Peoples' March to the G20 Recap (& Media Links)

September 28, 2009 by quartknee

Thousands turned out Friday to confront the rulers of the universe in a peaceful, permitted march alongside thousands of riot police headed up by peace guides holding hands and joined by medics and legal observers. Meeting in Oakland at 5th and Craft, folksinger Anne Feeney and the UE's Al Hart emceed introducing singer David Rovics, The Raging Grannies, Ngawang Tashi (of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress), Joyce Wagner (of IVAW), Fayyad Sbaihat (of the Palestine Solidarity Committee), Wes Strong (of Connecticut Students Against the War), Terry O'Neil (president of NOW), a message from Anne Wright and Meada Benjamin, Priva Hang'andu (of Jubilee Zambia/Jubilee USA), Jorge Mujica (of the UE in Chicago) and John Oliver, a correspondent with the Daily Show, interviewed people in the crowd as it was gathering.

Marching from Chatham, the march included several feeder marches, including Tibetan monks, Iraq Veterans Against the War & Veterans for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine & Palestine Solidarity Committee and later Bail Out the People and contingents of single-payer health care activists, several socialist groups, Burmese monks, anarchists, Ethiopians and others. Chants included "Power to the People/Not the G20," "Hey, hey, ho, ho / Corporate welfare has got to go," and "Money for jobs and education/Not for greed and occupations." Winding through Uptown and Downtown, demonstrators reached City County Building an hour ahead of schedule and the march was so big, many marchers couldn't hear the speakers and musicians, which included Mike Stout (union printer and musician), Ashley Smith (of the International Socialist Organization), Lisa Jordan (of the United Steelworkers), Jihan Gearon (of the Indigenous Environmental Network), Katt Goff (of Students for a Democratic Society) Benedicto Martinez Orozco (of the FAT union in Mexico) and short report-backs from other actions during the week.

After an hour long rally, the restless demonstrators headed toward the North Side past thousands of ominous-looking, riot-gear-clad police and military personnel with batons at the ready. After crossing the 7th Street Bridge, pausing briefly and directing themselves toward the David Lawrence Convention Center across the river, the crowd arrived at East Park to enthusiastic support from people already at the park. A surprise speech by anti-war icon Cindy Sheehan, portable toilets, free food courtesy of Seeds of Peace and Everybody's Kitchen and grass to sit upon were welcome relief to hundreds of tired people. Closing out with reports from alternate summits and Anne Feeney's renditions of "Solidarity Forever" and "The Internationale," most demonstrators were on the way out by 4:30pm.

Estimates of the crowd range from a couple thousand to 10,000, with most settling it at about 4,000. Regardless of the exact size, it's a surprisingly large number in the Obama era, with a very weakened anti-war movement and coming out of no ongoing global justice movement. Demanding climate justice, an end to wars and occupations, economic justice, jobs, health care and housing for all and public input in issues pertaining to the public, thousands gathered in Pittsburgh to tell our leaders we will not tolerate the status quo. As the first major protest of the left since Obama took office, it speaks to how much people are questioning the efficacy of relying on the Democrats for change and the ability of capitalism to solve the planet's and the peoples' problems. Bringing together anarchists, socialists, progressives and liberals, The Peoples' March to the G20 was a truly impressive show of people power to the people in power.

MEDIA:
G-Infinity Project
National Assembly Media
Inter Press Service series
New York Times slide show
Associated Press video
The Peoples March on the G20 by Dan Meyers
Kizzle Vision video
Ashley Smith speech
John Oliver shoots for the Daily Show
Hannity interviews march participants later
Videos by:
nickjustnick
gilgunn
suneilmandava
kerful123
pmab9918

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