Report from (outside the) World Economic Forum
Published March 2002
by Jesse Lenney
Just a note to let you all know we're back safe and sound from NYC.
We got to NYC late Friday evening and met our host from the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES).
We stayed in her one bedroom apartment in Spanish Harlem with her seven other guests from out of town. There were 15 of us in all. We ate a late dinner of Dominican beer and Puerto Rican Rice and Beans.
We woke early on Saturday and headed to the CISPES office downtown to join a march and street theatre they had prepared. There we met others from the Rochester contingent (55-60 Total!) along with some friends from Ithaca. The march was lively all the way up to Central Park from 30th street.
I was touched that, even with all the negative propaganda about
us being black-clad anarchists bent on the destruction of all things
good and pure, the majority of people, especially the poor folks,
supported us and cheered us on.
We met at a Rally organized by the Another World is Possible Coalition.
From there we began the mass march to the Waldorf-Astoria where
another convergence was set up by the ANSWER coalition. Tensions
were very high all day.
The day started with undercover cops coming to the CISPES office.
Protesters were pepper sprayed as they resisted being dispersed from the rally by police forces. We were shadowed on both sides of the march by a wall of cops. I recall the intense look of fear and worry in the quivering eyes of a young protester standing next to me as we shifted together locked arm in arm to avoid being split up by the columns of police.
There was a stand off at the hotel where no one knew how the day would end. We eventually dispersed from the area around the hotel without mass arrests or a major battle. I think the overall tone and feeling of the day had everything to do with where we were: New York City. We all knew why we were there, we were committed and we came ready to engage in the struggle for a new world. Us with our bodies and our world, and Power with its weapons and its lies.
We stood together prepared for the worst, but it didn't happen. No decision was made by Power to be nice. No consensus was reached by our side to limit our tactics and yet we stood on the brink of conflict and then walked back from it together.
Instead of tragedy we ended the day with celebrations of music, poetry and dancing. Of course, there is much more to do, but I think we can all count this event as a success and as a come-back for our movement for economic justice and peace. We have proven that, even post 9.11, people can come together to use their voice to say 'Enough is Enough' and we will again.
All my thanks go out to everyone who made this trip possible with their organizing, contributions, rides, hospitality, and good wishes. There are too many to mention here, but please accept my gratitude.
Siempre en la lucha,
Jesse Lenney