DNC Protest Pics & Dispatch: While Dems Were Masturbating One Another Last Night...
While
Democrats were masturbating one another last night, pretending that
America is not at war and that the current administration is a friend
to all immigrants, about 100 wet and wild protesters hit the concrete
despite rain by the bucketload and a tough day in the streets. By
Tuesday evening, more than a dozen activists had been arrested
outside of the convention, including some immigrants' rights
picketers who caused a scene as delegates filed inside.
As was the case in Tampa, the number of activists in Charlotte is dismal. They also
seem to be disappearing; while a Sunday night march drew nearly 1000
heads, actions yesterday turned out a mere fraction of that. They're
still making noise – especially with sporadic backup from the likes
of Vermin Supreme's satirical campaign team – but the echo is much
quieter than was even expected a few evenings ago, when it seemed
that the DNC might ultimately lure thousands of dissenters.
Making
matters much worse is the massive police presence, which I suspect is
the most intense for any political convention – and perhaps any
type of event period – in American history. If that sounds
ridiculous, just consider the $50 million in congressionally approved
security funds, and the fact that cops are here from all around the
country. Last night's march was trolled by officers from as far away as
Fort Worth, Texas, where I can only assume there's no crime happening.
All
things considered, I'm happy to say that marches haven't spiraled
into pandemonium. Other than a few childish staring matches between
gigantic mustachioed cops and Occupiers – a recurring theme down
here – there wasn't even all that much friction. Authorities had
enough bike cops and foot soldiers to seal every parking lot and
alleyway for blocks, and protesters – no matter how riled –
weren't dumb enough to rush in. If they had, in the least they'd have
been pummeled by crush of paintballs.
The
saddest thing about yesterday's protests, however, was not
necessarily how countless tax dollars were wasted curbing free speech.
Nor was it the sad showing. It's that the message of last night's
march in particular – that the brand of pay-to-play capitalism endorsed by
Democrats as well as Republicans – is reprehensible. I've spoken
with dozens of so-called liberals who are here to cheer on Obama, and
nearly every one of them has an excuse for why it's okay for this fiesta to go down in a banking epicenter.
Like some of the less radical protesters,
I don't completely hate the Democrats. I think that somewhere underneath the
bullshit, passive-aggressive war-mongering, and play-it-safe
politics, there's actually a bit of humanity in some of them. At the
very least, they're not Republicans, who these days have the
collective morality of Mickey and Mallory. But watching Dems harass
protesters, and seeing the lot of them ignore the nefarious special
interests that control their party, it's hard to take a word of their
mesmerizing speechifying seriously.