March on Washington for Gaza

(please send to friends and lists)
LET GAZA LIVE!
Stop the U.S./Israeli War Against the Palestinian People

National March on Washington
Saturday, January 10 Assemble at
the White House (north side) at 1:00 PM

Psssst... Do Something

• Contact the Broadcast Media
  
• Contact the Newspapers
  
• Contact the US Senate
  
• Contact the House of Representatives

Sources:

Pentagon Protest: Police Line on Washington Blvd

This is the final in a set of three photo essays about the Pentagon protest on March 17, 2007. The other two photo essays are:

Overview and Miscellaneous Photos

Speaker Stage Area Photos

As noted in the "Overview," the march led to a speaker's stage set up with the Pentagon in the background. The second area of activity was a police barrier across Washinton Boulevard at the bridge crossing Route 110 (Jefferson Davis Highway). The bridge is in the background of the photo below. The police line was formed on the left side of the bridge relative to the photo below.

Crowd listening to Speakers at the Pentagon Protest.
Washington Blvd. bridge in background.
March 17, 2007.

Upon arriving at the bridge, some people were saying that somebody had been arrested and sprayed with mace. A small crowd stood in front of the police comprising a group of direct action protesters, other marchers, and a variety of journalists.

Crowd standing in front of a police line the on
Washington Blvd. bridge crossing Rt. 110.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007.

The line was composed of a variety of different police forces including State police, park police, and local police.

Police line blocking off Washington Blvd. looking South-East
toward the Pentagon. Note grass median and exit lane markings.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007

Police line blocking off Washington Blvd. looking Nouth-West
away from the Pentagon. This is about half of the police line.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007

The dynamic weather and setting made for some interesting photo opportunities. Despite good intentions, the Air Force memorial, seen in the background of the following photo, can't help but look a bit evil, like barbs of satan emerging from the ground.

Police line with helicopter and Air Force Memorial
in the background. March 17, 2007.

A group of direct-action protesters were assembled behind me from the vantage point of the police line photo immediately above. They were debating whether or not to confront the police line.

Direct-action protesters debate options at
the Pentagon Protest March 17, 2007.

The protesters decide to pull back, standing and conducting an organized retreat saying that they would meet the authorities again some day.

Anarchist protesters on Washington Blvd.
perform an organized retreat from the police blockade.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007

A chartered bus got trapped on the Washington Blvd. bridge. The poster displayed in the window made the Vanderhoof bus company appear to be in support of the impeachment of George Bush.

Charter bus trapped on the Washington Blvd. bridge.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007

Charter bus trapped on the Washington Blvd. bridge.
Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007

Eventually, the police line started to slowly move forward to clear people off of the bridge. The process involved the line taking a few small steps forward, then stopping. The process was briefly altered when the police line reached a yellow school bus that had been trapped on the bridge, which it eventually let pass through the line.

Advancing Police line encounters a trapped school bus
on the Washington Blvd. overpass of Rt. 110
March 17, 2007

Police line allows trapped school bus on the Washington Blvd. overpass
to pass through. March 17, 2007

School bus passes into the distance beyond the
advancing police line clearing Washington Blvd overpass
March 17, 2007

Protesters stayed several steps ahead of the advancing police line.

Advancing Police line encounters a hoolahoop peace sign
on the Washington Blvd. overpass of Rt. 110
March 17, 2007

Advancing Police line encounters a bicycle rider
on the Washington Blvd. overpass of Rt. 110
March 17, 2007

This sign was prominantly displayed as the police line advanced
on the Washington Blvd. overpass of Rt. 110
March 17, 2007

One couldn't help but see the stark resemblance of the State Police riot gear and the Darth Vadar.

March on the Pentagon, 03/17/07.

Pentagon Protest: Speaker Stage Photos

This is the second in a set of three photo essays about the Pentagon protest on March 17, 2007. The other two photo essays are:

Overview and Miscellaneous Photos

Police Line Road Block on Washington Boulevard

As noted in the "Overview," the march led to a speaker's stage set up with the Pentagon in the background. Former US Attorney General Ramsy Clark was speaking when the following two photos were taken.

Speaker stage at the Pentagon Protest, March 17, 2007.
Pentagon in the background.

Photo taken from the media stand. (click photo for larger image)

The following photo shows part of the crowd listening to speakers. In the background is Washington Blvd bridge. It was blocked off by a police line at the lefthand side of the bridge relative to the photo below. Route 110, Jefferson Davis Hwy, goes under the bridge. The stage and Pentagon are to the left.

Crowd listening to Speakers at the Pentagon Protest.
March 17, 2007.

A fairly significant group of journalists, including Indymedia, and corporate media, covered the protest, reflected in the photo of cameras on the raised platform below.

Media cameras covering the Pentagon Protest.
March 17, 2007

To the left of the stage, Carlos Arredondo set up a display honoring his son, Alexander, who was killed in Najaf in August 2004. According to DemocracyNow, "Carlos has traveled across the country with an empty coffin and a picture of his son's open casket and funeral." He was in Times Square with his display on March 12 and conducted an interview on DemocracyNow the following day.

Carlos Arredondo being interviewed next to
the display in honor of his son in photo seen in upper left.
Pentagon Protest March 17, 2007

Carlos Arredondo's display, AKA "Camp Alex," at the
March 17, 2007 Pentagon Protest.
Note his son's uniform and boots on the back of the van, and an enlarged
photo of his son's open casket near the front of the van.

I found the display of Alex Arredondo's uniform and boots haunting.

Alex Arredondo's uniform, on display by his father Carlos
as part of "Camp Alex," at the March 17, 2007 Pentagon Protest.

I urge you to click on the following photo of Alex Arredondo's boots.

Alex Arredondo's boots and dog tags, on display by his father Carlos
as part of "Camp Alex," at the March 17, 2007 Pentagon Protest.

See the first in this three-part photo essay, Overview and misc. photos. See also the third in the series, Police Line Road Block on Washington Blvd.
.

Pentagon Protest 2007

Here is a woman who celebrated St. Patrick's Day by protesting outside the military's Pentagon building in Washington, DC.

The Pentagon protest on March 17, 2007 was part of many protests going on at this time. The Pentagon protest itself started with a march from the mall near the Vietnam War and Lincoln memorials. The march route crossed the Memorial Bridge over a blustery Potomac River, followed a the grass-lined Potomac parkway through Lady Bird Johnson Memorial Park, and ended at a parking area separated from the Pentagon by a Route 110 (Jefferson Davis Highway), at the intersection with Washington Blvd.
















Relative to the picture above, created by the ANSWER Coalition, the march stopped near the last dot before the arrowhead (it didn't cross Route 110, except in as much as the smaller protest on the Washington Blvd bridge barely crossed beyond Route 110).

This photo essay is organized into three parts.

1. Protest Speaker's Stage.

2. Road Block with Police Line on the Washington Boulevard bridge crossing Route 110.

3. Miscellaneous Photos, continued below.

See: Out-takes at Baltimore Indymedia

The following photo shows a view of marchers on the Virginia side of the Potomac as viewed from the Memorial Bridge. It was cold and windy on the bridge. Counter-demonstrator's, mostly motorcycle bikers, were coming back across the bridge in the opposite direction when we were crossing at the tail end of the march.

View of the Virginia side of the Potomac and marchers
during the March 17, 2007 march on the Pentagon.
Photo from the Memorial Bridge

The march passed through Lady Bird Johnson's Memorial Gardens. Daffodils were starting to bloom despite the ice and snow storm of the night before, which prevented some protesters from attending.

Pentagon Protesters nearing their destination after walking
through Lady Bird Johnson's Memorial Gardens.

We ran into the devil himself on the way to the speaker's stage.

Protester dressed as "George Bush the Devil" (AKA diablo)
Pentagon protest March 17, 2007

The march led up over a hill. Upon cresting the hill, the Pentagon came into view. The speaker's stage was to the left and the Washington Blvd police line was to the right, relative to the photo below.

Pentagon Protesters crest a hill nearing the end of their march.
The Pentagon can be seen in the background.

One sees many creative signs at peace and justice demonstrations. This official, permanent sign summed up a fundamental message, "Stop the Nation's Turn to the Right."

Stop the Right Turn, official sign at the March 17, 2007 Pentagon Protest.
Hill leading down from Washington Blvd towards the speaker's stage.

Upon arrival, most people went to the Speaker's Stage. Others continued on Washington Blvd. to confront a police line blocking passage to the Pentagon.

March on the Pentagon. March 17, 2007.
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