NYC Protests

FLICKR -- While the major news networks covered the march of 100,000 protestors in New York City, the blogging world offered up a populist reaction with much the same instantism that followed the events of 9/11. In some Flickr photo sets, anti-Bush sentiment is running at full steam. In fact, much of the growth in the NYC channel on Flickr is given over to photos of the protests.

You won't see this gritty display of discontent on the streets coming from much of the American mainstream media. It's remarkable to see and read it emanating from micropublishers.

When the "Bikes Against Bush" video was being shot, President Bush was on NBC's Today Show being interviewed about his war on terror. When asked “Can we win?” the war on terror, Bush said, “I don’t think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that the — those who use terror as a tool are — less acceptable in parts of the world.” That sounds like years of campaigning lie ahead for Bikes Against Bush.

4 Sep 04 recap from Gothamist:

• 11,867 officers and supervisors worked the convention every day. ("That is more than three times larger than the number of officers ever assigned to a presidential nominating convention. It's also more than the total of every other police department in the country except for Chicago, which has about 13,400 officers.")
• RNC detail: Four assistant chiefs, eight deputy chiefs, 24 inspectors, 60 deputy inspectors, 177 captains, 440 lieutenants, 1,286 sergeants, 9,868 police officers. Then adding 912 recruits and 270 traffic agents, the total is over 13,000.
• Of the 968 cops working from the Intelligence Division, 571 did "undercover" duties.
• 937 officers were assigned to demonstration areas around Madison Square Garden.
• 117 officers made so-called quality of life sweeps for drugs, prostitution and other vice around the Garden.
• 511 cops were stationed at various hotels throughout midtown.
• 196 officers were sent to patrol "sensitive locations."
• 1,144 cops were assigned to Penn Station.

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Appliance -- "Signs of our times". According to Flickr, "appliance doesn't have any favorite photos." But the ones in his photo set are earthy and capture the mood on the sidewalks.
Jason Kottke -- "Bikes against Bush Thwarted"
Bikes Against Bush "Arrest Video" is 21.1 MB (5:30) on Irish mirror.
Chris Gulker analyses the video and itemises all the equipment in and on the bike. Think Mac.
Gothamist -- "Facts about police presence during RNC"
Sean Gardiner -- "Cops flooding Manhattan during convention"
Ben Good -- "The New Yorker Goes to War"
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