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| Organizers of IMF Protest Object to Route |
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Posted by FoM on April 18, 2002 at 08:41:08 PT By Manny Fernandez and Petula Dvorak Source: Washington Post 
District police have told anti-globalization marchers that they can't assemble Saturday for protests outside the downtown Washington offices of Coca-Cola Co. and two other major corporations, a ban organizers say is unconstitutional.Members of the Mobilization for Global Justice had been preparing street-theater skits featuring stilt-walkers, an inflatable globe and soda pop, outside the offices of Coca-Cola, Citibank and Monsanto Co. -- to follow a protest earlier in the day at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. But D.C. police issued a march permit last week with a route that keeps the demonstrators away from those offices. Organizers said the new route was a shock, because they requested the permit in late March and do not plan civil disobedience or property destruction. "For them to come back and say, 'No, you can't go there,' is a complete denial of our First Amendment rights," said Adam Eidinger, 28, a member of the District-based coalition. He said some demonstrators will proceed as planned with or without a permit. "They are setting up a confrontation unnecessarily after we have attempted to cooperate with the police for the last month," Eidinger said. D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said yesterday that a permit application is a wish list, not a guarantee. He said that because police will be monitoring so many groups Saturday -- at least four marches are planned -- organizers did not get all the march routes they sought. "We can't just take them on the scenic route that they're asking for," he said. Ramsey said police also took into account past protests staged in front of corporate targets. "There was damage last time," he said, referring to tires that were slashed and graffiti painted on businesses during last year's inaugural protests. Eidinger said that his group is nonviolent and that he knew of no instance in which members destroyed property at a demonstration. Police are trying to cover the various protests without depleting neighborhood patrols, a concern of community leaders. "The route they were asking for would tie up too many officers for too much time," Executive Assistant Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer said. He said police can't pin past damage on any one group but must take into account what might be done by splinter groups not associated with peaceful protesters. Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected by organizers to protest tomorrow through Monday over a host of issues, including U.S. aid to Israel, activities of the World Bank and IMF, and foreign policy in Colombia. The original permit application sought a march route that headed north on 18th Street NW, then east on H Street to Connecticut Avenue, where organizers wanted to stage a brief skit outside Coca-Cola offices. The rest of the route would have taken them south on 14th Street NW, then east on G Street to a Citibank branch, then to Monsanto offices near 13th and G streets NW. The permit approved by police lets protesters rally outside the IMF and World Bank, then march south on 17th Street to Constitution Avenue, eventually joining other marchers at Freedom Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Protest organizers say they picked the companies to draw attention to the deaths of union organizers at a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Colombia, Citibank profits from Colombia's debt and Monsanto products they said harm the environment. "We view the police mandate to block these protests as an example of how corporate interests routinely trump those of citizens," Eidinger said. March After Saturday Rally Would Miss Offices of Multinational Corporations Related Articles & Web Sites: Colombia Mobilization Colombia Drug War News Colombia's Chief Wants More US Help High Stakes in Colombia The War on Drugs and the Implosion of Colombia Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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