By Timothy Kudo
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
After the first day of the Democratic National Convention and
the coinciding demonstrations, those who watched the events unfold
were no doubt finding it difficult to tell what the protests were
for.
Was it for the Greens out in support of Ralph Nader? Was it the
socialists? The anarchists? The unions? The media?
"Everything from corporate globalization to sexism," was
protester Chris Piouffe’s response.
The mainstream media with its tour de force rivaled in numbers
many of the protest groups. From the Los Angeles Times to
television news, the way the mainstream media chose to cover the
events happening inside and outside of Staples Center in turn
shaped the protests.
"Sadly, we know that if this turns violent it gets more
coverage," Steve Futterman of CBS radio said about the media’s
approach to the event.
Additionally, alternative sources of information like the
Independent Media Center, a non-profit media collective, and the
nation’s alternative weekly papers also gave their viewpoint.
"The plan is to cover things from the streets, from a
perspective not influenced by corporate views," said Sky Gilban of
the IMC. "The mainstream media in Philadelphia gave no coverage of
the protesters."
Some of those looking at the colorful, puppet-filled protests
firsthand didn’t know what to make of what they saw.
"I question a lot of their sincerity," said Bill Corey, an
onlooker of the event. "It seems to be a lot of middle class kids
spouting off what they learned in college."
In fact, the conglomerate of unions, Greens, socialists,
anarchists and teams of others organized together may have at times
been more structured and scripted than the denizens inside being
protested.
After months of work at their MacArthur park headquarters,
protest leaders corralled marchers into Pershing Square, the
starting place for most events, in time for speeches only to head
back out again for the protest of the hour.
Even among protesters there was disagreement.
When steel workers protesting Wells Fargo made a mock-up stage
coach with real horses, animal rights activists stopped them and
explained their cause to the other protesters.
"They need to think of animals not as property, but as living
breathing brothers and sisters," said Mark Kelly, an 18-year-old
Bay area protester.
With estimates of the number of protesters ranging from 5,000 to
50,000, many people expected the type of violent clash that
occurred in Seattle last November, where riots broke out and tear
gas was used frequently.
Though protests haven’t yet reached that level of intensity, a
disturbance broke out after Rage Against The Machine played when
the Los Angeles Police Department gave an order to disperse and
protesters began throwing rocks and other objects at police.
The police, who had exercised restraint for much of the day,
soon began spraying people with tear gas and clearing the area and
swinging their batons.
"Had the police cooperated with the rally organizers, the night
could have ended calmly and smoothly," said Dan Tokaji, an American
Civil Liberties Union attorney in a statement released late Monday
night.
"When people see batons raised, riot gear, and mounted police
clearing an area, a tense situation becomes a violent one," the
statement read.
As a result of that and other protests by the end of the day 10
people were arrested and at least four were hurt, according to the
Associated Press.