On October 5th, downtown Los Angeles wasn’t business as usual. Before the march, growing groups of youth and others who joined on the spot gathered at corners throughout the business district, shopping districts, garment factories, and skid row with bullhorns in hand, piles of posters, and flyers. The mood was determined and people were on a mission: to expose the crimes of the Bush Regime and challenge people to join us.
Many students participated, despite widespread intimidation from administrators and suspension of student organizers for World Can’t Wait. At L.A. High School one student was physically mistreated and suspended for leading a group of students to walkout. While some made it out the gate, the police quickly locked down the school. About 10 police cars were stationed in a park across the street from the school and another dozen police cars parked around the perimeter of the school.
People gathered in a spirited convergence at Pershing Square beginning at 12 noon. There were speakers and musicians including Tom Morello, performing as the Night Watchman, who electrified the crowd as young people rushed towards the stage and surrounded him after his performance. Artists, activists and religious forces highlighted Bush Crimes with street theater that included a mock marriage of church and state, Guantanamo torture victims in orange jumpsuits, and women in bloody hospital gowns.
At 3:00 p.m. the Bush Crimes Tour March, led by Veterans for Peace and numerous volunteers carrying flag-draped coffins, started off behind a large street wide banner with a burning globe in the center and The World Can’t Wait – Drive out the Bush Regime! El Mundo No Puede Esperar – Fuera Bush y su Gobierno! A huge round war machine was wheeled along the street, stopped periodically by a cog – The World Can’t Wait, Drive Out the Bush Regime.
Contingents marched behind banners spelling out Torture, Katrina, Endless Wars, Theocracy, Bring this to a Halt! A very spirited feeder march from the garment district joined in, with youth and immigrant workers from countries where they have faced torture and repression by US-backed regimes.
By rush hour the marchers had gathered around the Downtown 101 freeway overpass-one of the most transited freeways in L.A.-and brought traffic to a stop when the cars honked in support of the protesters above. The crowd, fully energized from the days’ activities and included a diverse mix: high school and college youth from throughout L.A.; immigrants and garment workers; new move-ins from the Downtown lofts; homeless people; a drum corps from Watts and other Watts residents; a group of nurses who held a banner that read “5 de octube: El Mundo No Puede Esperar!!”; bicyclists; women’s rights, anti-war, immigrant rights, other social justice activists, and first time protesters who traveled from every stretch of Southern California.
The march ended at the downtown Federal Building Rally where a powerful bilingual reading of the Call to Drive out the Bush Regime was given by actors Ed Asner and Michelle Phillips to roars of agreement from the crowd. Actor Lucia Marano read the statement from the World Can’t Wait Steering Committee, as well as the statement to the rally from Director Paul Haggis. Actor Calvin Levels read the statement from Sean Penn. Bob Watada, father of Lt. Ehren Watada, first ranking officer to refuse order to go to Iraq, was interrupted by cheers when he asked why are people who speak the truth criminalized, when those who only lie are not? Other speakers included Jodie Evans, co-founder of Code Pink; Stephen Rohde, Civil Rights Attorney; Jesse Diaz, Jr. co-founder of the March 25th Coalition for Immigrant Rights; Joe Veale of the Revolutionary Communist Party; and Rev. Madison Shockley among others. The rally ended with a stirring rant against the Bush Regime by performer Richard Tanner.
Over 25 media outlets were there, including major English and Spanish language television channels, Air America, KPFK, and others. This included Spanish language, Chinese and Japanese press, as well as Indy Media Center, and college newspapers. The LA Times had a good photo of the march as well as a very good brief article with photos of Sean Penn and Mark Ruffalo and a description of how they spoke out at the World Can’t Wait gatherings.
Many were prevented from getting to the Federal Building rally due to freeway and street closures and the shutting down of bus routes around the march and rally sites. Several hundred people signed up at the WCW table and took stacks of flyers with a statement from the WCW steering committee and details of the October 11th follow-up meeting in L.A.