PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

a call to put the peace back into peaceful civil disobedience
by Jeff Mann Friday, Mar. 21, 2003 at 9:40 PM
whirlwind29@alltel.net

A call to put the peace back into peaceful civil disobedience

First off I’d like to say that I’ve participated in the marches and rallies since the big one on Jan 26th. And I support them. I think it’s a great idea to show mass numbers of people to our area who are against this war. And I’ve got no problems with people that wish to do so in different ways. But I have to say that since the last two marches I’ve been disturbed by some of what I’m seeing and even more disturbed by what I saw going in on in Thursdays march. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to attend that one and I’m very sorry it ended up in arrests. I realize that these things sometime take on a life of their own. But some of the things I’m hearing about and even witnessed myself in the past are disturbing. People turning over garbage cans, banging on cars, harassing motorists, turning over paper boxes and tossing bricks thru windows. NONE of this helps our cause and in fact helps to cause the police to be MORE likely to crack down on us. I speak to those that feel their fight is with the marines, or the local police or whomever. Please feel free to take up your fight with them on your own time. But when you are involved in a protest against George Bush’s polices and his war in Iraq then stay focused on whom you are speaking out against. Not everyone that is protesting alongside you agrees with everything you are personally fighting against. Please DO respect that. Up till now the police had been VERY cooperative with us. I was VERY surprised at just how far back the police stayed behind this past Sundays march. But actions like the ones I mentioned are going to bring closer police scrutiny now. They HURT and not help our cause. I’m for peaceful civil disobedience but when we have IDIOTS that go out of their way to BRING police action down on us then you start to lose my support and the support of a great deal of others too. We made a HUGE statement on jan26th. We make HUGE statements when speak out in massive numbers. But we can’t keep those numbers up if scare the people that are supporting this cause off by pulling stupid stunts. I for one am glad I didn’t participate in yesterdays march. I’m seriously reconsidering participating in anymore in downtown Pittsburgh because of the radical element that is just doing all they can to get themselves and others to be victims of police brutality. But if I do attend another, rest assured I will have NO problems in pointing ANYONE out that is going out of their way to harass others or damage property. I suggest we ALL start to police ourselves before we get to the point where the city police do it for us. The only way we can be a credible movement for peace is to what say we will and be the people we say we are, people that are using peaceful disobedience to get the message that war is wrong out to the public. And not turn things into a walking crime spree.

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