“TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE!” Photo Essay (text only - w/links to pics)

Links to…
“TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE!” Photo Essay by B. Marsh
- Followed by text from photo essay.

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(Image files may take several minutes to load)

“TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE!” Photo Essay Part-1 (740K):
http://www.indybay.org/news/2002/06/132170.php

“TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE!” Photo Essay Part-2 (760K):
http://www.indybay.org/news/2002/06/132169.php

“TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE!” Photo Essay Part-3 (840K):
http://www.indybay.org/news/2002/06/132167.php

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11-Year-Old Arrested For Standing Up for Her Rights, photos (466K):
http://www.indybay.org/news/2002/05/130586.php

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TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE was organized by All People’s Coalition
to Stop U.S. Terror and Occupation.
TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE website:
http://www.takeittothebridge.org/


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The following is a searchable text version of text from the
“TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE!” Photo Essay:

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“TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE!” Photo Essay Part-1
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May 25, 2002
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Marchers take struggle for Peace and Justice to the SF Golden Gate Bridge - call for:
>US Out of the Middle East >End US Aid to Israel >Repeal the USA “Patriot” Act >Stop Criminalizing Oppressed People
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Photo Essay by B. Marsh
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Marchers gathered at Crissy Field with several banners - one reading:
“U.$. OUT OF THE KILLING BUSINESS”. To comply with the stringent march permit requirements, including rules against banners on the bridge, many attached signs and stickers to their clothing or wore t-shirts with messages: “STOP THE WAR”, “FIGHTING IMPERIALISM IS NOT TERRORISM”, “U.S. Foreign Policy = Terrorism”, “Israel Out of Palestine Now!”, and (in Spanish) “Bush, Fox, y Prisiones son Terroristas” - among other messages.

>photo<
Ketchup, pickles, watermelon, and public dissent. (Above) That’s a “TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE” flier under the watermelon.

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(Above) Heading up the hill, through Presidio rainforest, marchers carry a no-W banner. No-war? No-George W.? Probably both.

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(Left) This guy had a video camera with tripod set up in position to film march participants as they walked by. No markings on his jacket, dark-blue American sedan -
FBI spook doing surveillance? Tell me I’m paranoid.

>photo<
As Marchers arrived at the bridge - they were met by several squads of jumpy California Highway Patrol (CHP) riot cops. More than a few of the CHP appeared to be ready and eager to go “blue meanie” on any suspected dissenters. Several CHP gunmen menaced the crowd with 37mm caliber riot guns.

I arrived at the bridge ahead of the big crowd and entered the pedestrian walkway, along with a few other marchers and some tourists - unhindered. As the bulk of the marchers arrived, however, the CHP blocked the walkway and demanded to search bags before entrance was allowed. CHP began doing searches a few minutes before 1:00 - slowing the start across the bridge by quite a long time - as those already searched waited for the rest of the marchers before starting across as a group. It was ironic, somehow, to see the marchers subject to such police scrutiny (harassment, intimidation?) while traffic moved freely over the bridge.

>photo<
(Right) Riot cops piled into vans as marchers were searched on the other side of the chain link fence. I wonder how many marchers decided not to cross the bridge as a result of the obtrusive police presence? How many were harassed or intimidated into not exercising their right to public dissent, free speech, and assembly on the bridge?

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(Above) A SF Police boat circled below the bridge - a CHP helicopter above.

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(Left) Do the CHP always drive around with machine guns now?

As marchers finally made their way across the bridge many flashed peace signs for passing motorists. A good number of drivers honked horns in appreciation and flashed peace signs in return. Marchers chanted: “Free, Free Palestine!”, “No Justice, No Peace! -U.S. Out of the Middle East.” and more.

Then...

>Photo of CHP riot cops blocking pedestrian walkway<

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TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE! Photo Essay Part-2
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Marchers were almost across the bridge, when - 25 minutes before the march permit
expired - the orders came in and a CHP officer (A.K.A. officer A. Porcine, opera star) (above) and the CHP chorus (below & right) blocked the pedestrian walkway and began to sing an old fascist folk tune:

“Get Baack! - BaaACK!, BAAAACK!,
BAAAAAAAAACK! - MooOVE!, MOOOOOVE!,
MOOOOOOOOVE!...”

CHP arrested those who refused to turn around early - arrested others merely for walking too slowly and used clubs and pepper spray on non-violent demonstrators. Three or Four CHP stood around with riot guns - ready to cause complete chaos if need be. To pop-off tear gas or “rubber bullets” on the bridge, at a non-violent crowd, would have been insane. I was a little surprised they didn’t do it.

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Notice (Above) - the CHP have blocked the highway as they arrest their first batch of dissenters. The only time I saw a marcher go into the roadway was when she was pushed there - headfirst - by a friendly CHP goon. Some corporate media, regurgitating CHP public relations hogwash, have reported that marchers were arrested after blocking the
roadway.

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(Left) Caught this CHP in the act of stealing a Kafia (scarf). Signs, banners, Palestinian flags and disagreeing with the government aren’t allowed, I know, but…A SCARF!

Note: U.S. flags are allowed on the walkway - so…feel free.

Another fine irony: Those arrested on the bridge were charged with blocking a public walkway - after the CHP blocked their path - A PUBLIC WALKWAY!

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Marchers sit (right) and tell cops they won’t move until they are allowed to complete their demonstration - as agreed to in the march permit.

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(Left) Concerned for the safety of protesters roughed-up and arrested (in the background) marchers attempted to act as witnesses as they were jabbed with knight sticks and pushed by CHP.

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(Right) CHP charge into non-violent protesters.

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Notice (above) - CHP stopped all traffic on the bridge - causing a massive back up - later attributed to the marchers. Notice also (above) - CHP gunman/mezzo-soprano opera star singing that old fascist folk tune again.

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(Below) That’s a DEF-TEC 37mm riot gun he’s holding. It shoots the rounds he has strapped on - 37mm caliber Multiple (5) Baton Round impact munitions. I have a shell casing from one of them. It had been fired directly at peaceful protesters (2000 Democratic National Convention, L.A.) and there’s a warning printed on it:
“Do not fire directly at person(s), as serious injury or death could occur”.
Nasty looking bloody wounds those things made - not just bruises.
The CHP gunmen on the bridge also had chemical grenades strapped to their sides.
Yeah - angry, panicky, people who can’t see where they’re going - next to a 250 ft. drop - real smart guys.

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CHP still blocking traffic(above, right, and below).

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(Below) The perplexed look on the face of the man in the foreground (holding peace water-bottle) sums up the mood of the crowd: “What the HELL…? This police state sh*t is - OUT - OF - HAND!”

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CHP sends you a warm California hello and welcomes you to the Golden Gate Bridge.*

* Certain restrictions apply.

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“TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE!” Photo Essay Part-3
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(Above & below) Marchers head back south - minus the 30 or so who had been arrested by that point. Notice that the CHP continues to block traffic (Police vans, behind the row of marching CHP, are traveling against traffic.)

>photo<
(Above) Although many returned her peace signs & honked car horns in support, on more than a few occasions, this young activist was flipped-off or yelled at (“f*ck you”, “go back to your own country”) by passing motorists - “good patriots” evidently. I’m happy to say that she was not intimidated into silence and went on giving peace signs and advocating for a “Free Palestine!” with enthusiasm - after returning a few one-fingered salutes.

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Marchers found themselves being pushed by the CHP even after they had left the bridge. The CHP officer in charge ordered his troops to “FORM A SKIRMISH LINE!” before they pushed marchers through the parking lot and into the Presidio. I heard several marchers demand that they be allowed to retrieve their bicycles from the lot - the CHP responded by barking “MooOOOVE!”. Several bystanders were caught up in the sweep of the parking lot. One man pointed down the road and said “I live right over here - I just want to go for a walk across the bridge.” The CHP response: a shove and a shout “MooOOOOOVE!” I told him: “Sorry buddy - it’s not a free country.”

>photo<
(Right & below) Incredulous marchers tried to talk sense into the wall-o-cops and (for
about the 100th time that day) demanded to speak with the supervising officer. CHP response: “Get baaACK - MooOVE!”

>photo<
CHP thought (?) process:
O.K. guys - lets pose for a photo with the bridge - then we’ll keep on hassling these evil-doers. Wait a minute - why do I feel so dizzy? …OH MY GOD! Look how far we are from the highway! I can’t breath. I need to push somebody around. Let’s go push around those girls over there.
“Get baaACK-MooOVE!”

>photo<
CHP thought (?) process continued:
Yeah, yeah - lets push around those foreigner girls. They keep yelling something about “Palestine”. Isn’t that one of them evil-doer places? And they LOOK kinda like the evil-doers do.

Plus, they’re so uppity. They just don’t know their place. They keep talking back when I give ‘em a shove with the stick and say: “geet baack - moove, moove”. They keep shouting at me about their “rights” or something. I HATE when people start talking about those “rights” thingies.

That one in blue keeps complaining. Boy-o-boy do I wish I had an excuse to show her who’s boss...
Oh my gosh! She just TOLD Sarge not to push her again!
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Did you see that? - Her finger - it came close to Sarge’s helmet...
Let’s get her!...Let’s get her!...Yeah, mess her up!
We’ll show her who’s boss. Throw her on the ground. Stick yer knee in her back!
NOW she’s gonna respect us.
Yeah, she’s not talking about “rights” anymore.

>photo<
Arrest photo (above) by Anonymous Indy Photographer.

>photo<
After brutally arresting 11-year-old Sophia Ibrahim and leaving her, cuffed, face-down on the ground for a while - the CHP took her and high-tailed it back towards the highway - leaving Park Police to deal with outraged marchers.

Sophia was charged with assaulting a Police Officer - a Felony. The police convinced Sophia’s brother that if he came with them they would release her to him. Instead they arrested him for Child Endangerment - FOR BRINGING HIS SISTER TO THE PROTEST!

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Close to 200 marchers (met by over 200 police) took the struggle for Peace and Justice to the Golden Gate Bridge. A small number compared to many recent Bay Area peace marches (20-30,000 marched on April 20th). Will the California Highway Patrol’s police state actions serve to stifle future free speech activity on the Golden Gate Bridge or to bring a much larger crowd out for TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE #2?

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Photos and text by B. Marsh - email: subbrian3 [at] yahoo.com

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