report back March On the Pentagon : Cleveland IMC (((i)))

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28523211@N06/sets/72157615723485877/show/

FEET TO THE FIRE! WE WANT PEACE!
March 20-21 ,2009 Anniversary Of The Iraq War Report Back- MJ Muser

On friday March 20,2009 Cleveland peace activists participated in a march of the dead sponsored by Northeast Ohio Anti War Coalition (NOAC) around the warehouse entertainment district followed by a veritable feast provided by Cleveland Food Not Bombs in Old Stone Church.
Excellent inspiration and good vibrations were provided by talented musical artists XELA, E & J Intoxicated, Charlie Mosbrook and Johnny Philko Band.
Afterwards we filled up a bus and headed to D.C. to join in the first major protest since the election of President Obama.

The weather and spirit of the beautiful people in DC for the March on The Pentagon could not have been better.
We hung out on the grass enjoying each others company during the rally. I had positive thoughtful conversations and danced with people from all over .
Hats off to the organizers who did an outstanding job meeting and greeting the buses, having a medical bus for exhausted activists to get reprieve in during the march, to having legal advisors and march marshalls readily available if needed.

Our Cleveland NOAC contingent wore white masks to represent the faces of the dead . Our beautiful banner was large and read "Feet To The Fire We Want Peace!" On one side of it we carried a peace flag and on the other a earth flag.
At one point in the march I saw a young girl delighting in a sunny field filled with bright yellow daffodils. It warmed my heart after the long winter we had to endure and it was a true picture of peace.

When I turned around to see behind me during the march across the Potomac I saw all diverse young people stretched out across the street fired up, jumping, drumming,shouting "Hell no we won' t go we won't fight for Texaco" and "Jump Up Jump Down There's an Anti -War Movement in this town"
I was so excited & thrilled at this that I almost lost my voice from screaming with them towards the Pentagon.The crowd which stretched farther than I could see end to end vented together awesomely!...were were loud! Revolutionary change was thick in the air.
I got the strong feeling that there is truly hope in the world today, the youth on campuses are on the move in this country! Some of the huge colorful banners they carried read " Books Not Bombs" and "Occupation Is A Crime "
Palestinian flags were everywhere throughout the march as well.

There were a pitiful handful of counter protesters standing at the beginning of the march route with their usual "Support The Troops" and " You Are All Traitors" and "Love It Or Leave It" signs. It looks like their numbers have dwindled down next to nothing.
We shut them down easily by chanting "Support The Troops That's A Lie You Don't Care If Soldiers Die"
They looked pretty stupid and irrelevant to me.
I also noticed they were not aggressive like last years Rolling Thunder provocateurs who organized a counter protest that lined the march. It looks like their organizing days may be going thru hard times or maybe they were so outnumbered that they just behaved themselves.

some more pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=March+on+the+pentagon&page=2

And for the human beings in the world... (ANSWER's Report below)
On Sixth Anniversary of Iraq war...
More than 10,000 march on Pentagon, leading war profiteers

The last two-thirds of the march (Getty Images) (If you look closely you can see the NOAC contingent on the right in white masks by blue earth flag)

A "throng of war protesters swelled Saturday as they marched across the Memorial Bridge." (AP) The protesters marched on the Pentagon and what followed was a dramatic direct action at Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and KBR, corporations that demonstrators labeled "merchants of death." The predominantly young crowd continued to grow as the day proceeded. They marched through the Pentagon north Parking Lot and then into downtown Crystal City, where the leading war corporations' headquarters are located.

The march was led by a contingent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. There was a significant delegation from members of the Arab and Muslim communities and many students participated.

The Arlington County Police mobilized in full riot gear in an attempt to block the demonstrators from delivering symbolic coffins at the doorsteps of the war corporations. They brought tear gas, snarling dogs and pointed guns loaded with rubber bullets directly at demonstrators. The Arlington County Police also put out an absurdly low count of the demonstration, which was more than 10,000 people.

In Los Angeles, a simultaneous demonstration drew 4,000 people, which culminated with a dramatic die-in at the Kodak Theater. Another 4,000 demonstrated in San Francisco, where police carried out violent attacks on demonstrators and arrested numerous people.

"This is the launch of the anti-war movement in the post-Bush era. Bush is gone, but the occupation of Iraq continues, the war in Afghanistan is escalating, and the people of Palestine are living under a state of siege," stated Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition.

Below are a few additional photos from the march, which can be downloaded in hi-resolution and credited to Bill Hackwell if used:
Demonstrators cross the bridge to the Pentagon (View hi-res)
Demonstrators lay coffins at the doorstep of the War Profiteers (View hi-res)

Front banner of March (View hi-res)
A protester carries a coffin draped with an Afghan flag (View hi-res)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

more pictures to be found at;

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=march+on+the+Pentagon+3-21-09&page=3

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=DC%20protest%20March%2021%2C2009&w=all

Video :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHLVbwCQF8s

Cleveland Indy Media Center