DNC protests photo gallery

By Matt Jones, 17, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
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A speaker wearing a missile-like helmet spoke about missile defense systems.

My friend called me up a few days before the Democratic National Convention in August to see if I wanted to attend some of the protests with her and a few other people. We made plans and she picked me up from my house on the first day of protests. When I got into the car, after berating me because I was late, my friend asked me if I had brought a bandanna. "For what?" I asked. "For the pepper spray, idiot. Man, you are so unprepared." I wondered what I was getting myself into.

I didn’t worry about it all that much though. When we got to Pershing Square downtown to rally before the march to the convention, it looked more like a festival than anything else.

It was hot. People smelled. Women were unshaven. Still we marched unified toward the convention at the Staples Center. The anarchists walked alongside the people protesting against police brutality and the pro-Ralph Nader group walked alongside the anti-school voucher protesters. I had no clue this many people cared about this many different causes. Most of the protesters were pretty young, probably in their mid-20s. This was kind of weird in retrospect because this is the exact same demographic that polls show votes the least in our society.

Later that week, I met this one 19-year-old who had been shot in the stomach with a rubber bullet after the Rage Against The Machine concert just a few days before. He was out with three of his friends and said he had been out protesting every day. When I asked him what he was protesting about he said, "Everything." Another 17-year-old girl passed out copies of a socialist newspaper and gave me a whole speech about why the DNC was evil and that neither Gore or Bush should be president. Younger kids banged drums and played wooden flutes while they protested.

The police often walked alongside the protesters, trying to make sure things didn’t get out of hand. Everywhere you looked the police were either standing or walking. I had never seen so many police in my entire life. This really got the crowd going, especially because a lot of them were protesting against the Los Angeles Police Department in the first place. Almost every intersection was blocked off by 20 or more cops. I really did not think this massive police presence was necessary, especially the ones with the rubber bullet rifles. This just gave the protesters another reason to scream. Every once in a while a protester would get too close to a police officer and the cop would take him down. This would really get the crowd riled up, but the lead protesters with bullhorns told the people to keep marching and not to let the LAPD stop them from getting to the Staples Center.

During the protest to free Mumia Abu-Jamal, I got caught up in some of the chaos outside the Staples Center. The police got closer and closer to the crowd. The protesters pushed back and responded with anti-police chants like "Fight the power!" There seemed to be a power struggle between the cops and the protesters. It ultimately ended in the police rushing the crowd. I didn’t even realize what was going on, but as soon as I saw the flood of protesters running from the cops, I got out of there as fast as possible. I had no idea what was going on or what side I would feel safer on—the protesters or the police.

Reporter Matt Jones, 17, of LACES paused during a protest to take notes.
Photo by Gohar Galyan, 19

Because I was an L.A. Youth reporter, I often joined the media on the outside of the protests. There the police were heroes and protected us from the crazed protesters. It was a contrast from their appearance on the inside. Even so, watching police officers shoot rubber bullets into crowds and shove protesters into the streets is an image I will not soon forget.

On the final day of the convention I went to catch any last bit of action that might be going on. People were out with their signs and bullhorns just like all the other days. I did not agree with some of the protesters, like the anti-abortion people. I don’t agree with abortion itself, but I do think that women should have the option. Other groups just sounded stupid like the two anti-breast-feeding people. They felt that breast-feeding led to smoking, alcohol abuse and oral fixations later in life. There were a bunch of wackos out there, but all in all everyone was there for the same reasons—to bring attention to their causes.

Attending the protests at the DNC, the one message that stood out above all was not one of violence or disorder, like some media would lead you to believe. Rather, it was one of unity and the power we have as a people if we would all just join together.