astrock's blog

I arrived late and without my cell phone to "defend the honor of Johnny Cash" at the Man in Black Bloc.

It was unreal at first. There were around 30-40 protesters in a protest pen, and only a handful of police. The pen was set up at the corner adjacent to Sotheby's.

I went to the Chaos on Broadway demonstration with Derek. We met at the corner of 6th Avenue and 48th street, where there were several police and vehicles. We met Josh, a Columbia journalist student writing about us, outside New Amsterdam Theatre--currently playing The Lion King. On our way, we also saw several policepersons. Derek and I were quite apprehensive, since the promoters of the event openly invited people to break the law, and we both decided to dress low-key.

I attended the RingOut observance with Maggie. Although there were several police officers in the area, they were unobtrusive. I contribute this to the event's emphasis on peace.

The event's organizers wore orange hats and passed out instructions and bells. The demonstration was supposed to be held in a respectful silence (except for the bells), and participants were supposed to follow the cues of the Bellwethers. However, the bell ringers followed their own rhythms--some adhered to individual group patterns, and others rang to their own beat.