November 21, 2009
UTNE READER

Peaceful Protests Erupt Into Violence Near Republican National Convention

(Page 3 of 3)

August 2004
Elizabeth Dwoskin and Jacob Wheeler Utne.com 
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Though Sunday's march was peaceful, the violence at the PPEHRC march was not unprecedented during the anti-RNC protests. Sunday evening a group of around 20 activists were walking around Times Square singing 'ain't no power like the power of the people' and other cheers. They were cornered while singing and three people, Greg Mac, Sarah Mosberg, and an unidentified person were tackled and arrested. They were accused of blocking traffic in a pedestrian walkway, though theatergoers regularly crowd these walkways. Police arrested dozens after protestors confronted Republican delegates outside Broadway theatres.

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'Sunday was basically just peaceful and joyous and beautiful and I was so happy,' Claire McDonnell summed up the different mood on the street after yesterday's debacle. 'I just came back from Argentina where there are protests all the time. I was scared of the political spirit in America (before Sunday's peaceful demonstration). I saw all these people doing their own thing but marching together.'

Fast forward to yesterday evening.

'All of a sudden barricades came down in front us. People were separated from their friends, people were trapped, and I had no idea what to do. In 15 seconds everything went from being peaceful and joyous to terrifying. It was totally senseless how they barricaded off the last 200-500 people. If they'd waited literally three minutes, they could have put the whole barricade behind us.'

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