Posted on 5/1/2012 by the Salt City Sinner
It was a glorious spring day in Salt City today.So why not get some exercise in the form of a protest march celebrating May Day? Our goal was to meet at the City County Building and march to the capitol.
The crowd started to gather at the City County building at 3:00 PM, MST.
The big news on the street was that the Black Bloc would be in attendance (my views on the Bloc are mixed at best).
Were there Black Bloc comrades* at today's march? Yes, there were:
The real story here is that we had an ally far more lovable (but I would argue less flexible) than the Bloc on our side. Gumby.
My favorite sign by far:
And we marched!
At one point the protesters were too many to stay on the sidewalk and spilled into the street, effectively stopping traffic. The cops (who were already on scene) blared their sirens and ominously intoned "STAY OFF THE STREET" through bullhorns.
The response? Protesters began chanting "Whose streets? OUR streets!"
One ambitious police officer tried to cut off the march with his squad car. The crowd surged around him without missing a beat. We arrived at the capitol:
There were speeches by the Anarchist Black Cross, I.W.W., the ALEC Welcoming Committee, etc.
A good time was had by all.
* - Note: I do not approve of many of the Black Bloc's tactics, including the destruction of property, and, most of all, their apparently insatiable appetite to fight the cops.
It was a glorious spring day in Salt City today.So why not get some exercise in the form of a protest march celebrating May Day? Our goal was to meet at the City County Building and march to the capitol.
The crowd started to gather at the City County building at 3:00 PM, MST.
The big news on the street was that the Black Bloc would be in attendance (my views on the Bloc are mixed at best).
Were there Black Bloc comrades* at today's march? Yes, there were:
The real story here is that we had an ally far more lovable (but I would argue less flexible) than the Bloc on our side. Gumby.
My favorite sign by far:
And we marched!
At one point the protesters were too many to stay on the sidewalk and spilled into the street, effectively stopping traffic. The cops (who were already on scene) blared their sirens and ominously intoned "STAY OFF THE STREET" through bullhorns.
The response? Protesters began chanting "Whose streets? OUR streets!"
One ambitious police officer tried to cut off the march with his squad car. The crowd surged around him without missing a beat. We arrived at the capitol:
There were speeches by the Anarchist Black Cross, I.W.W., the ALEC Welcoming Committee, etc.
A good time was had by all.
* - Note: I do not approve of many of the Black Bloc's tactics, including the destruction of property, and, most of all, their apparently insatiable appetite to fight the cops.
Why the disclaimer about the Black Bloc anarchists? Nobody destroyed a single thing yesterday, as far as I could tell, and there wasn't a single scuffle with the cops either. Can't we all be proud to have marched together in solidarity?
ReplyDeleteyou make a very good point. the Bloc was very peaceful and there were no outbreaks of violence (like there were in Oakland, et. al.)
ReplyDeleteI do not approve of the Bloc's philosophy when it comes to violence, however
Not even gonna argue. But I'll suggest this piece: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/02/why-all-the-smashy-smashy-a-beginners-guide-to-targeted-property-destruction
ReplyDeleteThank you Jesse - food for thought.
DeleteLoved reading this thank yyou
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it was a very successful march.
ReplyDelete