It's sad that during a world day of peace, the only place in the world where citizens have been gassed and arrested for saying "no to war" was New York City. The land of the free?

I went to the rally as part of a group of parents and children from my son's elementary school. We joined the gathering in front of the New York Public Library on 42nd Street. However,once we began moving east on 42nd Street, our group was separated by the NYPD's divide-and-conquer tactics.

My son and I eventually ended up on 3rd Avenue, between 50th and 51st Street. We made a warm-up stop in a deli, and upon leaving found that the cops had sealed off both ends of the block. People were seated or standing in the street and the sidewalks, playing drums and dancing or waiting peacefully.

Police began shoving demonstrators from the west side of 3rd Avenue toward the east sidewalk, demanding that we move up on the sidewalk, which was jammed, since the cops had blocked the side streets. They then brought in empty NYCTA buses and stopped them in the street. Mounted cops began launching their horses against the crowd at the north end of the block, mostly protestors who were already on the sidewalk or moving toward the sidewalk. My son and I were pressed up against the plexiglass enclosure of a deli for several minutes.

As the mounted assault continued and I feared that my son would be hurt, we made our way south to where the police were allowing a trickle of people to exit west through the barricade.

During these events, not a UPJ organizer, marshall or legal advisor was in sight (come to think of it, marshalls were conspicuously absent throughout the march -- a measure of the size of the demo). I called the National Lawyers Guild number that had been provided, and they promised to send an observer, although I don't know if one eventually arrived.

My 9 year-old son, braver than I was, thought up this slogan: "If a bear attacks, we hold our ground; if a bully attacks, we hold our ground; if a thousand cops attack, we hold our ground!"

Hi - I was one of the people there early, around 9:30, and stood near the stage to listen to the speakers. Protesters filled 1st Ave back as far as I could see - The radio announced it went back 20 locks. By 1:00 I had had enough of the cold and started to make my way towards the subway at 53rd and Third ave. As I hit second ave I was stunned to find it filled with protesters - The march didnt just go back 20 blocks, it filled several avenues. There the police were blocking people and pushing through on horseback, no wonder that some fighting broke out.

Anyway, the point of my comment, is that when I got to 3rd Ave, there were thousands of people marching up the avenue, with banners and chants. This was the real center of the march, where the action was. People free to move, protest and show the world what public opinion really is without being penned in, stifled or corralled.

This is what democracy looks like

We, too, began our march from the library approximately 11:30 am, and after several tries to "cut over" to the rally, ended up marching up 3rd. For several blocks, the police kept us on the sidewalks. Then, somewhere around 55th we began to filter into the street. First, on the right side and eventually, in the next couple of blocks, we gained control of the street.

I want to make note that the traffic on the street was then paralyzed; but when it was discovered that a sick child was stuck in a vehicle, we made an opening for that car to get out.

From that point on, we marched unencumbered to 69th. At that point, we were "allowed" to toward the rally and make our way to 1st Ave. Once on 1st, however, the story was radically different. Barricade after barricade blocked our progress toward the rally. At 64th St., we began jumping the barricade and police gave up for a moment. I personally helped to pull the barricade open, and momentarily found myself in the grasp of a cop; but wriggled free and escaped into the crowd.

It was clear to me that the police barricades were not about "safety" but about reducing the number of people "attending" the rally - where most of the "news" cameras were undoubtably positioned. Especially in light of the fact that after getting past the 64th St. barricade, the streets were mysteriously empty for at least 2 or 3 blocks.

Exhausted and half-frozen, but triumphant, we reached 53rd at approximately 4:30 pm. The experience on 3rd Avenue was definitely the best of the day for us; it saddened me to hear that it did not remain that way for those that followed behind us.

We were also at the 3rd Avenue march! We saw the purple hats and the "What Would Jesus Bomb?" sign! Man, it was beautiful.

However, I take exception to the "ancillary" status that the mainstream and alternative press is applying to the very large crowds prevented from getting to 1st Avenue. We were MARCHING and we were very much a part of the whole protest! When the 3rd Avenue crowd surged, their voices and signs raised high, it was really moving, really emotional!! It was generally very peaceful with all ages and classes participating!

Power To The People.

All My Love To The Participants, The Organizers, and Future Participants For Peace, Political Awareness, and Action,

Brian Boggess
Brooklyn, New York

The third avenue contingent was peaceful, just as stated in the article, and determined to make a statement. Being denied the right to get to the main staging area, people had to stand in numbing cold with nowhere to go. We sang and listened to the drumbeats and in general peacefully made a rally until the police began with the horses and pushing to retake the streets. It really is shameful to herd people like cattle into dead ends then ramrod mounted police into their ranks to make a point about power and control. It is true also that there were many children there. One sign held by a small child atop his/her fathers shoulders was "President Bush needs a time out." We were in New York city with our college age son and five of his friends from the University of New Hampshire. Every person there was exercising the right of free assembly and free speech. We were denied the right to actually get to the demonstration, but our voices were heard anyway, and Bush, Rice, Powell, Cheney, and the rest must hear these voices until reason prevails.

i hate to break with my fellow protesters here, but it was frustrating to me to see that nearly all of the energy on the streets (on 2nd & 3rd avenues) became focused on cries of "let us through! let us through!"

i wish we could have been unified in our message: we are here to rally for peace. i wanted to say, "there's more of us here than there are on 1st avenue--we ARE the rally!" and start our chants of peace, of the whole purpose we are here for.

yes, i hate seeing our civil rights blocked as much as anyone. but i want our message to be loud and clear: you're trying to stop us? go ahead and try--you can't succeed. we are here for peace. we are here for peace.

when we came to 3rd ave, there was a big block, and only a few cops. we could have made the march, if people would have hold tight, not get themselves divided, not accepting the small passages on the sidewalk, not letting cops walk through the demonstration.
it's a cheap tactic: divide and rule. the next time we must not play their game, even when that means we get teargased, even when that means we get arrested or beaten up... when people make chains, stay together, prepare themselve against chemical weapons and horsepigs,... they can TAKE the streets. cops aren't your friends, they won't give you your freedom...take care for it by yourself.

I Was at many of the places mentioned in numerous articles, and can affirm that these reports are the absolute truth. It`s reassuring to read these accounts. I`m afraid though that most of us browsing these pages already know the truth.

Bush made this "they hate us because we are free" comment endlessy as he attempted to explain the reason many people hate the US. So taking away our freedom in NYC on Feb 15
was his way of preventing terrorism. The refusal of NYC to allow a march permit caused many of these hostile encounters. NYC refusing to allow United for Peace to install portable bathrooms was another disgrace.NYC became a police state as they attempted to silence our growing dissent.

I was on 3rd Avenue from around 12:30 to 1:30 and I thought the crowd was in great spirits despite all the efforts of the police to divide and conquer. This worldwide anti-war movement is not going to be able to be contained. Unfortunately for King George we are not going to go away.

I guess the freedom Bush talks about is the freedom not to pay dividend taxes.

I spent much of my time Saturday on third avenue. Although most of us were cold and frustrated our spirits remained high. It wasn't until 1:30 when finally reaching 1st avenue that I saw frustrations rising. After working so hard to get to the rally the blocking of each block from 69th on became a little much to take. We tried to get around the obstaclesat each block. On 60th and 1st avenue I saw 2 underover police officers making rude comments to protesters. From asking people if they were Iraq(whatever this means) to mocking hair, to threatening to send people to jail, these officers were by far the most unpeaceful thing I saw on the streets of nyc, i mean all over nyc, throughout the day. What a beautifl sight it was...

I'm from Melbourne and we rallied here too, although it much more peaceful and less fraught than your experiences.. I want to add something, though. Here, in Australia, if you disagree with Bush's policy, you are called 'anti-american.' I can easily see from your emails and the numbers of people at your protests, I am not. How about seriously moving to impeach your president - he's not there legitimately after all....

Wow. I am totally stunned. I don't know where to begin. why is it like that? It is so obvious for me and also everybody else here I guess, that all your government is trying to do is to control and deprive everybody of their abiltiy to think and announce their free will. you weren't even a lot people showing up there (regarding that there were 2millions in london and 2.5 million in rome), and yet they tried to prevent even the few of you that made up their minds, without having been influenced by the media etc. why would one stand up for a government that only governs due to their cheap but strongly affecting repressive methods?

I was on 3rd ave and 53rd street. The block of 3rd ave between 53rd and 54th was cleared. The mounted police came down the empty street at a full gallop, and rushed the crowd trapped on the street because of the large numbers of people and the police baracades preventing us from going east to join the ralley on 1st ave. I was crushed up against the iron fence at the corner by a cop and a woman who were being pushed by a horse. I screamed "I can't move!" The cops kept saying I should move but it was impossible. This went on for several minutes until I was able to free myself from the fence and gain access to the sidewalk. The street was then filled with buses but no one was able to board them. They served to further blockade the people on the sidewalks and prevent us from moving west.

While some cases show how the NYC police broke out with brutality, I was pleased to see that not all of the cops were against our cause. While the croud I was in took over one of the streets being blocked shouting "whose streets? our streets!" some cops steped back and allowed us to do our thing, One actually stood within the croud laughing and giving out high fives to the cheerful protesters. Later in the day while warming my hands near a cross-walk, I asked a female police officer how she was doing, she smiled and replyed that she was doing okay, things were getting crazy and she didn't blame us for being there. She even commented that she didn't vote for Bush or support war, but that she was just doing her job. I felt for her and any other police that might have shared her sentiment on the issue. Let us not all as peacemakers forget that while some governmental powers may work to stop us, some are just little gears in the system and while they do their jobs, they don't always buy into the brainwashing. PEACE ALL! ~sara

The sentiment on Third Avenue was powerful -- we were near the giant doves as well, with our (mini-)group chanting and singing along the way. Some were frustrated at not reaching the rally, but most seemed to realize that we *were* the march and relished it. We had two babies with us who grabbed the attention of the sole media present anywhere other than WBAI (CBS had a camera set up on 5th Avenue, which we passed en route to 3rd: covered here). In general, the other protesters were delightful and the individual police officers we encountered were courteous.

Then, the department began with ugly tactics: fter the street was filled, the marchers kept getting squeezed right by police vehicles. Pressing matters (a hungry baby) caused us to leave at about 1:30, once we reached 58th Street, so we narrowly missed the outbreak of violence. By then, we were waiting in the 59th Street/Lexington Avenue subway, through which only 1 of 6 lines was allowed to run. Had the NYPD provided a march permit, a safer, more organized protest could have been carried out... but I do have to admit the incredible sense of defiance and urgency on Third was thrilling, not to mention the sheer mass of humanity (we took one decent pic, posted here if you're interested).

I agree with an earlier comment that we cannot let the NYPD succeed in diverting our attention away from the reason we were at the rally. I was on 3rd and 51st during the attacks by the cops and I was just as appalled as everybody else. I was also disappointed we weren't allowed into the rally. But I keep thinking back to a police officer whome I heard saying "If the march just would've been permitted, thing's wouldn't have gotten so out of hand". Another one I talked to said he was angry that they were forcing him to work that day, on his day off. I hate to say it, but most of the cops are human too. the orders are coming from farther up, whether Bloomberg or Kelly or the Bush administration, and these are the people whose ultimate goal is to go through with the war. We do need to unite and overcome police brutality, but our ultimate goal should be to stop the war.