On March 22, 3003, just 3 days after the War in Iraq had began, New Yorkers gathered in record numbers to express their outrage over the government’s decision to invade Iraq. The peaceful assembly finished in Washington Square Park, where a police truck with a loudspeaker system was repeating the following message:
“The march is over. Please leave the area so that the other marchers behind you can finish the march as you have done. Thank you.”
From within the crowd a retort could be heard above the voices of the marchers. In the pause between repetitions of the taped message above a man with a bullhorn repeated the following:
“The war is not over. The right of the people to petition their government to express their grievances shall not be curtailed. Thank you.”
Though his voice went hoarse, and his batteries went dead, he kept at it for hours. And the crowd that entered the park from the northeast corner cheered him on exultantly.
The signs that were carried into the park varied both in terms of their artistry and their content. The common theme however, was anger and frustration; an anger and frustration that had been expressed in many other protests around the country.
The visual tapestry of this march reflected the clever cunning of New Yorkers. The images that follow are a small documentation of this artistry; an artistry that had, at its core, a hope that this kind of creativity in protest might spawn the creativity of politicians to offer a solution other than war. Although unsuccessful in deterring the war, the voices of New Yorkers were heard and seen vibrantly; and their messages will not be forgotten.
