As President Bush accepted his nomination, thousands gathered in Union Park for a vigil dedicated to, according to United for Peace and Justice, "Those who have died or will die as a result of the Bush administration."

2004 Republican National Convention protest activity includes the broad range of marches, rallies, performances, demonstrations, exhibits, and acts of civil disobedience in New York City to protest the 2004 Republican National Convention and the nomination of President George W. Bush for the 2004 U.S. presidential election, as well as a much smaller number of people who marched to support Bush at the convention. This work is copyrighted. ... This work is copyrighted. ... Civil disobedience encompasses the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government or of an occupying power without resorting to physical violence. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, music, and culture. ... 2004 Republican National Convention Logo President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney accepted their partys nomination to run for second terms. ... The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) // Personal life, service and education Bush is the son of George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ...

Hundreds of groups organized protests, including United for Peace and Justice, a coalition of more than 800 anti-war and social justice groups, and International ANSWER. So far, over 1800 individuals have been arrested by the authorities, a record for a political convention in the U.S. However nearly all of these charges were eventually dropped. I LOVE THESE GUYS!!!! I SHOULD LET THEM RUN MY CAMPAIGN OVER THE INTERNET!!! THAT IS A GOOD IDEA!!! OF COURSE I AM A WACKO, AND I DO HAVE A BIT OF A SOFT SPOT FOR STALINISTS - Howard Dean ... In the common law, an answer is the first pleading by a defendant, usually filed and served upon the plaintiff within a certain strict time limit after a civil complaint or criminal information or indictment has been served upon the defendant. ...

A protester is arrested demonstrating against George W. Bush and the RNC.

A protester is arrested by police in a demonstration. ... A protester is arrested by police in a demonstration. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) // Personal life, service and education Bush is the son of George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush. ... RNC can mean. ...

Thursday, August 26

Four young professionals and students, who called themselves Operation Sybil, hung a banner over the front of the Plaza Hotel. Two of them rappelled down the front of the hotel, after which they were able to hang the banner more than a dozen stories above the ground. The banner, which measured 60 feet wide and roughly three stories high, said "Truth," with an arrow pointing in one direction (toward Central Park, where the United for Peace March was supposed to take place) and "Bush," with an arrow pointing the other direction (toward Madison Square Garden, the site of the convention). The four climbers were quickly arrested and the banner was removed by the police. One police officer was injured in the process when he stepped on a skylight and it broke. As a result of the officer's injury, the climbers were charged with assault of a police officer along with their other charges. August 26 is the 238th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (239th in leap years). ... The Plaza Hotel as seen in 2004 from The Pond in Central Park. ...

The Plaza Action Press Release Photographs of the action

Twelve AIDS activists from the AIDS Coaltion to Unleash Power (ACT UP) staged a naked protest in front of Madison Square Garden, demanding debt cancellation for poor countries. They took their clothes off in the crosswalk, stopping traffic, as they joined hands and began chanting "Bush, Stop AIDS. Drop the Debt Now!" "Drop the Debt" and "Stop AIDS" were stenciled in black paint on their chests and backs. Their intent was to tell "the naked truth" about Bush's global AIDS policies - that they are inadequate, and that debt cancellation must be a top priority.

Seven of the protesters were completely naked, three were semi-clothed, and two others, who stood off to the side, were fully clothed, and held a large banner that read "W: Drop the Debt. Stop AIDS." The two clothed activists climbed on top of a nearby trailer to make the banner more visible.

They were later arrested and faced several charges, including endangerment of a police officer, which was a result of the fact that officers had to climb on top of the trailer, which was a generator, in order to arrest them.

The activists chanted naked in the street while photographers clicked away, police officers looked on in amusement, and a large crowd of onlookers gathered. Comments ranged from "How do I get involved in this group?" to "What about the children?" and a nearby store saw a brief burst in camera sales as onlookers quickly bought cameras and went back to photograph the protest.

Although there were several times as many police officers as there were protesters on the scene, it was seventeen minutes before the activists were arrested. They were represented by Ron Kuby, and all of the charges were later dropped. A few protesters who were semi-clothed were not arrested, and faced no charges. [1] Ronald L. Kuby is a renowned criminal defense and civil rights attorney. ...

The activists later became one of the subjects in photographer Richard Avedon's last project, published in the New Yorker. Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923–October 1, 2004) was an American photographer. ...

Friday, August 27

Between 5,000 and 6,000 participants took part in the Critical Mass bicycle ride. The monthly NYC Critical Mass ride promoted by the environmental group Time's Up! occurs on the last Friday of each month and usually attracts about 1,500 riders. Police eventually blockaded roads and arrested 264 people in relation to that event. Most of them was charged for disorderly conduct and held in custody for 24 hours. This was the first time the NYPD had made any significant arrests of Critical Mass participants. [2][3] August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... A sphere of plutonium surrounded by neutron-reflecting blocks of tungsten carbide. ... In the criminal law of the United States of America, disorderly conduct is a name given to a rather ill defined crime. ...

Sunday, August 29

Protesters gather in Union Square before the march

Many New Yorkers showed solidarity with the marchers

United for Peace and Justice organized the main march of the week, in which protesters marched past Madison Square Garden, the site of the convention. The march included hundreds of separate contingents as well as individual marchers. One group of people carried flag-draped cardboard coffins. Several hundred members of Billionaires for Bush held a mock countermarch. Estimates of crowd size ranged from 120,000 to over 500,000. August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1004 KB)Protesters gathered in Union Square on August 29, 2004 before their march to the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1004 KB)Protesters gathered in Union Square on August 29, 2004 before their march to the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden. ... Download high resolution version (1820x1536, 209 KB)Many local New Yorkers, such as these city-dwellers dropping banners from their apartment, expressed their support for the August 29, 2004 RNC protests. ... Download high resolution version (1820x1536, 209 KB)Many local New Yorkers, such as these city-dwellers dropping banners from their apartment, expressed their support for the August 29, 2004 RNC protests. ... I LOVE THESE GUYS!!!! I SHOULD LET THEM RUN MY CAMPAIGN OVER THE INTERNET!!! THAT IS A GOOD IDEA!!! OF COURSE I AM A WACKO, AND I DO HAVE A BIT OF A SOFT SPOT FOR STALINISTS - Howard Dean ... Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and sometimes simply called The Garden has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ... Billionaires for Bush is a culture jamming political street theater organization that satirically purports to support George W. Bush for his activities which, they believe benefit corporations and the super-wealthy. ...

Visual pun effigies of Dick Cheney and George W. Bush at the march

Organizers held a pre-march press conference in front of thousands on 7th Avenue. Several people spoke in opposition to the war in Iraq and Bush administration policies including Michael Moore, Jesse Jackson, Congressman Charles Rangel, and a father who had lost his son in Iraq. [4] The whole event lasted six hours, with the lead contingent finishing the march long before thousands of people could even move from the starting point. [5][6] The City government, under Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg, had earlier denied the protesters a permit to hold a rally in Central Park following the march, citing concern for the park's grass. The West Side Highway was offered instead, but organizers refused, citing exorbitant costs for the extra sound equipment and problems for the location. [7] Organizers encouraged people to go to Central Park following the march's conclusion in Union Square. Disturbances were minor. New York Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly reported about 200 arrests with 9 felonies — most of them occurring after the march had concluded. Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 362 KB)Effigy of Dick Cheney, with effigy of Bush barely visible marching in front, at the August 29 march to protest the RNC convention in NYC. I took this picture shortly after being squirted by Dick (the person inside had some sort of watergun... Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 362 KB)Effigy of Dick Cheney, with effigy of Bush barely visible marching in front, at the August 29 march to protest the RNC convention in NYC. I took this picture shortly after being squirted by Dick (the person inside had some sort of watergun... This article deals with the post-invasion period in Iraq and its occupation. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) // Personal life, service and education Bush is the son of George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush. ... // Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American film director and author. ... Jesse Jackson The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. ... Charles Bernard Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel (born June 11, 1930) is an American politician. ... Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Mike Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is a businessman and the current mayor of New York City. ... A wintry aerial view, looking south: ice on the frozen lakes, the Metropolitan Museum in the park at left, the East River and the Empire State Building in the distance Central Park (40° 46′ 59″ N 73° 58′ 20″ W) is a large urban public park (843 acres or 3. ... Equestrian George Washington, by Henry Kirke Brown, 1856. ... A felony, in many common law legal systems, is the term for a very serious crime; misdemeanors are considered to be less serious. ...

Radical drum corps and marching bands were a common sight

Police and fire officers stand amidst debris following the torching of a dragon float

This was also the day when the Protest Warrior and Communists for Kerry counter-protest groups held their main counter-demonstrations in support of Bush and the RNC. Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1005 KB)Radical drum corps and marching bands, such as this one, were a common sight in the August 29, 2004 march against the RNC in NYC. I took this picture and release it into the public domain. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1005 KB)Radical drum corps and marching bands, such as this one, were a common sight in the August 29, 2004 march against the RNC in NYC. I took this picture and release it into the public domain. ... Fire and police officers congregate in the wake of a float burning down at the anti-RNC march in NYC on August 29, 2004. ... Fire and police officers congregate in the wake of a float burning down at the anti-RNC march in NYC on August 29, 2004. ... Protest Warrior logo Protest Warrior is a political activist group which engages in public protest with a right-wing viewpoint. ... Communists for Kerry is a tax-exempt 527 group affiliated with the Hellgate Republican Club. ...

The Protest Warriors get ready to counter-protest the anti-war demonstrations.

For the most part, the march proceeded peacefully and without violence. The only major incident during the march occurred when some individuals of unknown affiliations torched a large dragon float between Madison Square Garden and the Fox News building. The float turned into a huge fireball, and the march was halted until firefighters were able to clear the street of debris. Later, there was a minor scuffle as some individuals tried to take some of the Protest Warriors' signs. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (500x617, 71 KB) Protest Warrior at the RNC File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (500x617, 71 KB) Protest Warrior at the RNC File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Protest Warrior logo Protest Warrior is a political activist group which engages in public protest with a right-wing viewpoint. ...

Monday, August 30

Still We Rise, a coalition of 52 NYC-based community organizations for the poor and people of color marched at noon from Union Square to Madison Square Garden, and held a rally by the Garden. [8] August 30 is the 242nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (243rd in leap years), with 123 days remaining. ...

Signs outside the mobile Bushville in Brooklyn

At 4 PM, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, a national campaign involving over sixty organizations and coordinated by Cheri Honkala of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union held a rally at by the United Nations on the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. Along with many homeless and poor people have been marching with the PPEHRC through New Jersey and living in a "mobile Bushville" (which settled in Brooklyn a week before the Convention), thousands thronged the streets despite having been denied a permit and marched down Second Avenue and up Eighth Avenue to Madison Square Garden, the police having decided not to stop the protesters. A few troublemakers apparently acting alone disrupted the march towards the end by tearing open police barricades, with one person attacking a plainclothes police detective who had driven his scooter into the crowd, knocking him unconscious. Police made several arrests and deployed tear gas. Picture taken outside of the Mobile Bushville, set up in Brooklyn, NYC, on August 30th, 2004, during the Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign march to protest at the RNC. I took this picture myself, release all my rights to this image, placing it in the public domain. ... Picture taken outside of the Mobile Bushville, set up in Brooklyn, NYC, on August 30th, 2004, during the Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign march to protest at the RNC. I took this picture myself, release all my rights to this image, placing it in the public domain. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and sometimes simply called The Garden has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ...

Tuesday, August 31

Members of CODEPINK and others gathered in front of Fox News Channel's headquarters in New York City and held a "Fox News Shut-Up-A-Thon." About 1,000 people protested the network complaining about lack of balance and deriding it as a propaganda arm of the Republican Party. [9][10] August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining, as the final day of August. ... The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ...

A group called the A31 Action Coalition [11] called for massive civil disobedience on Tuesday, August 31. Civil disobedience encompasses the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government or of an occupying power without resorting to physical violence. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining, as the final day of August. ...

Protest from within the Convention

Throughout the convention, there were several protesters who were able to sneak into Madison Square Garden and disrupt the speakers at the podium. Some even described it as surprisingly easy.[12]

Anti-war activists from CODEPINK disrupted primetime addresses three nights in a row and twice during George W. Bush's acceptance speech. [13][14][15]

The father of one of the first U.S. servicemen killed in Iraq was ejected after holding up a sign that read "Bush Lied. My Son Died." [16][17]

Eleven AIDS activists from ACT UP tresspassed into the convention center during the Republican Youth Convention, chanting anti-Bush slogans and disrupting the event. [18] One female protester holding a sign was subdued by security, and alleged that she was kicked by a member of the Young Republicans while she was on the ground. Video of this event was shot by a local news station, but it proved to be inconclusive, because while it showed the Republican making kicking motions, it didn't show that any contact was made. video News of the alleged attack spread through the left-wing blogosphere, leading a website to indentify a person whom they believed was the alleged attacker. [19] The female protester who was kicked then came forward and said she would consider pressing charges, however, she later decided that it was more worthwhile to expend her energy fighting AIDS. [20] The identity of the alleged attacker has not been conlusively confirmed. The eleven ACT UP protestors were charged with disorderly conduct, 2nd and 3rd degree assault, and inciting a riot (1 violation, 1 misdemeanor, and 2 felonies), although all of the charges were dropped. A twelfth individual, not associated with ACT UP, was also arrested with them for taking pictures of the action.[21] The Red Ribbon symbol is used internationally to represent the fight against AIDS. AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, rarely written Aids) is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus HIV, a lentivirus [1]. By leading to the destruction and/or functional impairment of cells of the immune... ACT-UP, or the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, is a diverse, non-partisan group of individuals . ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Police tactics and Pier 57 : Guantanamo on the Hudson

Concerns have been raised about police tactics in arresting nonviolent protesters with many apparently innocent people being swept up in mass arrests. [22]

Guantanamo on the Hudson was a term coined during the Republican National Convention by a lawyer who, amongst 1000 other people, was detained in a facility by the New York City Police, in such conditions that he said that the city had created its "own little Guantanamo on the Hudson" (an allusion to the tortures reported in prisoners camps in Guantanamo). The Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the United States Republican Party, is held every four years to determine the partys candidate for the coming Presidential election and the partys platform. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki (R) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Camp Delta. ...

The City police reportedly closed a whole street where some protesters were marching, and arrested protesters and bystanders alike. People were required to show identification cards or face arrest; the arrested people were not immediately informed of charges against them.

The facility was a former bus garage on Pier 57 on the Hudson River in Manhattan, a three-story, block-long pier that has been converted into a temporary holding facility, though unfit for detention of prisoners. Arrested protesters have complained about extremely poor conditions describing it as overcrowded, dirty, and contaminated with oil and asbestos. People reported having suffered from smell, bad ventilation, and even chemical burns and rashes[23][24][25][26][27] [28]. Deputy Police Commissioner Paul J. Browne denied the accusations, pointing to the fact that ventilations and sanitation had been installed. Oil is a generic term for organic liquids that are not miscible with water. ... Asbestos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Numerous troubling cases were reported, notably:

• A 15-year-old diabetic girl on her way to a movie was arrested. [29]
• A former vice president of Morgan Stanley was arrested while riding her bicycle. [30]
• A 16-year-old protestor was lost to her mother for two days, even though her mother knew about and supported her daughter's participation. [31]
• Small pens were used to contain "30 to 40 people" at once. [32]
• Many people were detained longer than 24 hours on relatively trivial charges. [33][34] One was a 23-year-old Montreal student arrested for disorderly conduct and released three days later. "He says he spent a total of 57 hours between the pier and Central Booking, during which time he says he was moved 14 times and repeatedly handcuffed and shackled to other protesters as young as 15." [35]

The City reportedly refused to release the prisoners until a judge threatened to fine it for every extra hour every prisoner would spend in prison. The victims of the arrests have filled lawsuits against the City of New York. Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MWD) is an investment bank and retail broker based in New York. ...

One of the most prominent personalities arrested was Eric Corley "Emmanuel Goldstein", an important advocate of public rights and independent medias, and editor of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly [36]. The complete report of 2600 is available at [37]. Left to right: Deth Vegetable, Eric Emmanuel Goldstein Corley and Joe630 in Freedom Downtime Eric Gorden Corley is viewed by some as a leader of the computer hacker community and goes by the name Emmanuel Goldstein, after the leader of the underground in George Orwells classic, Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... Fall 2004 (21:3) 2600 Issue 2600: The Hacker Quarterly is a traditional (printed) magazine named for the fact that phreakers in the 1960s found that the transmission of a 2600 Hertz tone (which could be produced perfectly with a plastic toy whistle given away free with Capn Crunch...

Several cases have since gone to court, and it has come out that the charges of resisting arrest in those cases were completely fabricated. Video evidence was shown of defendants complying peaceably with police demands. Many of the cases have since been summarily dismissed.

External Links:

• thememoryhole.org Photographs, videos and testimonies from prisoners.
• 2600.com Photographs, videos and testimonies from prisoners.
• Times Online
• New York Press
• VillageVoice
• Democracy Now !
• First Amendment Center
• MSNBC

General information

The Imagine Festival of Arts, Issues, and Ideas is the primary arts festival.

NYC & Company, New York's tourism board, initiated the Peaceful Political Activists visitor program, which gives protest event information on its website and enables wearers of a "Peaceful Political Activist" button discounts at selected stores and restaurants.

RNC Mass Defense in conjunction with the New York Civil Liberties Union, National Lawyers Guild, and others, worked to provide pro bono legal advice for all protesters. The National Lawyers Guild is a professional organization in the United States for lawyers and related professions, similar in many respects to the American Civil Liberties Union, but farther to the political left. ... Pro bono, is a phrase derived from Latin meaning for the good. The complete phrase is pro bono publico, for the public good. It is a term used to designate legal or other professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment, as a public service. ...

Scenes from the protests and convention are available online at CSPAN.com.

See also

• Free speech zone

The free speech zone at the 2004 Democratic National Convention Free speech zones (also known as First Amendment Zones or derisively as Free speech cages) are areas set aside in public places for political activists to exercise their right of free speech. ...

External links

• CounterConvention.org and RNC Not Welcome are the primary online information clearinghouses.
• NYC IndyMedia is the primary protest activity news organization.
• Poor People's Campaign for Economic Human Rights organized the rally and massive peaceful, permitless march on A30.
• Kensington Welfare Rights Union is a Philadelphia-based group that campaigns for poor people's rights. They organized a successful, unpermitted march on the 2000 RNC in Philadelphia and were heavily involved in 2004's march.
• Still We Rise is the website for the noon A30 march for NYC-based community groups.
• Peaceful Political Activists visitor program
• The Battle for New York: A Roundup of the RNC Protests Plans