NEW YORK -- By noon last Sunday, only a trickle of creatively dressed anti-Bush protesters rounded the corner of Sixth Avenue and 14th St. in New York City. I was in town for the weekend and had decided to attend the highly anticipated demonstration organized by United for Peace and Justice. At first I thought the so-called massive protest against the Republican Convention was a "bust."
Moments later, though, the handful of protesters met with thousands of others lined up along Seventh Avenue, chanting "No More Years" -- a parody of Bush supporters' refrain "Four More Years."
The Republican National Convention kicked off Monday and concluded last night with President George W. Bush's speech before GOP delegates. As a media intern, I eagerly attended the convention Monday night -- but I realized the week was marked with more than high-profile speeches and celebrity appearances.
A diverse range of anti-Republican and anti-Bush groups organized several innovative protests. Some of the demonstrations included a "die-in," in which hundreds of protesters faked their own death in front of Madison Square Garden, the site of the convention, Tuesday night.
Another demonstration consisted of thousands of protesters lining up in a mock unemployment line with faux pink slips in hand to protest rising unemployment rates on Wednesday.
The Sunday protest, organized by United for Peace and Justice, marked the most anticipated and highly attended of a list of demonstrations. Although initial estimates suggested that thousands would participate in the march past Madison Square Garden, The New York Times reported that a half a million protesters were in attendance.
As I waded through the packed streets in 90-degree heat, I saw residents in apartments lining Seventh Avenue draping banners with anti-Bush expletives. Another group held a giant banner with the word "Bush" crossed out, the face of it turned to the sky so it could be viewed by helicopters that circled above.
Many demonstrators were dressed in imaginative costumes, including one clad as a green shrub, representing Bush, and another who donned inflatable male genitalia intended to represent Vice President Dick Cheney. The spectacle was complete with mock secret service agents, shouting "Make way for the president and vice president!"
Other protesters sought to make an emotional impact, carrying coffins draped with the American flag to represent U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.
Tensions rose as I watched the protesters approach Madison Square Garden. They were met by police officers lined up in front of the convention center.
Some protesters screamed in the general direction of the convention center while other chanted "Four More Months" in unison.
At times, it appeared the officers were bearing the burden of the verbal assault but occasionally I would hear a demonstrator say "Good job, guys" or "Keep it up" to a straight-faced officer.
Despite the large number of attendees, the march remained relatively peaceful. According to the New York Times, there were 200 arrests for disorderly conduct.
At one point, I watched as a counter-protester holding a sign that read "In God and Pres. Bush we trust" was met with shouts of "shame, shame" from protesters. One man, holding a United for Peace and Justice sign, yelled at his fellow anti-Bush protestors, "This is a democracy!"
I left New York City Tuesday morning in time for the first day of class but I heard from friends and media reports that many of the demonstrations that followed Sunday's march were not as peaceful. According to Reuters, more than 1,760 people had been detained for civil disobedience by Wednesday.
Jennifer Eggleston, an intern from Toxic Comedy Pictures who attended and filmed several of the week's demonstrations, said Sunday's march was different from later demonstrations that proved to be more volatile.
"Sunday, it was kind of a spectacle, things seemed under control, people kept moving, there was a lot of space there and there weren't any problems with the cops," Eggleston said.
But at a demonstration Eggleston attended Tuesday night, protestors were more active and police officers were more aggressive.
"The cops put on riot gear like they were anticipating something," she said. "The police were preemptively keeping people away."
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