Thursday, August 28, 2014
Michael Brown Protestors Hope to "Shut Down" H Street Saturday Night
Participants in a related protest marched through the streets of DC 8/23
The official name of the event is the "March To Shut Down H St. For Mike Brown: No Justice No Economic Peace," and they are headed our way starting at 7pm Saturday. Here's how the organizers explain the protest: "We are continuing our protests for justice for Mike Brown and his family by shutting down another one of DC’s major economic thoroughfares." One might be forgiven for thinking Dupont or Georgetown could better serve the purpose, but it's happening here, so plan accordingly. Those wishing to take part in the protest should meet in front of Union Station by 7pm. The official hashtag is #DCFerguson. Please note that this is the second such protest in DC in recent days. The last one passed through Chinatown. You can find pictures and video of it in this post on Democratic Underground. More about this event from the Washington City Paper.
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60 comments:
I hope all of the protestors patronize the businesses that they are choosing to shut down on what would otherwise be their busiest night. If they don't, it seems like they're punishing workers and business owners that have absolutely nothing to do with the unfortunate events in Ferguson.
4th & G,
I must confess I feel much the same way. H Street NE is mostly populated by small local businesses. It's hardly like "shutting down" any of those places on a Saturday night does much to disrupt the power structure in DC & or the Federal government, or anywhere else but here, and in the wallets of the people who earn a living around here.
This thing has to be planned by out of towners that chose H Street because someone read about in the New York Times. I hope that the independent west end businesses will be OK. I'm thinking that most of the demostrators will poop out long before they get to 11th. I hope they have to catch the X2 home.
Can we please remove the details about how to actively get involved in the protest that hopes to shut down the primary street I use to get to and from my house?
this will be a boon to all the businesses, these people will be needing $10 cocktails
He was a criminal who did not value the life or property of others and his actions led to his own death.
The people who burnt DC and lived in the ruin for the last 40 years will sadly do it again.
When you live a valueless life its easy to blame those who don’t share your values.
Joe,
Anyone who is inclined to march down H Street can easily find the info at the link above, or by looking at pretty much any local media. But you, who will not be marching, can get an idea of when & where they might be as they march. Cool? BTW, they will also be marching & chanting on residential side streets (according to my reading of the WCP article).
Call me skeptical. I doubt much will come of this.
The people who will probably mostly be inconvenienced by this are those who ride the X2 and 90/92 buses across the whole city. Good job protesters, you showed that single mom trying to get home from her low paying job what's what.
There are a lot of places to hang out in this city. People will just rework their plans and come H St some other week when they need a break from 14th St
These people suck at planning a protest. Who is their audience? The largely liberal and mostly sympathetic to their cause young DC gentrifiers?
Did these people not realize the Nats were drawing 30k+ people per day/night for ten straight nights until Sunday?
You could have jammed up the streets around the park and caused people to be late or miss the game or get home really late. I put five minutes of half assed thought into this protest. And this is the best this whole coalition of groups could come up with? No wonder their organizations suck at whatever they do. Someone get the black Israelites involved
it would be awesome to run a streetcar down H st during this 'protest'...
for once I actually agree with the commenters with regards to the choice of location for the protest. H ST? Hurting small businesses that are locally owned...Someone send this thread WCP.
Gad people are stupid. Was Michael Brown shot on H St? No!
I know DC is the place for protests of all sorts, no matter how dumb, but really.
Oh wait, I see the ANSWER people, well known for their protests at a drop of a hat and posters that stick around forever, are involved. 'Nuff said.
Seems that these (and all) protestors are forgetting that all the details of the shooting have not been released yet and maybe getting shot was justice. If he did punch the officer in the face and fracture his orbit the officer is allowed to use deadly force. Respect the police and you won't get shot! Way to go hurting small business owners hundreds of miles from an isolated incident.
Billy Ray on 12th and G said...
1) 1 night of less business beats getting murdered.
2) I agree that there might have been "better" locations for the protest. That said, one person noted that he was not murdered here. So there should only be protests where he was murdered? Even though this type of thing happens nationwide?
3) I assume there is a good reason the police have not released their version of the events. The longer it takes, the more likely it is that this was a cold blooded murder. Not that justice will be served if that turns out to be the case.
4) I don't know if I will join the protest but these comments make me more likely to do so.
5) The comments in this blog lack balance when it comes to certain issues. I find it discouraging but very informative. A lot of your neighbors smile in your face but have certain preconceived notions about you. Duly noted.
6) I assume and hope that the protest will be peaceful.
Any idea why these people chose H Street NE? I really can't figure out any idea.
Anyway, I'll plan on grabbing dinner on H St that night in support of the local businesses that may be affected.
Location aside, this protest is a day late and a dollar short. It's more about whoever these second rate organizations are getting their names in the paper. The ship has sailed. Should have protested last week at the nats game. They woke up late and came up with this half baked idea cuz they had to do something. Just check the box
I agree that this protest was probably organized by out-of- towners who are not familiar with our neighborhood first hand. It was tragic that a young man lost his life in what at the VERY LEAST was an unjustified shooting, regardless of what the guy did before the shooting or to the officer. I say this because the guy was unarmed. Wrestle him to the ground. Use a tazer if you feel your life is threatened. But I can't see how any scenario could ever offer justification for shooting an unarmed man six or more times. I have a son. I can not imagine what I would do if this happened to my son.
That said, I don't see the value in shutting down neighborhood businesses as a way to show solidarity with the Ferguson community. But then again, I am a middle aged white chick with no notion of the rage that the community must have felt. I have not walked in that community's shoes. I am not qualified to judge another's pain.
To Billy Ray on 12th, your neighbors are hopefully looking at you and me the same way cause we're neighbors. we have to trust one another. we have to believe that we each have a stake in this perfectly imperfect community.
I hope this tragedy does not change that ideal. I hope my neighbors, regardless of what color their skin may be, will still trust that I see them as I always have, as my neighbors. and I hope they see me as a person who they value as part of their community. I hope I am not looked at with anger and suspicion because of the actions of this policeman. I hope you do not look at your neighbors that way either.
Cool, it's a good thing we're going to discuss/debate the Brown shooting here, since it isn't already being discussed on *EVERY SINGLE OTHER FORUM ON THE ENTIRE INTERNET*.
@billyray
A 3 year old girl was shot in her bedroom in MD a few weeks ago and people/community are still protecting the shooter.
You would rather protest Sat for a criminal?
@Annoyingmous
Many people don't watch the news or read. They get biased information from people on the street.
Lets not discuss or deal with unpleasant matters and pray they will pass us by.
You should watch "Generation War" on Netflix to see how that works out.
The protest runs from 7:00PM to 11:59 PM. Marching in the dark?
Anyone here complaining about the choice of march location can feel free to coordinate their own march. Monday morning quarterbacking on the Internet is easy. Actually doing community organizing work is hard.
Choosing H Street on a Saturday makes perfect sense. H Street NE has gotten national press as a nightspot. The shutdown march will get attention from people who might otherwise never pay attention to a protest march, just because they're stuck in traffic on their way to get an overpriced martini and ask "What happened?"
Marches like this aren't designed to be the most convenient for commuters or partygoers, they're designed to bring further attention to an issue, to force it into the conversation. The 22 replies here in an otherwise sleepy comment section on a local blog is a microcosm of what's going to happen Saturday.
You have a better idea? Implement it.
You don't? Be quiet for a second and think of one, then implement it.
I mean, just imagine how inconvenient it was for Mike Brown's Saturday night plans when he got shot and killed.
yeah, totally, man. I hope his buddy at least got to smoke those quick trip swisher sweets in his memory later that night.
I really feel bad for what happened to Mr. Brown, but I suggest the people organizing this march first take a look at the business owners who they are trying to affect. a lot of them are African American or black, or minorities that have also suffered from some sort of discrimination and injustice, I mean look at Ethiopic, Batter Bowl, Organic Market, Ocopa, just to name a few? I know community organizing is hard, but just because is hard it doesn't mean they should just pick a random nonsense spot to do their act. So no, I do not have an idea yet, but any idea is better than a protest on H street from all places in this city/country. This will affect small business owners that are trying to make a decent living and for who Friday is probably their most profitable night. So, if these people are going to patronize the establishments they are welcome to do so, but if they are trying to prevent them from carrying business as normal, I just don't see the point, other than they are hurting the same people who they are protesting for. I am all for protests and justice, but this one is really nonsense.
I understand why they are angry, but,
why not picket 4D MPD HQ? or
MPD HQ downtown?
Brilliant why cant they go somewhere else, not in my back yard!
Does anyone just think they are wrong and their cause is BS
No one group has a monopoly on suffering. The Ethiopians and Peruvians came here and dont buy into this self serving BS
Why don't we freinds and neighbors block H street and turn them away?
I think is a good move....disrupt money wherever it flows........we should do it every Saturday until officials get moving making police accountable for their actions.......
The talent pool for community organizers thinned greatly once barack got a real job. One of these groups is socialist. WTF.
I'm not the one riding the X2 home from work at Chinatown walgreens to Minnesota ave. I'm sure those people are going to be thrilled.
This is so dumb and counterproductive. By creating public disruptions, and potential riots and looting, the protestors - who are marching to get police to "demilitarize" - are only causing the police to arm up even more. I can assure the protestors, Cathy Lanier loves her military weapons and isn't giving them up. They should honestly go protest at the White House or National Mall like everyone else...
Alan -- it was better when your defensive and antagonistic comments went away for a while. Maybe consider hanging up the blogging.
It's sad, I'd grown accustomed to avoiding the comments of any news story which was even tangentially about black folks to avoid the soul-crushing tide of racism. I had assumed that the comments of people who ostensibly live nearby me would be immune. How foolish I was. The world of comment sections I need to avoid is ever widening like a horrible gyre of ignorance and hate.
Praying h street doesn't get destroyed again.
H street is probably the most diverse, racially tolerant neighborhood in the whole city. These people should be protesting in upper northwest or Bethesda if they really want to make a point....it's just like 1968...dumb.
@heyktb...you've evidently never been in a life and death struggle. Just bc you can't conceive of a particular scenario doesn't mean that scenario doesn't happen...quite a bit.
anon @5:03 LOL. Nothing cracks me up more than an anonymous commenter referring to me by my first name and giving me anonymous advice. How about you hang it up with anonymous commenting and attach your name to whatever you have to say?
Extra LMAO @ "defensive" and "antagonistic."
To everyone who suggests that a protest march will somehow lead to looting, try actually going to a few protest marches instead of watching Fox News coverage of them. You'll be surprised to find out that peaceful protests are almost always (surprise!) peaceful. Some of the commenters here remind me of the Washington Post editorials filled with panic that the March of Washington would destroy the city. The more things change...
If you want to march down h st to draw awareness to a cause, fine. Say that is what you are going to do. When you start saying you are going to "shut down" a street, your cause becomes something other than your stated cause and it is antagonistic. Your goal is to adversely affect other people for some reason. It is petulant and amateur. It makes me think that their cause is a little bit about Michael Brown and decent amount anti gentrification. It is as though they resent the businesses that have opened and the people who go to them. Maybe this aspect of capitalism is why a socialist group is involved.
A march would effectively shut down h st anyway. Maybe they couldn't rally enough people to support Michael Brown so they send out an anti gentrification bat signal
Anon 9:54: you're right about at least two things. For one, if your explicitly stated intent is to "shut down H Street", it's dishonest to claim your purpose is to raise awareness of the issue.
Second, I've participated in a few marches and protests sponsored by ANSWER, and have spoken to a bunch of people who have attended other ones. *Every single one of them* has ended up wrapping around rallies and speeches that are about 20% focused on the advertised topic of the protest, and 80% focused on the other things ANSWER stands behind, some of which I go along with and some of which I do not. They are absolutely 100% guilty of using issues with a lot of public outcry to draw a lot of people they can then claim were there to also support opening the borders or smashing capitalism or whatever.
Intoxicated Souls/Billy Ray on 12th and G writes: "1 night of less business beats getting murdered." Yes, that's true. And one false dichotomy/logical fallacy ruins your post.
@Alan 2:12
This protest is not being led by
MLK or Ghandi
There are peaceful protests and there are violent protests
We can wait and hope a man of peace leads us, but since justice was done to a criminal in this case, I must assume these people are not looking for peace but anarchy
I don't mind a protest. H Street is very appropriate considering the 1968 riots took place here. Symbolism.
What I don't like is the implied threat of violence: "When you start saying you are going to "shut down" a street, your cause becomes something other than your stated cause and it is antagonistic. Your goal is to adversely affect other people for some reason."
I think this statement is reasonable. I understand people are angry and rightfully so about a citizen being killed by police. Michael Brown was unarmed but was shot in the head 2x. Was that action appropriate? I think it is very understandable for many people to say no. People have a right to protest in a non-violent manner. If it is safe and relieves some anger without violence (or another death) then a business will have to suck it up. Michael Brown & his family have had worse.
@Anonymous
Aug 30, 2014, 4:11:00 PM
"...since justice was done to a criminal in this case, I assume these people are not looking for peace but anarchy."
Myself, I'm awaiting the police report. I'm curious what level of crime deserves two shots to the head. What un-armed crimes deserve this? Bernie Madoff? My bad personal info says the officer was injured like a mixed martial arts competitor by a guy stealing cigars. Where is the proportion if that's what happened?
Just dealing with facts and nothing else or any other case of perceived injustice
Mike Brown assaulted a citizen and stole.
Mike Brown attacked a police officer.
What should have been done to Mike Brown, considering Mike Brown was not playing nice with anyone?
I agree the cop should have not harassed him and let him go home to smoke up with his friends.
Indifference is why people are marching. Be careful if you go out tonight.
The "Black Power" banner being carried prominently in the front of the protest doesn't speak to peace or justice. I agree with posters that say H is the most diverse neighborhood in town. So what is the point of that?
Yep, there it is as predicted: "The problem is capitalism and we are shutting it down!"
I especially appreciated that what appeared to be an African National Conference flag at the end of the protest was carried by a white dude in a Washington Football team jersey. Nice touch!
i wish i read this blog sooner, so i could have prepared some support officer wilson signs. good riddance mike brown. you attacked an officer, and now you're dead.
@anon 4:11,
"There are peaceful protests and there are violent protests"
Well, the protest is over and there was exactly zero violence. So, you're about to post a public apology for typing that nonsense, no?
Ugh, this is why I travel to my beach home on weekends.
so.....? did anyone go?
from the post march "activity" on this blog, i'm going to hazard a guess that ANTICLIMACTIC pretty much sums it up, no?
as in, "keep moving, folks. nothing to see here...."
Poo Poo,
I did walk down with a small group. I'm really bad at guessing crowd sizes, but I think they had a couple of hundred folks marching. People came out of the bars to watch. That was about it.
Alan, No one should have to apologize for speaking in public even on comment board. Not surprised that you think that way since you support Mike Brown, a known criminal and bully.
Thank you, inked! So all was well. Good. Three cheers for freedom of speech in America - for everyone!
...even commenters on your blog. :)
"Mike Brown assaulted a citizen and stole."
Said person never called 911 or filed charges. All we have is video with no sound. For all we know, they're roughhousing. Since the storekeeper didn't file charges, we don't even know if the cigarillos were stolen. What kind of shopkeeper doesn't call the police on a shoplifter?
"Mike Brown attacked a police officer."
Not a fact at all. Every witness who has been willing to come forward, on camera, and talk about what happened, hasn't said anything about Brown attacking anyone. If Wilson had a legitimate self-defense claim, why is he hiding? People who have a valid legal defense don't go into hiding, criminals do.
@4:49 No right or wrong here just diff values
In some countries women are property and homosexuals are criminals
You feel based on the video that Mike Brown was just rough housing all fun and games when he wrestled that police man who was harassing him.
I feel based on the video he was a criminal.
We will never agree when we have diff values, but I recognize them as such
When a child is shot in her bedroom, that is criminal and murder.
When someone shoots and kills you when they want your car, that is murder.
When someone drives by and shoots you dead in the street that is murder.
What happened to Mike Brown was none of the above.
Anon @ 12:01,
People should apologize for accusing march organizers of being violent and planning a violent march when there are no facts to support such an accusation and said organizers pulled off a peaceful march. It's called owning up to making a misstatement.
"What happened to Mike Brown was none of the above."
Yeah, what happened to Mike Brown was he got shot with his hands up when he was surrendering, which is definitely murder, but not one of the three murder scenarios you mentioned.
Anon 4:59 is simply wrong.
The storekeeper called in the strong arm robbery which led to the APB. He gave police the surveillance tape of Brown and his buddy stealing the cigars which they still had in their possession at the time Wilson stopped them. You do know what Swisher Sweets are used for, right?
Wilson was advised to remain silent to avoid inflaming a volatile situation. Anything he said could have been twisted or misinterpreted. He is a simple patrol officer.
Following the publication of his name and address, his life was in danger. Forget innocent until...there were those unwilling to hear any facts. Chants on the street called for his death.
Most of us do not understand the workings of grand juries. They hear only the prosecution side, not any defense evidence, or possible exculpatory facts. It is heavily slanted toward the prosecution.
To be honest, what we have heard so far are the statements of people who may or may not be reliable witnesses who loved being in front of TV cameras. There will be forensic evidence that will likely show whether Brown had contact with the officer's gun, whether it discharged inside the police car as a result of a struggle, and how far away he was when he was struck. There are also some fine points of law on the use of force. These vary widely from state to state and I honestly don't know what they are. Do you?
I am inclined to let a reasonable grand jury hear evidence presented by reasonable prosecutors who are under a great deal of pressure to be fair to both parties in this unfortunate case,
@4:43
Thanks for a nice objective summation of the facts and law as has been published, but when people do not agree with laws they view as being racist, they will never accept this as a legal act.
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