GROUND
ZERO PLUS 1084 DAYS--New York, NY, Saturday,
August 28, 2004--My
neighborhood became a clash last night between police and
protestors. It ended up with billy clubs, handcuffs, jeers,
cheers and more than 100 arrests just a few feet from my doorstep.
I
was
in
the
middle
of
it
all,
shoving
my
camera
into
the
faces
of
young
protestors
being
bulldogged
to
the
pavement
on
2nd
Ave
and
10th
Street
in
the
East
Village
by
angry
police,
some
in
riot
gear.
 |
Last
night
police
and
protestors
clashed
practically
at
my
doorstep
|
They
were
the
least
of
Terrorists,
these
young
people.
They
were
bicyclists
-
most
of
them
members
of
the
Critical
Mass
bike
club
that
meets
on
the
last
Friday
of
every
to
ride
through
the
city's
streets..
Earlier,
about
six
to
eight
thousand
of
them
rode
their
bikes
throughout
the
island
of
Manhattan,
many
bearing
the
signs--"Bicycles
against
the
oil
wars."
It
started
off
quiet
and
reserved
and
included
police
escorts
as
the
legion
of
cyclists
jammed
traffic
in
a
long
serpentine
mobile
body
that
embossed
its
opposition
to
the
war,
to
the
Republican
convention,
and
to
most
institutions
charged
with
the
protection
of
civil
rights.
Of
course,
the
majority
of
these
cyclists
believe
the
"monsters"
are
in
office,
and
that
by
voting
in
a
"new
monster"
that
the
"monster"
will
evaporate.
They
forget
that
"power
corrupts"
and
that
whatever
flows
from
a
politician's
mouth
to
garner
votes
morphs
suddenly
in
the
sunlight
of
reality
and
compromise,
elements
fundamental
to
political
leadership.
 |
The
bicycle
protest
started
off
friendly,
quiet
and
reserved |
Having
at
least
a
generation
of
experience
over
the
cyclists,
I
held
a
slightly
different
view
of
their
protest.
Instead
of
seeing
it
as
a
need
for
change,
I
considered
it
an
example
of
the
right
to
protest
regardless
of
the
outcome.
Then
things
turned
ugly.
 |
|
St.
Mark's-in-the-Bowery
Church
was
built
on
the
farm
of
Governor
Peter
Stuyvesant
in
1660
and
later
destroyed.
This
replacement
was
erected
in
1799
and
is
one
of
the
oldest
churches
in
the
city.
Still
an
active
parish,
the
elegant
wood
and
stone
building
is
also
used
as
a
cultural
center. |
The
group
assembled
at
a
famous
church
in
the
East
Village,
St.
Mark's
On
The
Bowery,known
for
its
historic
rallying
for
a
variety
of
causes
that
reaches
back
into
the
well
of
New
York
History.
Immigrants
and
abolutionists
used
its
sacred
halls
to
voice
dissent
against
the
oppression
of
the
world.
Now,
it
stands
as
a
symbol,
an
icon
of
modern
dissent,
a
sanctuary
where
politics
and
religion
become
united
in
favor
of
the
underdog.
My
wife
and
I
were
crossing
the
street
to
our
favorite
deli
to
get
ice
cream
that
was
on
sale--two
pints
for
nearly
the
price
of
one--a
deal
no
one
in
their
right
mind
could
turn
down
-
even
on
a
diet!
The
cyclists
appeared
in
mass,
clogging
the
streets.
Earlier,
I
had
taken
pictures
of
them
at
the
start
of
the
rally
by
Union
Square
with
police
escorts
assuring
the
orderly
flow
of
their
traverse
through
the
city.
Now,
they
were
without
police
escorts,
a
self-governed
mass
of
wheels
and
spokes
and
shouts
and
cheers
unmuffled
by
government
herding.
All
went
well
until
they
began
to
raise
their
bikes
over
their
heads
in
defiance.
They
had
"taken
over
the
streets,"
stopped
all
traffice
on
2nd
Avenue,
a
main
artery
leading
from
Uptown
to
Downtown,
and
a
sure
reason
for
a
flood
of
police
to
soon
appear
on
the
scene
to
disband
the
group.
 |
The
cyclists
took
over
the
streets
and
stopped
traffic
|
My
wife
informed
me
she
wasn't
going
to
stay
very
long
because
she
isn't
as
eager
to
watch
protests
in
action
as
I
am
and
is
not
impressed
by
protestors
defying
police
and
order.
I
am
my
camera
in
these
situations,
and
see
with
an
infinite
eye.
I
like
to
shove
my
camera
into
the
faces
of
dissent
and
preserve
it
as
a
tribute
to
America's
power
and
strength
as
a
nation
of
free
people,
even
when
I
disagree
with
its
message
or
recoil
politically
from
its
message.
The
right
to
oppose
is
more
fundamental
I
believe
than
the
reason,
for
anyone
can
pervert
the
reason
for
or
against
their
particular
views,
but
the
right
to
oppose
is
pure.
It
exists
a
priori
to
any
banner
or
label
one
might
affix
to
the
chanting,
jeering
voices
of
the
dissent.That's
what
I
sought
with
my
camera--the
price
of
dissent.
 |
I
sought
the
price
of
dissent
-
with
my
camera
|
In
a
way,
I
look
at
dissent
as
an
Act
of
Vigilance
against
the
Beast
of
Political
Terrorism.
Whether
it
is
a
grand
protest
against
a
major
political
party,
or
a
simple
protest
by
a
person
on
a
street
against
someone
using
harsh
or
obscene
words
against
a
child,
the
idea
of
"free
expression"
means
that
we
all
have
a
"duty"
to
stand
up
for
what
we
believe
is
"right"
even
if
it
may
be
considered
"wrong."
Winston
Churchill
said
it
best:
"Stand
for
Something
Or
Be
Nothing!"
He
didn't
quantify
what
to
stand
for,
or
grade
it.
He
knew
that
Complacency
was
the
nest
of
Terrorism,
for
when
someone
is
so
Terrorized
as
to
not
speak
out
his
or
her
beliefs
then
that
person
becomes
a
slave
to
the
Beast
of
Fear
and
Intimidation.
He
or
she
becomes
the
nail
and
the
world
is
the
hammer.
The
employee
at
work
who
sees
wrongs
being
done
and
elects
to
not
speak
out
against
them
so
he
or
she
doesn't
"rock
the
boat"
becomes
a
conspirator
of
that
crime
through
Complacency.
Ducking
and
weaving
to
avoid
the
front
line
results
in
a
cowardly
attitude
that
a
child
watching
or
listening
soon
learns
is
the
"safe
way"
to
live
life.
But
in
the
end,
learning
to
become
Complacent
and
not
stand
up
for
yourself
results
is
a
crippling
of
human
character,
a
thirst
to
depend
on
others
for
your
elan
vital,
a
softening
of
human
marrow
so
that
standing
on
your
own
two
feet
requires
crutches.
Last
night,
even
though
I
did
not
agree
with
the
protestors'
messages,
I
did
agree
with
their
right
to
dissent.
Even
those
who
were
arrested
I
felt
a
kinship
with
them,
for
if
they
were
protesting
their
"rights"
and
ended
up
face
down
on
the
pavement
with
two
cop's
knees
in
their
backs
wrenching
the
plastic
handcuffs
so
tight
their
wrists
swelled,
then
that
price
of
dissent
was
worth
the
pain
and
anguish.
Of
course,
if
they
were
protesting
nothing
more
than
the
anger
of
the
moment,
then
there
isn't
much
to
say
for
those
who
have
no
real
reason
to
stand
up
to
authority.
But,
for
the
most
part,
those
arrested
were
challenging
the
authority
of
the
police
to
deny
them
the
right
to
assemble,
even
when
that
assembly
blocked
traffic
and
clogged
streets.
 |
In
the
sky,
police
helicopters
were
aided
by
cameras
in
a
blimp
|
Then
the
bottles
were
thrown.
Hidden
in
the
safety
of
the
crowds
watching,
some
started
throwing
full
water
bottles
at
the
police--attacking
them
in
a
sneaky,
silent
way.
That
was
a
violation
of
Free
Speech,
for
they
weren't
willing
to
pay
the
price
of
dissent.
They
were
true
"Terrorists"
who
incite
and
run,
anonymous
"snipers"
in
the
faceless
crowds,
emotional
arsonists
trying
to
enflame
the
situation.
It
worked.
The
police
became
more
aggressive
until
the
street
was
filled
with
handcuffed
protestors
who
challenged
the
police's
right
to
disassemble
them.
After
I
was
shoved
seven
times
by
the
police
for
taking
pictures
(I
kept
moving
in
closer
to
get
close
ups)
I
decided
to
leave.
I
was
reaching
the
point
where
I
was
about
to
challenge
authority
and
claim
my
rights
to
record
the
event--which
would
have
led
me
to
a
night
in
jail.
And,
I
had
my
ice
cream
waiting
for
me.
 |
Winston
Churchill
said
"Stand
For
Something
Or
Be
Nothing" |
I
didn't
feel
uncomfortable
leaving.
I
knew
my
job
had
been
done.
I
was
recording
the
Act
of
Protest
Vigilance,
and
while
not
in
agreement
with
it,
I
respected
it.
I
also
respected
the
right
of
the
police
to
maintain
order.
For
the
most
part,
they
were
not
as
violent
as
they
could
have
been.
I
didn't
see
any
clubbings
and
no
one
took
a
machine
gun
and
fired
it
point-blank
into
the
crowd
as
might
have
happened
in
a
third-world
country.
But
the
crowd's
chant
balanced
a
lot
of
that:
"The
Whole
World's
Watching!
The
Whole
World's
Watching!"
That,
I
believe
is
the
key
to
it
all.
The
"whole
world
is
watching,"
and
that's
good.
When
the
American
citizens
can
dissent
anything
at
anytime,
including
their
own
government,
and
do
it
in
as
peaceful
a
manner
as
possible,
it
sends
a
giant
message
to
the
Beast
of
Terror
that
American
people
will
not
run
and
hide
from
fundamental
beliefs.
 |
The
crowd
chanted
"The
Whole
World's
Watching" |
Terrorism
seeks
to
make
people
Fearful,
Intimidated
and
most
of
all
Complacent.
There
is
no
Complacency
in
New
York
City.
The
people
here
are
taking
on
the
world's
strongest
of
all
authorities--democracy--and
putting
its
feet
to
the
fire.
Young,
old,
smart,
stupid,
angry,
happy--a
whole
matrix
of
people
are
rising
up
by
the
tens
of
thousands
to
express
to
the
world
that
America's
democratic
system
is
not
what
happens
inside
Madison
Square
Garden
at
the
Republican
Convention,
but
what
happens
out
on
the
streets
through
the
message
of
the
protestors.
When
a
nation
can
stand
belly
to
belly
with
its
government
in
dissent,
and
risk
arrest
and
confinement
for
such
actions,
then
these
are
acts
of
Political
Vigilance.
 |
The
Beast
of
Terror
has
won
when
the
right
to
protest
has
been
constrained
|
They
inform
our
children
and
our
Children's
Children's
Children
that
the
right
to
protest
is
the
reason,
the
grass
roots
of
democracy.
When
that
right
disappears,
the
Beast
of
Terror
has
won.
So,
I
believe
the
protestors
are
Sentinels
of
Vigilance.
They
tell
my
grandchildren
you
can
and
should,
as
Mr.
Churchill
said:
"Stand
for
Something
or
Be
Nothing."
If
you
are
really
a
protestor,
you
should
take
the
Pledge
of
Vigilance.
Nothing
is
more
important
than
dissenting
against
Fear,
Intimidation
and
Complacency
-
in
a
peaceful,
non-violent
manner.
Be
a
true
Sentinel
of
Vigilance--protest
today--for
Vigilance!
Protestors
vs
Police:
Terrorism
vs
Vigilance
-
or
Vigilance
vs
Terrorism???
|
Protestors
vs
Police:
Terrorism
vs
Vigilance
-
or
Vigilance
vs
Terrorism???
|
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