Photos from the May 25 Day of Action

Dale

Thanks for posting the excellent photos you took at the rally. It was quite a turnout, particularly with the heat.

I tried to take a few photos myself, but it was a real hassle; the rally had some very over-zealous "security" folks that asked me for a press pass several times. I had a press card with me, but I still got hassled anyway. In all of the hundreds and hundreds of protests I've been to I've never seen the obsession with security by event "staff" that I saw at the anti-Arnold rally.

If you got anywhere near the stage, you would immediately get accosted. If you hesitated for a second on the sidewalk, you would likewise get accosted. Others I talked to complained about the obsessive security tactics also.

I've done security myself for events, so I was shocked how heavy handed it was at this rally. In my opinion, the security precautions used at this event were excessive and served only to alienate many of the people who had come to support the effort against Arnold's special election. If we are to build a successful coalition against Arnold, we need to treat each other with more tact and more respect.

Dan

A message to radicals. There was just a rally in Sacto. in which over 10,000 working people protested. They had pretty much working class demands against the powers that be. Yet not much coverage here and no analysis of this emerging movement. Maybe this something to think about.

Great photos.

to Dan-- The heavy handiness you noticed is because this top-down movement that is controlled by the union bureaucracies which means they will sheep-herd this movement into the electoral arena and supporting the democratic party. This movement, if it is to go anywhere, needs to take it to the streets (like the nurses and teachers) and move towards, as wide as possible strikes and independent action.

Please give more info. in the text! One might guess, after looking at the photos here, that this protest took place in Sacramento, California, USA. But the *text* doesn't say so. It would be a more informative piece of news, for others around the planet to use, if it had started out saying from where it originated. This is a common problem, in my opinion: that too many IMC stories are too subjective and don't attempt to inform people in other places of the basic facts of where, who, when, etc. Are we, as media activists, just trying to impress ourselves or are we trying to get the word out?

Gus

Actually, I was going to post a story, but I had such a hassle with the overzealous security at the rally that it was hard to take photos and I had a hard time hearing the speakers at the rally. Normally I write up a story on events like this for indymedia, dissident voice, counterpunch, Because People Matter or other publications, but I just decided to hang out with friends at the rally in the shade.

There were so many people at the event that it was very hard to get around the south end of the capitol. The heat was unbearable and so were the annoying, ever present, obnoxious "security" people that were hassling anybody getting near the stage or other places they didn't want people. Like I said in my previous email, it was the most heavyhanded treatment I ever got at a "progressive" event, and I've been to hundreds and hundreds of rallies, demos and marches.