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Pat Korte and I got up at 5 AM on the morning of June 19, 2006. Damned early for Leftists, but we were on our way to Penn Station to meet up with other SDSers enroute to protest war criminal George W. Bush's appearance at the Merchant Marine Academy in Long Island. By 8 AM we were at 33rd and 8th where we hooked up with Uruj and Doug from SDS New Jersey. A Danish TV crew was there - looking to film us as we journeyed to Long Island and protested Bush. They filmed us reviewing photographs of the area and discussing where we were likely to be able to protest. Unfortunately, they were so concerned with filming Penn Station, etc., that they didn't follow us onto track 17 and thus they missed the train to Long Island. Pat and I laughed that our careers as Danish TV stars had been ended before they even began. A surreal episode in what would be a long day was thus abruptly ended. The four Beatles - Uruj, Doug, Pat and Tom - were soon joined by anarchist drummer Todd Eaton and PACE SDS member Brian Kelly. These two comrades had managed to catch the train just in time... | |
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We pulled into the Great Neck station by 9 AM. It was already getting very hot and muggy. As we exited the Train Station we ran into Pete Bronson of Vets for Peace. He was waiting for protesters who were part of a vigil at the Library on Bayview Avenue. We greeted Pete and headed off to get exact change for the N58 bus to the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point. On line for the N58, Marine One - Bush's helo - flew overhead. A man in a suit approached us. He gave us a thumbs up and said with a smile: "headed for the academy?" We smiled and nodded. We boarded our bus and it wound its way through Great Neck. Ronnie from Northport SDS got on the bus at one point and sat with us...eventually we pulled into Steppingstone Lane and started to head for the USMMA Vickery (main) Gate. We were halted by police who refused to let the bus pass. We got off and the driver backed the bus up the street it had just come down. We could see Bush's helicopter on the ground: less than a football field away. The cops were hostile but eventually gave us alternate directions to the main gate. They were circuitous at best. Who could have imagined the police would mislead SDS? | |
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We exited Steppingstone Lane and headed east on Redbrook Road. In true suburban fashion it seemed endless...the heat was building and our cell phones were ringing - the media were at Steamboat Road and Kings Point looking for us. Some of comrades from We Will Not Be Silent were setup there already and were also looking for us. We Will Not Be Silent called again - they had gotten inside the barricades and were at the front gate of the Academy! One of Ronnie's friends called - he had made it to the main barricade and was anxious to see us. We finally got to Middleneck Road and turned south. Dressed for the hot weather - in all black and carrying 35 lbs of water and a snare drum - Todd stepped over a used syringe. Nice. Eventually we hit Steamboat Road and headed west. We were getting fired up. We picked up a police escort - Nassau County radio cars, Great Neck Police silver SUVs and a variety of unmarked patrol cars. I called for drums and chants. Pat broke out his bullhorn... SUVs full of local crackers drove by flinging insults, giving us the finger and, according to Todd, occasionally spitting. Friends of democracy no doubt. | |
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A car pulled up and the driver yelled: "you guys SDS?" We nodded and he stopped to talk. Our police escort demanded that he keep moving...he pulled away to find parking. A short time later three more SDSers joined our crew. Up ahead I made out a VFP flag. Excellent! This had to be Bill Steyert, a comrade from the War Resisters League...I was very pleased he had come to stand with SDS. We were now in sight of the protesters at the main barricade (Steamboat and Kings Point). We greeted each other and a short time later some Wobblies from New Jersey - who were also SDS - joined us. Our numbers were growing. I greeted Ernie, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal - we had been talking for a week or so as he was doing a story on SDS. Secret Service types ran around trying not to pass out from heatstroke - they had worn the usual dark suits. A clever disguise. | |
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As SDSers and friends chanted and vigiled at the main barricade word reached us that the police were threatening the We Will Not Be Silent crew at the Vickery Gate with arrest if they refused to leave. We saw them harrassing Ann from CodePINK from afar...but they let her go and the vigil at the gate continued. | |
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A number of SDS began to discuss a potential march from the main barricade to the Library on Bayview Avenue to meetup with our fellow protesters who were vigiling there. Eventually we formed up and started marching. Initially we were escorted by two cops on bicycles. They tried to force us onto the sidewalk - the response from SDS: "Whose streets? Our streets!" Soon a radio car joined the police escort. We turned left onto West Shore Road and continued chanting: "1-2-3-4, We don't want your racist war, 5-6-7-8, fuck the pigs, smash the state..." Soon we noticed a column of protesters marching towards us on the opposite side of the street. At it's head was a man carrying a VFP flag. This was very inspiring. Many SDS know that a united front of youth and veterans is something the government has a right to be concerned about...our column did a 180 and we joined the VFPers and their friends. They were mostly older and were as excited to see youth and students as SDS was excited to see them. A young marcher told us that he and some others had simply called for a march from the library to the academy and that many of the vigilers, including VFP, had joined in. | |
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We marched back to the main barricade and soon began chanting again this time with double to triple the numbers of the original protest. There were flag draped coffins, peace signs made of tied balloons and signs and banners of every type. The police got nervous and demanded we clear off the road. SDS refused to yield. A squad of mounted cops, macho types (crackers to be sure) approached the SDS front line and demanded they pull back. SDS was unmoved. Some of the cracker cops began using their horses to push the protesters out of the street. The front line began chanting: "Make our day, make our day" which was followed by "Free the horses, cage the pigs!" Then, apparently in response to the drumming, one of the horses reared up almost throwing its rider. The horse cops retreated, bravely of course...we yelled: "Give us the horses and we'll let you go!" A little Lefty levity. | |
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As activists and cops stared at one another the attendees at the USMMA commencement began leaving and various police units also pulled out. The dragoons that once dared to squish us rode off into the sunset - time to don the white sheets? (A VFPer complimented the SDS crew for standing up to the cops - we had all been very apalled by the behavior of the police all day. I replied, quoting Zak de la Rocha: "some of them that work forces are the same that burn crosses" - the VFP comrade nodded in agreement). A Newsday reporter interviewed Doug V (she hung in there til the bitter end, impressive). Some older sisters asked for, and received, sds badges and told us: "keep up the good work!" The three women who had been standing at the Vickery Gate all day emerged unscathed and we talked, remarking that it had been a good action, despite police interference, oppressive heat and the locale being kind of alien to New Yorkers. And then it was time to go. As bus after bus refused to stop for us we began walking back to the train station...tired but satisfied that we had done what needed doing - and in so doing had experienced a few amazing Moments. | |
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