From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity
2004 Republican National Convention protest ac-
tivity
with assault of a police officer along with their other
charges.[2] [3]
Twelve AIDS activists from the AIDS Coalition to Un-
leash Power (ACT UP) staged a naked protest in front of
Madison Square Garden, demanding debt cancellation for
poor countries. They took their clothes off in the cross-
walk, stopping traffic, as they joined hands and began
chanting "Bush, Stop AIDS. Drop the Debt Now!" "Drop
the Debt" and "Stop AIDS" were stenciled in black paint
on their chests and backs. Their intent was to tell "the
naked truth" about Bush’s global AIDS policies - that they
are inadequate, and that debt cancellation must be a top
priority.[citation needed]
Seven of the protesters were completely naked, three
Protesters gather in Union Square before the march were semi-clothed, and two others, who stood off to the
side, were fully clothed, and held a large banner that read
2004 Republican National Convention protest activity "W: Drop the Debt. Stop AIDS." The two clothed activists
includes the broad range of marches, rallies, perfor- climbed on top of a nearby trailer to make the banner
mances, demonstrations, exhibits, and acts of civil dis- more visible. They were later arrested and faced sever-
obedience in New York City to protest the 2004 Repub- al charges, including endangerment of a police officer,
lican National Convention and the nomination of Presi- which was a result of the fact that officers had to climb
dent George W. Bush for the 2004 U.S. presidential elec- on top of the trailer, which was a generator, in order to
tion. arrest them.
Hundreds of groups organized protests, including Although there were several times as many police of-
United for Peace and Justice, a coalition of more than ficers as there were protesters on the scene, it was sev-
800 left-wing, and International ANSWER. Over 1800 in- enteen minutes before the activists were arrested. They
dividuals were arrested by the authorities, a record for a were represented by Ron Kuby, and all of the charges
political convention in the U.S.[1] However 90% of those were later dropped. A few protesters who were semi-
charges were eventually dropped.[1] clothed were not arrested, and faced no charges. [4]
The activists later became one of the subjects in pho-
Thursday, August 26 tographer Richard Avedon’s last project, published in the
New Yorker.[5]
Four young professionals and students, who called them-
selves Operation Sybil, hung a banner over the front of
the Plaza Hotel. Two of them rappelled down the front Friday, August 27
of the hotel, after which they were able to hang the ban- Between 5,000 and 6,000 participants took part in the
ner more than a dozen stories above the ground. The Critical Mass bicycle ride. The monthly NYC Critical Mass
banner, which measured 60 feet (18 m) wide and roughly ride promoted by the environmental group Time’s Up!
three stories high, said "Truth," with an arrow pointing occurs on the last Friday of each month and prior to this
in one direction (toward Central Park, where the United ride had usually attracted about 1,500 riders. Police even-
for Peace March was supposed to take place) and "Bush," tually blockaded roads and arrested 264 people in rela-
with an arrow pointing the other direction (toward Madi- tion to that event. Most of them were charged with disor-
son Square Garden, the site of the convention). The four derly conduct and held in custody for up to 72 hours. This
climbers were quickly arrested and the banner was re- was the first time the NYPD had made any significant ar-
moved by the police. One police officer was injured in the rests of Critical Mass participants.[6][7][8][9]
process when he stepped on a skylight and it broke. As a
result of the officer’s injury, the climbers were charged
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity
Sunday, August 29
Police and fire officers stand amidst debris following the torch-
ing of a dragon float
Many New Yorkers showed solidarity with the marchers
Radical drum corps and marching bands, such as the Rude Me-
chanical Orchestra shown here, were a common sight.
Visual pun effigies of Dick Cheney and George W. Bush at the
march
United for Peace and Justice organized the main march
of the week, one of the largest protests in U.S. history, in Signs outside the mobile Bushville in Brooklyn
which protesters marched past Madison Square Garden,
the site of the convention. The march included hundreds
held a mock countermarch. Estimates of crowd size
of separate contingents as well as individual marchers.
ranged from 120,000 (unnamed police spokesman) to
One Thousand Coffins, a nationwide group of citizens,
over 500,000 (organizers, second unnamed police
veterans and clergy, held a procession of one thousand
source).[10][11] In March, 2007 NYPD Deputy Commission-
full-scale flag-draped coffins commemorating the fallen
er Paul Browne stated about the RNC protests: "You cer-
troops. Several hundred members of Billionaires for Bush
tainly had 800,000 on August 29th."[12]
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity
Organizers held a pre-march press conference in knocking him unconscious. Police made several arrests
front of thousands on 7th Avenue. Several people spoke and deployed tear gas.
in opposition to the war in Iraq and Bush administration Note: There is considerable dispute involving this in-
policies including Michael Moore, Jesse Jackson, Con- cident, as many eyewitnesses said they had no idea this
gressman Charles Rangel, and a father who had lost his was a policemen, who intentionally rammed his motor-
son in Iraq.[13] The whole event lasted six hours, with the cycle straight into a dense crowd, hitting and injuring
lead contingent finishing the march long before thou- people, which started the altercation.
sands of people could even move from the starting • Thousands From Poor People’s Campaign March
point.[14][15] The City government, under Republican From UN to Near Madison Square Garden [18] "The
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, had earlier denied the pro- divide and arrest tactics used by the police in the
testers a permit to hold a rally in Central Park following march have been seen in the past several days in
the march, citing concern for the park’s grass. The West New York here, and as have the use of undercover
Side Highway was offered instead, but organizers re- officers, mopeds and motorcycles."
fused, citing exorbitant costs for the extra sound equip- • Peaceful Protests Erupt Into Violence Near
ment and problems for the location.[16] Organizers en- Republican National Convention [19] "Eyewitness
couraged people to go to Central Park following the reports confirmed that an undercover police officer
march’s conclusion in Union Square. Disturbances were in a scooter rammed his way into the throngs of
minor. New York Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly re- protestors, driving as fast as 20 miles an hour, as the
ported about 200 arrests with 9 felonies — most of them police were splitting the crowd, before being
occurring after the march had concluded. knocked off and beaten by an angry demonstrator.
This was also the day when the Protest Warrior and ’What kind of person would ram into dozens of
Communists for Kerry counter-protest groups held their people in a scooter with a line of police behind him?’
main counter-demonstrations in support of Bush and the asked protestor Gonzalo Hereda afterwards in
RNC. disbelief."
For the most part, the march proceeded peacefully
and without violence. The only major incident during the
march occurred when some individuals of unknown af-
Tuesday, August 31
filiations torched a large dragon float between Madison A group called the A31 Action Coalition [20] called for
Square Garden and the Fox News building. The float massive civil disobedience on Tuesday, August 31.
turned into a huge fireball, and the march was halted Members of CODEPINK and others gathered in front
until firefighters were able to clear the street of debris. of Fox News Channel’s headquarters in New York City
Later, there was a minor scuffle as some individuals tried and held a "Fox News Shut-Up-A-Thon." About 1,000 peo-
to take some of the Protest Warriors’ signs. ple protested the network, complaining about lack of bal-
ance and deriding it as a propaganda arm of the Republi-
can Party.[21][22]
Monday, August 30 Most of the protesters from the War Resisters League
Still We Rise, a coalition of 52 NYC-based community or- didn’t get very far from the World Trade Center on their
ganizations for the poor and people of color marched at 3-mile procession to the RNC convention at Madison
noon from Union Square to Madison Square Garden, and Square Garden. They crossed one block and 227 of them
held a rally by the Garden.[17] were instantly surrounded by police and arrested. The
At 4 PM, the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights several hundred remaining in the WRL contingent pro-
Campaign, a national campaign involving over sixty or- ceeded up a different route and got closer to the conven-
ganizations held a rally by the United Nations on the tion, and did a "die-in" in the street where 54 more were
Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. Along with many homeless and arrested.
poor people who have been marching with the PPEHRC • RNC 2004: 400 Detained in Massive Arrests[23]
through New Jersey and living in a "mobile Bushville" • THE REPUBLICANS: THE CONVENTION IN NEW
(which settled in Brooklyn a week before the Conven- YORK—DEMONSTRATIONS; At Least 900 Arrested in
tion), thousands thronged the streets despite having City As Protesters Clash With Police [24] "It’s an
been denied a permit and marched down Second Avenue example of the police suckering the protesters, said Donna
and up Eighth Avenue to Madison Square Garden, the po- Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil
lice having decided not to stop the protesters. A few trou- Liberties Union, referring to the arrest of some 200
blemakers apparently acting alone disrupted the march protesters who said they thought they were abiding
towards the end by tearing open police barricades, with by an agreement they had negotiated with the police
one person attacking a plainclothes police detective who as they marched from ground zero on Fulton Street."
had driven his scooter into the crowd (see note below), It was a bait-and-switch tactic, she added, where they
approved a demonstration and the protesters kept up their
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity
end of the bargain. They undermined people’s confidence
in the police, and that’s a serious problem as we go
forward."
Protest from within the con-
vention
Throughout the convention, there were several protest-
ers who were able to sneak into Madison Square Garden
and disrupt the speakers at the podium. Some even de-
scribed it as surprisingly easy.[25]
Anti-war activists from CODEPINK disrupted prime-
time addresses three nights in a row and twice during Ge-
orge W. Bush’s acceptance speech.[26][27][28] Inside Pier 57, the former Hudson Pier Depot
The father of one of the first U.S. servicemen killed in
Iraq was ejected after holding up a sign that read "Bush
and bystanders alike.[citation needed] People were required
Lied. My Son Died." [29][30]
to show identification cards or face arrest; the arrested
Eleven AIDS activists from ACT UP infiltrated the con-
people were not immediately informed of charges
vention center during the Republican Youth Convention,
against them.
chanting anti-Bush slogans and disrupting the event.[31]
The facility was the then-recently closed Hudson Pier
One female protester holding a sign was subdued by se-
Depot at Pier 57 on the Hudson River in Manhattan, a
curity, and alleged that she was kicked by a member
three-story, block-long pier that has been converted into
of the Young Republicans while she was on the ground.
a temporary holding facility, though unfit for detention
Video of this event was shot by a local news station, but
of prisoners. Arrested protesters have complained about
it proved to be inconclusive, because while it showed
extremely poor conditions describing it as overcrowded,
the Republican making kicking motions, it didn’t show
dirty, and contaminated with oil and asbestos. People re-
that any contact was made.[32] News of the alleged attack
ported having suffered from smell, bad ventilation, and
spread through the blogosphere, leading a website to
even chemical burns and rashes[37][38][39][40][41]
identify a person whom they believed was the alleged
Numerous troubling cases were reported, notably:
attacker.[33] The female protester who was kicked then
• A 15-year-old diabetic girl on her way to a movie was
came forward and said she would consider pressing
arrested.[42]
charges; however, she later decided that it was more
• A former vice president of Morgan Stanley was
worthwhile to expend her energy fighting AIDS.[34] The
arrested while riding her bicycle.[42]
identity of the alleged attacker has not been conclusively
• A 16-year-old protestor was lost to her mother for
confirmed. The eleven ACT UP protestors were charged
two days, even though her mother knew about and
with disorderly conduct, 2nd and 3rd degree assault, and
supported her daughter’s participation.[43]
inciting a riot (1 violation, 1 misdemeanor, and 2
• Small pens were used to contain "30 to 40 people" at
felonies), although all of the charges were dropped. A
once.[44]
twelfth individual, not associated with ACT UP, was also
• Many people were detained longer than 24 hours on
arrested with them for taking pictures of the action.[35]
relatively trivial charges.[45][46] One was a 23-year-
old Montreal student arrested for disorderly conduct
Police tactics and Pier 57 and released three days later. "He says he spent a
total of 57 hours between the pier and Central
Concerns have been raised about police tactics in arrest-
Booking, during which time he says he was moved 14
ing nonviolent protesters with many apparently inno-
times and repeatedly handcuffed and shackled to
cent people being swept up in mass arrests.[36]
other protesters as young as 15." [47]
Guantanamo on the Hudson was a term coined during
The City reportedly refused to release the prisoners until
the Republican National Convention by a lawyer who,
a judge threatened to fine it for every extra hour every
amongst 1000 other people, was detained in a facility by
prisoner would spend in prison. The victims of the ar-
the New York City Police, in such conditions that he said
rests have filed lawsuits against the City of New York.
that the city had created its "own little Guantanamo on
One of the most prominent personalities arrested was
the Hudson" (an allusion to the tortures reported in pris-
Eric Corley "Emmanuel Goldstein", an important advo-
oners camps in Guantanamo).
cate of public rights and independent media, and editor
The City police closed a street adjoining Union Square
of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly.[48] The complete report of
where protesters were marching, arresting protesters
2600 is available at http://www.2600.com/rnc2004/.[49]
4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity
• Scenes from the protests and convention are
available online at CSPAN.com.
See also
• Free speech zone
References
[1] ^ New York Civil Liberties Union Recap - fact is on
page 7 of the PDF.
[2] The Plaza Action Press Release
[3] Photographs of the action
[4] Republican National Convention Protests in NYC
[5] [1]
[6] Democracy Now! | Critical Mass: Over 260 Arrested
in First Major Protest of RNC
[7] publish.nyc.indymedia.org | First notes on the
Critical Mass
[8] Critical Mass vs. NYPD
[9] TIME’S UP! :: NYC Direct Action Environmental
Organization - HOME
[10] Massive protest mostly peaceful, Chicago Tribune,
August 30, 2004.
[11] 500,000 March Against Bush in Largest Convention
An unknown arrested protester sprawls out on the vast space
Protest Ever," Democracy Now!, August 30, 2004.
of the Pier to stretch and rest in the evening
[12] "NYPD Debates Civil Liberties Attorney Over Police
Spying of Protesters". Democracy Now!. March 26,
Several cases have since gone to court, and it has
2007.
come out that the charges of resisting arrest in those
[13] Democracy Now! | Antiwar Voices Address March:
cases were completely fabricated. Video evidence was
Michael Moore, Jesse Jackson, Fernando Suarez,
shown of defendants complying peaceably with police
Charles Barron and More
demands. Many of the cases have since been summarily
[14] Democracy Now! | The Battle for New York: 500,000
dismissed. Some of them, as of 2011, however, remain
March Against Bush in Historic Antiwar Protest
open and are expected to proceed to trial.
[15] publish.nyc.indymedia.org | Photo summary of A29
The New York Times has reported on two occasions
[16] Judge Blocks Central Park Protest
that the police videotaped and infiltrated protests, as
[17] Democracy Now! | Still We Rise: Poor People March
well as acting as agents provocateurs during the
Against the ’Bush-Kerry’ Agenda
protests.[50][51]
[18] "Thousands From Poor People’s Campaign March
In addition, the New York Times reported that prior to
From UN to Near Madison Square Garden".
the protests, NYPD officers traveled as far away as Europe
Archived from the original on 2009-05-21.
and spied on people there who planned to protest at the
http://www.democracynow.org/2004/8/31/
RNC. [50]
thousands_from_poor_peoples_campaign_march.
Retrieved 2009-05-17.
General information [19] Peaceful Protests Erupt Into Violence Near
Republican National Convention Archived 21 May
• NYC & Company, New York’s tourism board,
2009 at WebCite
initiated the Peaceful Political Activists visitor
[20] a31.org Archived October 30, 2010 at the Wayback
program, which gives protest event information on
Machine
its website and enables wearers of a "Peaceful
[21] Democracy Now! | New York Protesters Hold "Fox
Political Activist" button discounts at selected stores
News Shut-Up-A-Thon"
and restaurants.
[22] Protesters Denounce Fox News for ’Twisted Views’
• RNC Mass Defense is a collaboration of the New York
[23] http://www.derekhenkle.com/index.php?page=2
People’s Law Collective, the National Lawyers Guild,
[24] THE REPUBLICANS - THE CONVENTION IN NEW
and the New York Civil Liberties Union, who worked
YORK - DEMONSTRATIONS - At Least 900 Arrested
to provide free legal support for all protesters.
5
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity
in City As Protesters Clash With Police - [38] Democracy Now! | Guantanamo On the Hudson:
NYTimes.com Detained RNC Protesters Describe Prison
[25] Crashing the Party was Surprisingly Easy, Activists Conditions
Say [39] Democracy Now! | Making Protest Painful: Detained
[26] Democracy Now! | Medea Benjamin Dragged off RNC Protesters Held in Crowded, Oil-Contaminated
RNC Floor for Unfurling "Pro-Life: Stop the Killing Conditions
of Iraq" Banner [40] Article Not Found! Archived March 20, 2005 at the
[27] Democracy Now! | Relentless Protest: CODEPINK Wayback Machine
Activists Ejected From RNC Three Nights in a Row [41] GOP Convention Detainees Describe Long Stays in
[28] S.F. Woman Hauled Away for Interrupting Grimy Conditions
President [42] ^ firstamendmentcenter.org: news
[29] Democracy Now! | Father of Soldier Killed in Iraq [43] Suit challenges detentions at GOP convention -
Ejected From RNC For Holding Sign Reading: "Bush Politics - MSNBC.com
Lied. My Son Died" [44] Bone, James (September 2, 2004). "Police hold 1000
[30] "A father gets anti-war message to the floor". at Guantanamo on the Hudson". The Times
SignOnSanDiego.com. 2004-09-02. (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/ 0,,11069-1243666,00.html. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
20040902-9999-1n2solar.html. [45] Judge Orders New York to Immediately Release
[31] Democracy Now! | ACT-UP Activists Face Assault & Hundreds of Protesters in Lockup
Riot Charges for Protest Inside RNC [46] Democracy Now! | Father of Arrested Protester:
[32] video "My Son Has Been Disappeared By This State
[33] Reason Magazine - Hit & Run > Kicking ’em While [47] Guantanamo on the Hudson - Page 1 - News - New
They’re Down York - Village Voice
[34] [2] Archived September 23, 2004 at the Wayback [48] 2600 NEWS: 2600 EDITOR EMMANUEL GOLDSTEIN
Machine AMONG 900+ ARRESTED AT ANTI-RNC PROTESTS
[35] The New York Times > New York Region > City [49] 2600 | 2004 Republican National Convention in NYC
Arrest Tactics, Used on Protesters, Face Test in [50] ^ Dwyer, Jim (December 22, 2005). "New York
Court Police Covertly Join In at Protest Rallies". The New
[36] Democracy Now! | Crackdown: 400 Arrests as NYPD York Times: p. A1. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/
Unveil New Policing Tactics & Surveillance abstract.html?res=F60F14F83F540C718EDDAB0994DD404482.
Methods Retrieved 2006-09-22.
[37] Democracy Now! | WIth 600+ Arrests, Attorney [51] Dwyer, Jim (March 25, 2007). "City Police Spied
Norman Siegel Warns About Unsafe Jail Conditions Broadly Before G.O.P. Convention". The New York
For Protesters Times: p. 1.1.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/in-
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Categories:
• 2004 Republican National Convention
• Political history of New York City
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• 2004 in New York
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