Day 3 and 4

Day 3:

The day began with an RTS convergence in Central Park which converged with the main AWIP march to the WEF. The protest was a green action, which means it would be a non-confrontational march with the police authorities. There were many colorful puppets and varying degrees of "creative" artistic expressions, bending the rules of artistic criticism we could call it art.
The total march appeared to be more of an attempt to let people be "creative" rather than educate. Which raises some serious questions for "green" actions. Most observers couldn't figure out what the march was about unless they had read something in the papers, and if they had read something in the papers they were expecting black clad terrorists to be destroying storefronts.
Several IMC reporters reported being pushed around by peace marshalls for attempting to get quality footage of activists, the peace marshalls pushed some of us. I found it interesting how a small clique is able to protest after protest decide what the entire march shall do. I think it is time for activists to ask others not to hold spokes councils if they have already decided what will happen at these protests.
If you like being hearded around like a cow at the stock yards then you would have enjoyed this march. As marchers were led by peace marshalls and police in a march that was cordoned of by police barricades on both sides of the two lanes of the streets. The crowd appeared to number over 20,000 with a large contingent of RTS and Anti-Capitalists. There was no large labor contingent which is not surprising considering that participating in such an march probably would have discredited their efforts at changing working conditions for workers that can't afford to wander off to the next "big" protest.

Which raises the point. The protestors are not a popular movement, but there is a popular movement against corporate globalization. Perhaps, protest organizers in the future may want to network with others in the peoples globalization movement on what everyone that is working against corporate globalization wants. I personally, would have to question the trend toward protest and protest.

There is almost no mention of the educational programs undertaken by the Public Eye on Davos and the Students for Global Justice. Indeed, one of the "Stars" of the "NGO's" that lays claim to ownership of speaking on other peoples behalf was marching through the streets as the "Truth Fairy". In the future I can only hope that there will be a more balanced approach in these protests between "artistic" expression and outreach and education. That is just the begining of the dialogue that needs to take place, not to mention giving the more radical elements a voice at the discussion, even if one does not aggree with their tactics one cannot ignore their ability to get people into the streets as the RTS and ACC convergence in Central Park witnessed. Unfortunately the only attempt at dialogue is being called by four prominent NGO's for Monday. Thus, even the idea of dialogue has "ownership" claimed by the NGO's of the movement against corporate globalization.

Happy Note: Billy Bragg performed two songs at the end of the march. Ending with "There is power in the Union". Was he giving us a hint?

Day 4:
Today was a hectic day. I skipped the ACC march, thinking it was a high chance for arrest and I could only schedule one arrest a day. :-) Which I reserved for the Animal and Earth Liberation March on the WEF. As it turned out a large number of people at the ACC march were arrested.

About 150-200 Animal & Earth Liberation protestors began marching from Central Park to the WEF. The marchers appeared to reflect all the different tactics within the Earth and Animal movement. I talked with grass roots organizers that mainly work with educational tools and witnessed an direct action from activists that believe in the tools of property damage. Again, there seems to be a need for each to find a balance with each other. I must question the tactic of doing property damage during a protest of mass numbers of people, the majority of whom are not prepared for that tactic. One additional casualty during the action besides the broken windows of a Huntington Life connected apartment building was my digital recorder that was trampled when people ran panicking and I found myself laying beneath a pile of people in the stampede. Luckily no animals were hurt. :-)

After that turmoil the march continued along the sidewalk, but now with only about 75 persons. Eventually as protestors taunted police and police kept the protestors in a two abreast line The police decided to arrest everyone in mass. I was lucky that the police chose to honor my press credentials. Although other IMC reporters with no credentials where arrested. I did not witness any reporter arrested if they had their credentials, no matter what those credentials where made from, get arrested.

After the window breaking incident some bystanders pointed out the obvious contradiction while the protestors chanted "we are being non-violent". Of course it depends on how you define violence, from the protestor perspective non-violence is not hurting living beings. From the onlookers perspective breaking windows is violence. And the unsettled debate about violence and terrorism goes on.