I heard from one source that "organizers" claimed as many as 100,000 in attendance in D.C. yet I listened to the entire c-span and Pacifica broadcasts and never heard any such estimates from the rally organizers.
Pacifica said "between 15 and 30,000" and at one point they said "over 20,000" but they said at that point that "organizers" were claiming upwards of 50,000.
The BBC reported 20,000
The DC IMC reported 35 - 40,000
L.A. Times said "organizers said... 100,000" but noted that park police said "far fewer than that".
Knight-Ritter said the crowd "appeared to be smaller than the 30, 000 organizers had expected".
A.P acknowledged the "organizers" estimate of 100,000 but also cited park police' s estimate of more like 20,000 - park police no longer issue official estimates, A.P. reported.
Obviously crowd size isn't a big issue in this case, although conservative pundits will probably hold this out as "proof" that the anti-war movement is fading ( but we know that's not the case).
My questions are; where did the 100,000 estimate come from and, if inaccurate, is this an example of UFPJ accepting A.N.S.W.E.R.'s habit of inflating numbers when it suits their aims and;
What do we ( UFPJ) think now about the effacacy of national rallies as an appropriate strategy at this stage in the movement?
Personally I think UFPJ should determine if and when thew next national rally is needed and that it should NOT be in D.C. but in a mid-Western or Southern city like Atlanta, Charlotte, Knoxville, Columbus, Ohio, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, etc.
If a rally is deemed appropriate we should build up to it methodically and steadily as a by-product of local organizing and coalition-building. We should not ask for other so-called "coalitions" to join us but instead we should more directly involve the organizations that are already in THIS coalition.
The Black Caucus of the Green Party is planning a national speaking tour and Tavis Smiley is now touring with Cornel West.. We should utilize our contacts and encourage a series of tours and conferences at which rally organizing committees can be developed so that it won't just be a general "cattle-call" but the product of a genuine grass-roots mobilization.
I think we should also take a moment to reflect on what ( if anything) UFPJ gained from cooperating with A.N.S.W.E.R. on this weekend's rally in D.C. --- End forwarded message ---