February 5, 2003 - Demonstration in NYC after Colin Powell Presents Bush Administration's Case
Against Iraq to the UN Security Council - PHOTOALBUM below.

Photos copyright Charlie Jenks charles@mtdata.com, 2003; 2/7/03
Traprock Peace Center, 103A Keets Road, Deerfield, MA 01342; 413-773-1633; fax 413-775-7507.

Sunny and I went to the demonstration in Times Square. We got there early and went to the military recruiting office. Sunny went inside for dialogue with the recruiters about the massive delayed US casualties from the Gulf War (over 159,000 on VA disability with Gulf War connected disabilities) and depleted uranium. We unfurled a banner outside the office and a police officer came along, first going inside the recruiting station to see if any laws had been violated. He then tried to move us along for "obstructing pedestrian traffic." We were not obstructing anything, and he gave up and left.

Sunny passed out DU literature and talked to young people and not-so-young around the station.

We later joined the rally - about 800-1000 in frigid conditions with a MASSIVE police presence. There were a couple of hundred police officers in the area, at least. They contained the respectful demonstrators within their movable steel barricades and said the demonstrators could not march to the second site - at the Dag H. park near the UN. They had given a permit for two demos, but would not allow people to go from one to another. They finally relented and let the marchers walk in a narrow path on the side walk cordoned off by a wall of police. Some police carried bunches of plastic handcuffs. We did not see any arrests, though I heard a police officer say they expected to make arrests.
We marched with the group but were frozen solid and did not stay for the second demo. The first demo started at 5 and ended up around 7 with the march. I have seen no news reports on it.

The Times Square demo was spirited. It was organized by ANSWER and No Blood for Oil had also encouraged participation. Ramsey Clark and Michael Letwin (of Labor Against the War in NYC) were among the speakers. The crowd retained its good spirits as it was herded along the sidewalk during the March. There was much attention from alternative media, and I saw CBS radio there. We appreciate media accounts that people may find. Please email us.