Screw CNN! (aka faux Fox) I was at the march, and the crowd was more

[milkyway]

in control than some Yankees crowds. I have two kids and I'm wary about putting them in a situation where a large crowd can get out of control. Despite the scare tactics beforehand by the media, I was not worried about what might happen today. It was a hell of a lot safer today than at a St. Patrick's Day Parade or a sports event filled with suburban drunks.

Yet CNN.com had the fire on its front page. There was well more than a quarter million people marching and having a great time, babies in strollers and elderly people, yet CNN wants us to think it was an enraged out-of-control mob. It was New York in all its diverse greatness. The cops were great also, although they seemed a bit bored because there wasn't much for them to do.

Favorite moment: at first we went to a side street feeding into 7th Avenue. While we were there a fire truck needed to pass through. The people stepped aside and gave the firemen a big ovation as they passed. The firemen really seemed to enjoy it and were waving back to the crowd.

We ended up walking around the block to go up to 23rd Street near the front of the march. We walked home from Union Square at the end of the march. I turned on television to find CNN completely ignoring the march. Thankfully I had the good sense to turn to CSPAN and was able to watch the last hour of the march. I couldn't believe there were so many people just getting to the Garden!

I know that later this evening there have been some actions taken by smaller groups in Times Square and elsewhere that resulted in arrests and confrontations--and there will be more to come this week. But that is not what large mass demonstrations like the one today by UFPJ is all about. The media always seems to blur the differences both before and after the demonstration.

[Rowdyboy]

1. You guys looked WONDERFUL on CSPAN

I was so proud to be an American! You were normal Americans with families, young,old, gay, straight, but you were all beautiful. Thanks for being there for me!

[young_at_heart]

2. Headline News at 2:30 pm showed stock footage

It was showing violence and demonstrations from somewhere else and saying "if" this sort of thing were to happen today that it could help the Republicans. I immediately turned to C-Span and watched an hour or more of very peaceful people acting like true Americans. I am forever through with CNN (except for maybe Lou Dobbs).

[Eloriel]

8. Yeah, it was so peaceful and laid back

it was almost boring. But not boring, just almost. Quiet, serene, even sedate. Even the "fire" was really kinda understated. LOL. There it was and everybody dealt with it (the cops by cardoning off the area, in a nonchalant sorta way and then using hoses to extinguish the fire, and the marchers by just biding their time til the area was cleared. No big deal at ALL. Ho hum.

The march was great. I loved seeing it and all the creative signs, and all the Beautiful People (the REAL "Beautiful People"). I really didn't think it would be that big, so I was absolutely amazed at that. I was amazed that it took from Noon to 4:30 p.m. for all the marchers to get to Madison Square Garden. Imagine that! Wow.

[young_at_heart]

10. Only people who watched C-Span could see how big and great it was

What a great feeling it was to see all those people for such a long time. Later I watched various news programs and was so disapointed at the coverage. We truly do have a corporate-owned media who are slanting toward selfish Republican corporate interests.

[soleft]

3. I was right there when the fire broke out and it was a non event

The cops easilly were able to get control of the situation and no one panicked. I was able to walk calmly away from the area - there was no chaos or exteme behavior.

[karlrschneider]

4. And you looked WONDERFUL!

:D

I think it was, on balance, successful. Very little chaos despite the few minor contretemps the corporate media has seized on, it seems to me a positive thing. Thanks for being there!
:D

[NightOwwl]

5. Leave it to the American media to distort the truth.

Leave it to BBC news to present the facts:

The marchers included children, young couples, students, the middle aged and the elderly. One woman sat in her wheelchair in Union Square holding a sign saying, "I'm 98 and I'm outraged!" Barbara, who describes herself as a middle-aged schoolteacher, had never been to a protest march until Sunday.

The protest was peaceful. There was a strong police presence, but most were not in riot gear. There were few confrontations.

link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3610896.stm

[Booster]

7. The news media is nortorious for finding the one and

only thing going on to put on their programs. When we have a fire or an earthquake here in CA, I'm always amazed with what I see on the news compared to what is really happening - it's called ratings followed by money. From what I saw on TV today, you guys were all awesome and, once again, I am so very proud of all New Yorkers for their courage and their spunk. New Yorkers are something else. God bless all of you for today.

[Cleita]

6. However, if there had been violence like the cops beating up

on the crowd, tear gassing and hosing them down, like in Chicago at the Democratic Convention, you probably would have seen about 30 seconds somewhere briefly before a commercial.

[Christof]

9. Yahoo is reporting that there was "more than 100,000 protesters"

at the march.

:wtf:

There was a million or more people there!

[cal04]

11. That's what someone on Indy Media is reporting

Don't believe the CBS--timates of the number of demonstrators Current
There were one million of us in the streets today 8/29/04.


Imagine that! One million in the streets to demand the defeat of a sitting president and a rejection of his agenda!

There might be hope for this society after all!

http://www.nyc.indymedia.org/

[goodhue]

12. News World International reported 250,000

eom

[Maat]

13. I watched on C-Span!

You marchers looked great! A wide diversity of people, peacefully marching, communicating about a variety of concerns. Thank the Great Spirit/One-Energy for C-Span!

[burrowowl]

14. C-Span was great

You can probably go to C-Span and watch it on your puter.