New York City Life Fighting for the right to demonstrate for peace By Bob Yampolsky	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
平和集会後の思い 先月15日、米国のイラク攻撃反対するデモが世界各地で行なわれ、マンハッタンでは、警察が厳戒態勢を敷く中、デモ加者が国連本部近くの通りを埋め尽くして戦争反対を訴えた。化学・生物兵器によるテロ攻撃が懸念されるこの都市に住む筆者は、今回のデモをどう見たのだろうか？

I attended my very first peace rally in 1969. It was "Moratorium Day," a day of nationwide protest. Instead of having class that day, Miss Jennings, our second-grade teacher, brought us to the Columbia campus, where we happily sat on the grass holding signs that said, "Peace Now" and "End the War in Vietnam."

I attended my second peace rally in 1982. This was the huge disarmament rally in Central Park against Reagan's nuclear buildup. I wore a button that said, "No More Hiroshimas," with a girl I liked, and was happy to be part of something so large.

So I am sorry to say that I did not make it to my third peace rally, that is, the one held on Feb. 15 in protest of the looming war against Iraq. I thought about going, but a number of small reasons (I had work to do, it was a particularly cold day, and the rally was all the way on the other side of town), combined with a general feeling of apprehension, were enough to keep me from going, and I went to the office instead.

The peace rally was originally planned as a peace march. It was to begin at the United Nations, head across 42nd Street, and then turn north to Central Park, where the rally was to be held.

The city, however, objected, citing safety concerns. After all, the streets around the U.N. are closed off with concrete barriers to protect against car bombs, and who knew what kind of dangers a march could bring? So the city, while issuing a permit for the rally, refused to issue a permit for a march. The organizers continued to demand the right to march, because a march is more demonstrative and powerful than a rally. Thus the matter became a court case.

How do we, in post 9/11 America, balance basic democratic rights - in this case, the right to assemble - with the increased security measures that our world apparently requires? That was the issue here, in a nutshell. The presiding judge sided with the city: The security threats were legitimate, and so there could be a rally, but no march.

This ruling was issued just a few days before the scheduled event. So in practical terms, it made organizing difficult. I was handed a flyer on a street corner announcing the rally: "The World Says No to War." It gave the date and time - Feb. 15, 12:00 noon - but for location, it simply said, "To be announced."

The confusion over location continued right up until the time of the rally. The staging area was on First Avenue, which is the far East Side, but people weren't quite sure where on First Avenue. Many people heading east on side streets were turned back by police, and told to head farther north. There were confrontations, and demonstrators later charged that the police were heavy-handed and actively tried to prevent people from reaching the rally. Quite a few turned back without reaching First Avenue. But the turnout was still much greater than most had expected. The police estimated 100,000; organizers said the figure was closer to half a million.

The American flags that filled the city's streets after 9/11 are mostly gone now. Back then, there were few calls for peace. I remember seeing a rally in Union Square that consisted of exactly four people. The few antiwar stickers or signs that were put up were quickly defaced. Now, though, it is fairly common to see antiwar buttons and stickers, and on the day of the rally, the streets were full of people returning from the protest, holding their signs and banners like badges of honor.

Still, unlike 1969 or 1982, the general mood in the city today is one of apprehension - over both the economy and the realization that New York remains a primary target for terrorists. And this tends to dampen enthusiasm for peace rallies. Just two days before the rally, the new Department of Homeland Security raised the terror alert to "high" and advised people to buy duct tape and plastic sheeting to protect their homes in the event of a chemical or biological attack. Hardware stores in the city sold out of these items in a matter of hours. Concerns such as these are much more immediate than concerns over Iraq.

Two days after the rally, we had a blizzard (50 cm of snow) that pretty much brought the city to a halt. It was beautiful for a day or two, and old-time New Yorkers like me could be heard saying this was normal, that it was the way winters used to be. Then it warmed up and mounds of snow turned to slush. At every curbside there was a wall of snow and deep, icy puddles. Just walking on the sidewalk was an adventure. Everyone complained, but in a sense, it was a relief. For a few days, it was like old times: No one thought that much about war or terrorism, and our greatest enemy was the weather.

Shukan ST: March 7, 2003

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