People may be interested in hearing what I experienced today in DC. (I originally sent this elsewhere--pardon the citation marks.)
>
>I got down to the Ellipse about 9:30, where a large group of protesters
>were
>gathered. The police had sealed off very large area around the WB/IMF and
>stocked it full of cops in riot gear and APCs. Word had it that they were
>cracking heads inside the area. Seeing that it was unrealistic to expect
>that we would be able to penetrate barricades manned by hundreds of
>policemen, it was decided, that a)that those completely willing to be
>arrested would form a CD group to risk getting rounded up (as well as
>gassed) at the barricades themselves, b) those willing to risk some chance
>of arrest should form a solidarity group to tag along after them, and c)
>those completely unwilling to be arrested should just go home.
>
>As I fall into Group C, I started to head home. As I was heading to the
>metro station, however, I came across a group of policemen demonstrating
>how
>to smash the hands of people attempting to cross the barricades. This
>riled
>me and, in a rather unprudent burst of solidarity, I went back to the
>march.
>
>We walked through downtown DC, followed by police and media (I was
>interviewed by the Miami Herald--I can hardly wait to see whether I'm
>quoted
>correctly or not). We made a point of staying together in as compact a
>unit
>as possible and moving through areas with large numbers of passersby in
>order to minimize the chances of being arrested, gassed, and/or thumped
>with
>billy clubs. All the whole chanting our catchy slogans and waving at the
>people in the surrounding office buildings.
>
>Eventually we made it to one of the barricades in front of the IMF
>building,
>where a group of stalwarts squatted down in front of the police line. The
>police boxed us in, leaving one side street open as an egress. A member of
>the Black Bloc took it into his head to lecture the police on Global
>Capitalism, a very amusing sight indeed. On a few occasions, I believe--I
>couldn't see very well--, people must have attempted to cross the line, as
>groups of people, mostly garbed in the traditional all-black anarchist
>attire, would come running back with their eyes streaming. I saw one young
>woman, couldn't have been more than 16, with blood streaming down her face.
>Gotta watch out for those dangerous 90-pound teenage girls, I guess. They
>are infamous for being able to overpower grown men in riot gear, after all.
>
>Eventually, it looked as if the police might be about to cross the line and
>end the standoff by force. At that point I departed, so I can't say what
>happened afterward.
>
>The _Post_ today is full of freakishly supportive articles about the
>protestors, including even one expressing qualified admiration for the
>anarchists. I have a theory about this--it seems that one of the Post's
>reporters was accidentally arrested, an Associated Press reportes was
>beaten
>up, and a (Reuters?) journalist was knocked unconscious by the police.
>Whoops!
>
>That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
>
>Chris Doss
>
>
>>From: DavidMcR at aol.com
>>To: itschris13 at hotmail.com
>>Subject: Re: WB/IMF meetings shut down
>>Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 15:17:49 EDT
>>
>>Yep,
>>I'd like the update.
>>David
>>
>><<
>> You as well--and my nose is a burning red.
>>
>> I was at the Direct Action earlier. I'll have an update later if
>>anyone's
>> interested.
>>
>> Chris Doss >>
>
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
>--
>To unsubscribe, send email to SocialistsUnmoderated-request at pinko.net
>with "unsubscribe" in the Subject line. Send complaints that can't be
>resolved by unsubscribing to doumakes at novia.net.
>
______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com