EXCLUSIVE: Sunday's New York City Protest, A Photo-Essay.

external image Sunday's massive protest in New York City saw over 110,000 to 150,000 people participate, with little troubles and lots of calm. Protestors and police alike spent the beautiful late summer day in relative peace. Here is an ATSNN Photo-Essay of the days events.

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external image I arrived at the northern end of Union Square Park on 17th Street to one of the pre-protest gathering points. external image Moving along to the southern edge of Union Square Park at 14th Street, there are dozens of small groups with tables and pamphlets. I met a very nice group of ATS members (can't recall their online names... sorry!) who will hopefully add to this thread. external image Since I had ridden my bike to the scene, I was constantly invited to join this "bike block" forming. This group of 100 or so cyclists soon left, speeding up Park Avenue South and turning left on 17th. I later saw one police van filled with 8 to 10 arrested cyclists. external image The main group congregating at Union Square Park soon left to join the other group forming at 7th and 23rd. This scene is the first main group passing a Gap store at 18th and 5th... the corporate image behind the protestors seemed a good juxtiposition. external image Approach 18th and 6th, and a few minutes later. The crowd thickens as the dense group forming at Union Square heads to the main protest zone. external image Looking west on 18th, back toward the direction of the park, you can get a feeling for the large crowd. I stayed at this corner for 30 minutes, and it was still this dense when I left. external image What protest is complete without a marching band with triangular green things? external image Priceless. This guy knows how to protest. I was very impressed. external image Just before I left this corner, a large group of NYPD on bicycles came through. Most were cheering and hold up peace signs. The crowed erupted in a huge roar when everyone saw that. This was the must surreal moment of the whole morning. external image I stopped at 28th and 7th, right across from the famous Fashion Institute of Technology. The going was slow as the protest was literally jamming the street from side to side. external image I'm not sure if it's a proper "protest" if everyone is generally smiling and mostly happy. Where were the angry disenfranchised? external image Okay, this guy might be angry, but we can't tell, he's hidden behind his sign. (He later left the protest to get a sub at the deli on the corner... so I suppose he's not that angry.) external image I kept my eye on this guy. He was the only serious looking person I saw in the actual protest march. I liked him. external image A shot of the protesters moving slowly past Macy's. external image Moving back to 5th, this is the actual beginning, or first group, of the protest. external image The group in yellow shirts are the second major group in the protest, making sure there is plenty of room for their blue banner. external image Soon after the first group passed, a thick sea of protesters followed. external image Apparently, the right to assemble does not include the responsibility to realize people live in this town. This type of scene was duplicated all throughout the areas neighboring the protest zones. Following up: As of writing this, there are a few stragglers in Times Square, and a burning float on 5th avenue. So far, local news is reporting a total of 134 arrests. [Edit on 29-8-2004 by SkepticOverlord]

Great post Bill!

Its eerily quiet. I have a feeling this might be the day for the mild mannered liberals to protest, I suspect all hell is going to break loose soon enough.

Well done Skeptic. I hope it stays calm but if all hell breaks loose its nice to know you will be there to take pics for us

I got a funny feeling that chaos will explode soon, but hopefully no trouble makers go to the protest.

WOW........


Is this just the first day? Is there going to a week or two of this?

I had to reply ... The guy in the barrel is just too funny

His sign reads "nothing left for human needs"

Pricless!

Great work SO, Looks peacful now... but what will it be like when darkness falls??


Gazz

It sure looks like a whole lot less than 250,000 people to me. Too bad that the liberals who say they stand for environmental and social needs cant even pick up their own litter.

But you have no criticism of the republicans for attempting to use nyc for the political purpose of playing the 9/11 card with no consideration for the people that live in the same neighborhoods. Fortunately this ploy will be fatal to bush's presidential hopes. Ya gotta love it, the republicans reduced to complaining about protester litter in nyc. Give some us some pics of properly disgarded republican hot dogs with W ketchup tossed in the proper waste container.

If we have any trouble it will be caused by republican infiltrators that wish to discredit the protest.
.

That was really nice of you to share those pics, and to be out there
on such a hot/humid day in those crowds.
And you're right they need to develop a sense of responsiblity when it comes to cleaning up behind themselves.
Dumping on the Big Apple Core... Not nice!

Nice pics Thanks!

I was going to say this as well. You ever notice the environmental chaos that insues after a "green" protest?

Skeptic, how much will it cost to clean up this mess?

And look at the cable coverage (besides the excellent C-Span), they only jump in to show the worst of them.

America is in jeapordy and these people know it, and are speaking out. As Ralph Nader said, "...President Bush, who is a giant corporation in the White House, masquerading as a human being."

Everything our founding fathers warned us about is happening...

Read this:
wethepeoplesstateoftheunion.blogspot.com...

Glad to see a peaceful protest. I hope it doesn't turn ugly.

I hope they protest like this all week.

With the RNC drawing that many protesters, I think that says something about how the American people feel about our government. Check out this link to see a very interesting and unbiased evaluation of the current US government in general, not attacking Dems or Reps. Its long, but at least read the quotes and the last couple paragraphs if you don't have time to read the whole thing. It's definitely worth your time!

wethepeoplesstateoftheunion.blogspot.com...

Oh here we go already with the Republicans gnashing their teeth at this oppurtunity.

Sure the litter will cost the taxpayers and it will have to be done, but the security bill for this convention is approaching double the DNC budget. Oh and lets talk about the disruption shall we? Roads closed, subway lines closed and the city looking like a fortress doesn't help tourism either.

Did you know there is 1 Security Person for every 2 Delegates?

Here is another spin on the NYC convention. It sends a message to the terrorists around the world that we the USA are not afraid of them. That we will stand up to their threats on the very ground they once threatened and hold our conventions. The security shows that we are still strong enough to stop them and their ilk from disrupting our form of government. Let the message of freedom ring, protests, conventions, political statements, and the spin put on them. Isn't America grand!!

Oh *sniffle* well excuse me, that's just so touching and patriotic *wipes tear from eye* I think i'm going to cough up my damn freedom fries.

So, holding a bloated sycophantic backslapping contest that has all the educational value of the Oscars is "defeatin' dem' terryists?" Are you serious?

They haven't even threatened the convention, they threatened the NYSE and other targets but the convention is getting all that security anyway.

The very level of security shows that you are wetting yourselves at the mere mention of the great unwashed descending on your precious convention nevermind the screaming jihadic muslim hordes that wish to slaughter you like cattle.

Let the message of freedom ring. Nothing says it better than the destruction of the right of free assembly and free speech. America is most definitely not grand today.

Let me just say that this kind of pessimistic, cynical thinking and attitude is the fertilizer of defeat. Such negativism, were it to become the pervasive attitude of the country would lead to anarchy and loss of human freedom and rights. Thank God a large portion of America still believes in the principles for which this nation was founded and in this nations pursuit of them. Let the perpetually unhappy and negative be that if they so wish but I will look to a bright future, even in these dark times and I will hold up the good that we stand for and strengthen those things rather than sneer and make snide remarks about this countries best efforts to address the issues that face our world.

The first post has been updated with comments for each picture.

I'm curious...
Was the person wearing the blue baseball cap with the "W" on it in the right place

This is some really awesome stuff SO...I hope you took some time out to participate yourself

I love how the cops peacefully came in totting their own peace signs

....And now to Valhall in the SkyATS....how's it looking from up there Val?!