UPDATE: Can you help me, please by RECOMMENDING this diary?
I missed the Kossack Kontingent gathering at Starbucks, because I had to attend my son's basketball game.
When I got off the Metro at L'Enfant Plaza and started walking toward the mall, I gave Rena a call to find out where to meet up. Folks were split up in smaller groups around the mall and the plan was to meet at quarter til 1pm at the corner of 7th and Madison, then head towards the march start point shortly afterwards.
Follow me after the fold, will you, to experience PART 1 of the day through the eye of my camera, beginning with the Metro ride in at 11:15am, and ending just as we finally start marching at 2:30pm...
First, let me acknowledge the numerous other first-hand photo, video, and text-only diaries of the DC march that have preceded mine. Those I've found, read and enjoyed include Timroff's highly recommended diary, RenaRF's first and second recommended diaries, Tracy Joan's excellent diary with celeb pics galore, and a slew of diaries from missreporter, edgery, carneasadaburrito, CabinGirl, waitingforvizzini, AndyFarquhar, symphonyofdissent, theantidesi101, JeeniCriscenzo, TeresainPA, Wayneman, posse comitatus, NYPopulist, Abacab, Mad Cow, Blue in VA, tr4nqued, hcc in VA, and Roger Fox.
UPDATE: adding eyewall's just-posted diary full of videos.
UPDATE: Adding celticshel's Monday photo diary.
UPDATE: Adding BobcatJH's letter from the protest diary.
UPDATE: Adding Booman23's excellent argument in favor of mass protests (hat tip for working Street Fighting Man into the composition).
UPDATE: Adding JugOPunch's photo diary.
My trip starts waiting for the train at the East Falls Church Metro station, where I spot my first protester:
And, saw this man as I boarded the train heading into DC:
After calling Rena, I saw these Iranian protesters on the Mall at 7th Street:
I then headed towards the rally, already underway, with a huge crowd around the distant stage:
I heard a drum circle and approached, taking a short video, panning over to see a fellow DC Freeway Blogger - what a small world!
I'll be editing together a video segment and posting it later.
After jamming along for about 10 minutes on various percussion pieces I had stashed in my backpack, I meandered northeast towards Madison and spot this guy and his companion on a bench:
And, then, the now infamous Backbone Campaign prop, laying on the ground at their staging area:
I look back to see the sea of people I've maneuvered through so far:
Pretty soon, I'm in an area with lots of Vietnam and WWII vet protesters, gearing up in their respective staging areas:
Some well into their 80s:
Some anarchist wannabes and poseurs near the march start point at 3rd and Madison:
The ever-popular Raging Grannies singing group:
And, a look through the masses towards the rally stage:
Including, the Peace Doves:
Members of Code Pink:
One thing becomes very clear - the crowd has many more senior citizens than you'd expect at such an event, including another group of grandmothers:
A look towards the stage from the right side:
A pair of 14-foot tall puppets:
As I start heading towards the Kossack Kontingent staging area, I spot this elegant 70-year-old lady crossing the street ON STILTS!! Had to snap a shot:
I spot this heartbreaking, block-long wall with the names and stats of every servicemember killed in Iraq:
I chance upon (not hard to miss) protest regular, Chally Herb, in his eccentric "Uncle Sam on stilts" getup. I ask him to reprise the pose he struck for me at the 9/24/05 protest, and he obliged (last year's pose on the right):
Finally, I make First Contact with the Folks in Orange:
After a brief round of chit-chat, Rena whips out the bullhorn to mobilize the troops and the group starts a 4-block trek to the march start point, with Rena in the lead:
Kossacks cross 5th Street
We make our way to the left of the stage, following some rousing speeches by actors Jane Fonda, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins. During a rap performance I snap this shot of the CodePink shoe collection box, overflowing with shoes and symbolic grief for the many dead Iraqis:
After a tantalizing 100 yards of movement from our first spot, we are now stuck behind a barricade, unable to join the march, already underway. During our hour-long impasse, I snap some shots of the diverse crowd:
As we slowly move forward, the Backbone Campaign prop makes its way past us - its message, "Impeach, Indict, Imprison":
Still stuck behind the backstage barricade, Rena spots Edgery, working as a UFPJ Marshal:
We can see that the march is well underway, but we're trapped - unable to get past the barricades and join the marchers, visible in the background;
The packed crowd grows restless:
After a long wait, we finally make it onto the march route - nearly 1.5 hours after it was supposed to have started.
The crosswalk sign marks LIFTOFF at "0" and the look on this guy's face as he begins his march pretty much sums up how we felt - glad to get started - the wait was worth it:
That's it for tonight. Any more and I'd bust the maximum bandwidth per diary.
Will you do me a favor and RECOMMEND this diary, so that those who could not attend can experience it vicariously?
Later in the week, I'll post PART 2 - The march around the Capitol!!