Tuesday, August 15, 2000
Protests provide insights of sorts
LOS ANGELES — Finally, my first exposure to a real political convention protest.
Two weeks ago, during the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, I didn't find — not that I looked all that hard — any of the protests that grabbed so much media attention.
Even though three New Jersey state troopers sat around the clock in the Kentucky delegation's hotel, no groups of marauding demonstrators saw the need to bust up the Hampton Inn in Vorhees, N.J.
On Sunday night, a cool and clear Southern California evening, a few of us happened to find ourselves in the middle of the first real confrontation of protesters and cops at this convention.
We were on the Santa Monica Pier, heading to a bash thrown by some Democrats when we hit a wave of loud, young, badly dressed and aggressive protesters.
Focus unclear
At first, I wasn't really sure exactly what these civil disobedients were protesting. Several were chanting and hollering about Microsoft, Philip Morris and genetically engineered food, which I guess is standard fare at most convention parties.
They didn't really block our way, but they didn't get out of the way either. They just stood around, waving dollar bills, brandishing signs such as “Philip Morris for President” and decrying the influence of money in politics.
They picked a good forum for that. The list of the party's sponsors included Microsoft (gasp!), Federal Express, Philip Morris (ah ha!), the National Rifle Association and that radical, frightening fringe group, the National Association of Convenience Stores.
Problem was the cops didn't actually physically restrain the protesters. Instead, they just lined up on horses and formed a line between the party-goers and the party-crashers.
And as horses are want to do, they filled the pier with horse droppings, proving a slippery and smelly mix to the whole situation.
As we got closer to the entrance a group of Green Party protesters tried to sell — that's right, sell — us some Ralph Nader buttons.
Other amusements
Off to one side of us a woman with dyed green hair — I assume it was dyed — danced around as a bubble machine, probably borrowed from the Lawrence Welk estate, filled the stinky air with bubbles.
A nearby trio of guys beat on some bongos and chanted something that can't be repeated in a family newspaper but actually made us veterans of newsrooms feel right at home.
We finally got in, had a heckuva time and bought a couple of Nader buttons on the way out.
All in all, the protesters did a good job beating up on a system that allows them to protest and disrupt a private event. I'm guessing that irony was missed.
Associated Press reports: Latest news, video and audio
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Protests provide insights of sorts
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