[Photo by Bill the Libertarian Anarchist]
Two protests came together this afternoon, the May Day Parade and Rally and a demonstration by Disarm NYPD, which included a protest in solidarity with demonstrators in Baltimore speaking out against the death of Freddie Gray.
The rally started in Union Square ... then headed south down Second Avenue toward Foley Square... EVG reader Michael Rosenthal photographed the different groups who made up today's march from Second Avenue and East Ninth Street ...
As Newsweek reported earlier this evening, "Barricades were used to keep protesters from taking over the entire street and there was a notable police presence. At least one person was detained by officers, though whether or not they were charged for any wrongdoing remains unclear."
Updated
Here are a few more photos of the May 1st Coalition for Worker & Immigrant Rights/Freddie Gray Rally leaving Union Square ... via James and Karla Murray…
Man they'll just protest anything, won't they?
ReplyDeleteHelicopter Orgy !!! Tonight !
ReplyDeleteMaking the sweet humming sound above our head tonight.... :/
Didn't realize it was a Disarm The Police march; thanks for the photos, Bill.
ReplyDelete[Yes, I only experienced it as a helicopter orgy.]
What is the point of all this protest and riot? How is looting, burning stores, fucking up traffic and blocking streets going to change anything?
ReplyDeleteI get the the idea of people being angry and protesting, but it won't change anything
@ 10:33pm
ReplyDeleteYour confusion probably stems from trying to lump peaceful protesting in with riots.
disarm the police???? who are these people? the police don't get respect right now.. imagine if they had no weapons..it will be a free for all.. good luck with that!!
ReplyDeleteFrom the signs it looks this was the " _____(fill in the blank ) Against _______(fill in the blank ) march.
ReplyDelete10:33 - Things might change if you get involved. Don't be apathetic.
ReplyDeleteahhhh the centuries old tradition of marching down to the town square armed with pitchforks and torches. Whether it's witches, regicide or adultery, the common folk just can't resist the urge for a good ole burning at the stake. Throw the accused into the river, if they sink The Lord will seem them innocent
ReplyDeleteI give up. He's right. Protests don't matter. Remember these?
ReplyDeleteBoston Tea Party, 1773: Without which you would still be speaking with a British accent, have bad teeth and be forced to watch endless week-long cricket matches. It also led to the creation a country called the United States. Otherwise it didn't matter.
Ghandi's Salt March to the Sea, 1930
Without this protest India would still be a British colony and corporations would have no one to outsource their customer service to, or get those cheap madras shirts for Old Navy.
Civil Rights March on Washington, 1963
It's too bad Martin Luther King, jr. wasted his whole life protesting when he could have gotten a real job and been somebody. What a waste of time.
Stonewall, 1969
This one actually happened in the Village. Apparently it had little effect on history too.
Moratorium Against the Vietnam War, Nov. 15, 1969
Without all those protests we might have actually won that war. Is it a coincidence that people who hate protests also tend to love war? Go figure.
People Power, the Philippines, 1980
Imelda Marcos had to stop buying all the shoes at Bloomingdale's after her BFF Ferdinand was deposed from power. Tell Bloomingdale's that protests don't matter.
Tiananmen Square, 1989
Ever wonder why the Chinese Government is so paranoid about protests? Must be because protests don't matter, right?
The Arab Spring, 2011
By the end of February 2012, rulers had been forced from power in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen; civil uprisings had erupted in Bahrain and Syria; major protests had broken out in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Sudan; and minor protests had occurred in Mauritania, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Western Sahara, and Palestine. Otherwise these protests had no impact at all.
To Anonymous at 11:20.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the police is that they are a government monopoly, and don't treat people with the respect that a business has to do so with its customers.
I get a kick out of people who are ignorant of the history of private justice systems (which is the essence of anarchy). It worked well in Iceland for hundreds of years. See David Friedman's book "The Machinery of Freedom."
Yet these ignorant people think the US justice system works, when it's actually a complete statist disaster. Every day I see another cop travesty at CNN or some other site. I guess you ignore them and think the government is swell.
The rest of us will be anarchists.
Bill
"What is the point of all this protest and riot? How is looting, burning stores, fucking up traffic and blocking streets going to change anything? "
ReplyDeleteRiots as ugly as they can be shame those in power to address a deep rooted problem. Riots shake the publics faith in those in charge, those in charge cave in and try to smooth things out or less they lose power. I still believe in voting and the possibility of changing laws and government but most people that complain about protestors don't care to vote either.
Neither demonstration was a "protest".
ReplyDeleteI see this as EVERYTHING is a mess, & that it is!
ReplyDeleteIt's the SPECIAL INTEREST OLYMPICS!
ReplyDeleteIf the populace would agree on what The Problem is, then "we" could all discern The Solution. But we divide-and-conquer ourselves, like They want us to.
I don't understand why people are bashing Obama and his policies. Republican Congress members and conservative special interest groups keep getting in his way. They constantly block his executive orders and impede any progress he attempts to make the world better. This needs to stop!!
ReplyDeleteFor starters, we need to dissolve Congress and the Supreme Court. Get rid of presidential term limits. Let the man do his job! Too many cooks in the kitchen. He was elected.. By the people!!.. to run this country. What don't the republicans understand.
A big problem is there are a lot of people who don't think the same. "Conservatives" who are set in their ways and refuse to change. We need to find these people. Pull them away from positions of power and from dark places where they spread their propaganda. Put these people in special schools or camps across the country to reeducate them in the correct way of thinking. Ideally have a test for detecting these people when they are younger. The earlier we can help, the quicker we can help them
What some people don't understand is liberals are trying to help. Certain people just need help to see clearly. We just want a society where the people can live in harmony with everyone being equal. This is exactly what the conservatives don't want. They want the rich to stay rich and the poor to stay poor.
@12:43, I got half way through your comment before I realized it was satire. That was very funny. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteFree Mazaltov Boruchova Now
ReplyDeleteThe pigs went bonkers on this march and closed the whole neighborhood. There was no reason to seal the march into barricades and not allow citizens to cross the fucking street.
ReplyDelete