge police presence in Time's square so I felt
confident that no Al Qaeda would be getting into any
Broadway shows or eating at the WWF restaurant.  Whew.
Then we buzzed by the library steps at 42nd and 5th.
This was about the feeder marches.  Because the city
was too cool to allow free assemble, everyone decided
that getting to the demonstration should be more of a
big deal.  So 67 feeder marches were created from
every point of entry to this city.  Low Eastsiders,
anarchists, Reclaim the streets, puppets, students,
labor, WBAI listeners, gay and lesbian community,
people of color all streaming into the city.  The
Library was getting full and it wasn't even 11:00, the
time people were supposed to get their.  Cops tried to
push everyone back and not allow them to be on the
library steps.  So you aren't supposed to be in the
streets and you aren't supposed to block the
sidewalks.  So the police wanted everyone to just keep
moving. This failed and soon 5 or 6 thousand people
were filling up every inch of public space. 

So we rode back down to Union Square.  We had to be
there by twelve cause we were going to help lead a
critical mass style action which we called the BIKE
BLOCK.  I mean how perfect.  A huge demonstration of
the war for oil...why not be on a bike.  We made
flyers to make the connection about reducing oil
consumption which had useful facts on one side and the
messages..."Stop the war for oil, we are the
alternative, we are not blocking traffic, we are
traffic." 

By about 12:30 we had 50+ bikers.  Now we were a
little worried about how to react.  I had just
witnessed the youth block being pounced on by the NYPD
for taking the streets.  That was a big no no.  The
cops wanted everyone to stay on the sidewalk, and to
get to the barricaded protest not built for enough
people, in single file fashion.  Well the students
didn't react well to this authority and took the
streets, which green-lighted New York's finest to
bring in 5 busses, hundreds of riot cops and a
squadron of horses which would later be used to
trample people and send them to the hospital for
illegally being in the streets.  I got the cell phone
report that the student march was broken into smaller
chunks but was proceeding North on schedule and
planning on hooking up with the library march.

So the bikers decided to obey.  We would stop at red
lights and not attempt to take the whole street.
Which 50 bikes can do easily.  So we rode downtown,
then across 8th street and up 3rd Ave.  We didn't
really  have a goal and our originally planned route
had already changed.  We had no police escort. 

The people seemed to really dig us and we had no agro
reactions from SUV road rage pron drivers.  We started
to get reports form our buddies at Reclaim the
Streets.  We wanted to hook up with them because, they
had built a sound system, created this Mardi Gras
carnival block theme and had some slogans about,
"giving up war for Lent."  Also we knew they would be
fun and mobile and didn't want to go anywhere near the
barricades of 49th and 1st Ave.

So the mass of bikers went up Madison Ave. and heard
RTS might be at 60th and 3rd.

When we got to 57th Street it was a mess.  A good mess
though.  Cars were backed up and thousands of
demonstrators were crossing the street, peacefully and
obeying the city ordinances.  Thousands of riot cops
kept a close eye on them in case some spontaneous
street assembling broke out and then they might have
to crack a few skulls.  This is when our group
decision making skills came into effect.  Suddenly we
became a mobile affinity squad and our first goal was
to decide how to cross the flowing river of humanity.

We crossed, went up a few blocks and went East.  No
RTS.  What we found was more cars backed up, going
nowhere and tons of tons of people.  And it seemed
like most of them didn't want war.  So after a lot of
negotiating we decided to say the ride was over and
that we would reconvene at Columbus Circle at 3:00pm
We had heard there might be an attempt to demonstrate
in Times Square and we didn't want to miss another
chance for Bike Block to get some glory. 

Well we didn't actually split up.  The bikers just
couldn't get enough so we just kept riding around.
One white shirt cop (a sergeant or someone who can
give orders like make the horses attack) was very
jealous of my mobility to ride a bike.  In the middle
of the streets he told me to get off my bike and walk
it...Wait a sec.  This is for my safety?  To walk my
bike in the middle of the streets.  I laughed at his
feeble attempt to instantly exert authority...I did
get off my bike for a second cause I knew how trigger
happy these dudes were and I didn't want to
demasculate him in front of his young officers.
Earlier a cop tried to tell us we had to wear
helmets..which we laughed at because NYC state law
says you do not need a helmet if you above the age of
14.  I always find it hilarious when cops make up laws
on the spot as if people don't know their rights.  My
advice is to know your rights.

At this point our numbers were dwindling but we did
manage to pick up a double decker unicycle who was
happy to be part of our alternative energy posse.

Then we headed back up 3rd ave and at 50th street
things were very interesting.  I saw kids on top of a
truck in the middle of the street.  We had the
streets.  A Korean band was jamming on the side walk.
Thousands of people were in the streets, not moving,
not being allowed to move.  It seemed as if the city
under estimated the number of people who don't want
war.  Hmmmmm.  Then I realized that motorists were
stuck.  I felt bad. really.  I talked with this one
woman, she seemed ok, I said I was sorry about her
wait and looked around to see if there was anyway of
getting out her out. No chance.  This is were a lot of
things dawned on me.  If the city had granted us a
permit to march or placed us somewhere where we could
freely move about...like Central Park or gave us much
more...this wouldn't be happening.  They would have
put in the route in of the demo in the papers,
broadcast it on the radio.  People had no idea this
was going on.  I guess the media felt like ignoring
this whole affair, so the city paid the price.  People
were all stuck in traffic for hours.  Did the police
comply with the situation?  No.  The choose to take an
aggressive stance and place riot cops in front of us
and hold up traffic and block demonstrators and not
tell us if we could move or not.  They had no answers.


Everyone just decided to dance. Our group locked up
our bikes with an agreed notion from years of protest
experience that this could get really good.  I mean
everyone needed a tension release.  I took the
opportunity to climb on top of the Frito-lay truck and
get that high angle video shot I've always wanted.
The roof of the truck was caving in a bit and all its
inhabitants wondered if collapse was eminent.  I don't
think it mattered.  Everywhere me an my camera looked
was a sea of demonstrators and this wasn't even the
legal assemble point where demonstrators were told to
go...or not depending on the cops mood.  After some
good video opps. I jumped down, ok it had a little to
do with the fact that cops had moved in and told us
too.  Then came my biggest fear.  Being stuck.  It
seemed you couldn't go forward and their were too many
people to go back.  A cell phone call from Brandon
alerted me that we had less then an hour to get to
Columbus Circle for Bike Block round 2.  I moved
towards the front and duct out of the row of riot cops
just in time.  Later I was told the horse crew of
officers moved in and used these massive animals to
violently trample the crowd.  Also their were reports
of pepper spray. 

Still no RTS, no carnival block, no sound system.
We all shared the various food in our bags, regrouped
and hit the streets in numbers, including the guy on
the unicycle...I was really amazed at how many of us
were together again.

We got to Columbus Circle and re-regrouped.  This time
we picked up a few newbies and some guy in an orange
jumpsuit who had a blue jean jacket with the words
Chicago Critical Mass. Hmmm?  Who was this stranger?
All I noticed was he had a certian keen energy, like
he was harnessing the protest, a leader, an instigator
someone you get an instinct to point the video camera
at cause shit is going to happen in this guys orbit.
I learned this from other critical masses, like a time
in Portland when a guy had the words:  "One Less Car"
tattooed in huge letters on his back.

Its about 3:30pm and here is our latest operation:
Ride into Time's Square and connect with Reclaim the
Streets.  We had heard a rumor that Times Square would
be a mecca of after-official-protest activities.
Since people were getting denied access at so many
points into the pens and lied to, and harasses and run
over by horses and maced, and followed and video taped
and arrested for the savage and brutal crime of
walking in the streets, people were a little agitated.
For some strange reason, this had no effect on
people.  Not too many people went home, instead they
just sort of marched in the streets in groups of about
100-200 and had many more confrontations with New
York's finest.  Weird huh?  You would think all the
repression would make people turn-tail and run, but
not today.  Today was a day for people to express
themselves.

We heard reports that Times Square wasn't quite
happening yet...there weren't enough people, RTS was
eating lunch (sorry guys, I had to go there)  We
staled a little and then said...fuck it.

We rode into Times Square on 47th and Broadway and
everyone started cheering, like the star quarterback
had just entered the game in the 4th quarter and the
home team was down by 6.  47th street was the dreaded
half price ticket booth and Al Qaeda could be near.
The cops countered by closing off the streets as much
as they could as if below 47th street was filled with
demonstrations...we later learned this was a big
facade.  The were however lots of people on the
sidewalks and the bike block sort of green-lighted a
little reclaiming of public space.  People danced,
wrote "No war" in blue chalk, carried a cardboard
coffin that had the words "R.I.P. democracy."  The
chant..."Who's Streets? Our Streets filled the air
like a cry for battle."  Often in this situation,
critical mass types will hold up their bikes in
defiance like an explorer jamming a flag in the ground
and staking their claim.  These streets belong to the
people and we are here to dance upon the concrete
carpet.  Our orange jumpsuited friend held up a
bicycle with the saddle in his mouth and no hands as
like a trained seal balancing a ball.  I have never
seen anything like this.  The cops were amused for
about a millisecond but the dance went on.  Not enough
people took the streets and we could see a line of
riot cops forming.  This was our cue to mobilize. Put
that bike down, saddle up, the sheriffs here...move.
Let the protest happen, bikes need to keep moving.

We split and the cops cleared the streets.

We regrouped.  I found out the balancing bike act was
performed from:  "Travis Hugh Culley" author of the
book the Immortal Class which Brandon had finished and
recently given me to read.  Its a book about messenger
culture in Chicago and how someone goes from being
just a biker to learning about issues of public space
and becoming a bike activist.  This guy was off-the
hook.  He had such energy.  He chanted at the crowd,
almost preaching to them.  He climbed up on a NYTimes
delivery truck and pissed off their drivers who
reacted by shoving him off and attempted to drive the
truck into our parked group of bikers.  I wasn't sure
how to react to this, but it was entertaining in a
weird confrontational way.  Critical Mass deals with
this on a regular basis.  How to balance between
getting your message across and dealing with road
rage.  Often it is dealt with by the handing of a
flyer or a calming speech to try and de-escalate a
hostile situation, but, hey, maybe they do things
differently in Chicago.  Either way, Travis was way
cool and needed a ride.  He came to NYC with little
change and no bike.  We naturally gave him a lift and
traded it for some snacks and an on camera interview.

It was getting late.  Cops were starting to loose
patience.  The official march was long over and
spontaneous snake marches were just beginning.
Winding through the city.  Samba bands, drummers,
mohawked punks and people...all they wanted to do was
march.  No property destruction, no burning flags, no
targeting evil fast food chains.

We decided to do comm.  We called cell-phone numbers
and used nextels and found our friends digitally at
other marches.  Our new goal was to try and link
groups of people...it was the least we could do.  My
legs ached.  I had forgotten to drink water.  But this
was still exciting.

Earlier, Travis got arrested.  He had lied down in the
street for about 15 seconds to make a statement to
cars.  Then popped back on my bike rack.  We rode up
town and then two cops told him to get off and
arrested him.  I asked them what the charges were,
they said, lying in the street...disorderly conduct.
That is normally a summons.  But the cops were mighty
pissed off today and needed no real excuses to pinch
another person and get them off the streets.  I can't
blame them either.  I'd be mad too. If I had to do
such a shitty job like denie people their
constitutional rights and be told to run them over
with horses and not let them go to the permitted
assembly point.

One march was heading up 6th ave.  Taking the whole
street.  the cops moved in and started to arrest
people.  A young girl was forced to the ground by two
officers and one cop had difficulty arresting a 70
year old man in a tie die.  One person un arrested
themselves with the help of two people and this white
shirt got so pissed he smashed someone's megaphone, or
maybe it was police property.  It was just your usual
show of force.  Then a black undercover cop SUV rode
by and flipped me the middle finger...that must be the
professionalism the cops are always talking about.

Well the sun set.  The streets were cleared.  We heard
things were still going on, but there was nothing
going on in my stomach so we called it a wrap.

The final thing I remember was going down to the jail
house  in -13 degree weather.  We were near by at a
party so it was in the hood.  When we got to 1 police
plaza there was about 20 people standing on the
sidewalk.  We walked to meet them and find out what
was going on with the 350 arrests we heard about.
Then they all started walking towards us and I noticed
4 cops were pushing them back.  The NYPD, just
wouldn't give an inch, right till the last minutes of
the evening.  Let me see if I got this straight, we
can't even stand near the jail house to watch our
friends get out of jail?  Oh yeah,  Simon says were on
code orange...I mean what was I even doing there,
surely there was duct tape to stock up on or maybe by
some Broadway tickets at half price.