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I can predict the non-coverage of this fine little demo. (Only saw video trucks from CBS and NECN. Saw a non-video truck from Faux.)
NBC was another. The camera guys did take a few pan shots while you were there but there was probably more coverage of goings on inside the Hall being done, but they came out an interviewed a few people after Ashcroft left (about 10:05).
Faneuil Hall is the little brick building in front of Quincy Market shopping area. My guess is that between 500 and 1,500 demonstrators
showed up to practically surround the building.
And I showed up expecting 20 to 50, too....
There were police lines all around the building, and attendees had to walk around half the building to get to the entrance, being chanted at the whole time.
That got a little out of hand, really. But that was definitely a largely triglodyte parade going into the Hall.... That hot Italian woman in the expensive pantsuit wandering in and out was one of the TV reporters, it turns out. And the Latina greeter one was a looker too, though she obviously got scared by the size of the crowd. But this is Boston- crowds here show up to inflict verbal humiliation, to have a good time at the expense of their object of scorn. It's on the whole more demoralizing for them to realize that
There were some good speakers, but there was no podium, so they couldn't be seen. But, they and the crowd could be heard. At 9 AM, the meeting requested and the demonstrators complied with
turning off the sound system "because it was interfering with the meeting". HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Mike Capuano (House Rep for Cambridge and western parts of the city), Felix Arroyo, and another city councillor were pretty good- even the cops later said had they spoken very well. The woman from the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination League scored the most good points, though.
But, the demonstrators didn't agree to stop chanting and drumming. I left at 9:30 to go to work. Made sure to thank a few cops for doing their jobs. Beautiful day.
Some of the chants and songs were very good fun. The sound system was set painfully loud at the beginning, though.
Best line: "Come on out, Ashcroft. We've got you surrounded."
Second best: "Ashcroft, come out with your hands up- and your pants down."
Should have worn something DUish. I didn't know how to recognize any of us. (I was the guy with the big yellow "Deport Ashcroft before he deports you" sign.)
Yeah, I kind of missed a declared DU presence too- would've said Hi. I think I recognized Matcom but wasn't 100% sure. Thought I'd get to see Will Pitt but didn't.
The "Ashcroft- More Evil than Steinbrenner" sign was a hoot. I got my sign where Prissy John couldn't miss it.
The 'chase' after Ashcroft was not entirely about him. The audience he spoke to was leaving by the main door, the slew of Good Ol' Boys/Gals who are supposed to push their town councils into conformity with the Righteous All-American Way and prevent Traitorous Liberals from inflicting their notorious humiliation and Intimidation on the Truly Enlightened. Some of the anarchist youth brigade went by the unsuspecting cops and threw some vulgarity the way of the attendees at pretty close range. Personally I thought the "Shame! Shame! Shame!" chant/roar was doing all the right things at the time. But I'll admit it was fun to see all these Masters of corrupt little police forces and public prosecutor fiefdoms turn starkly pale- there really was shame written on a good number of their faces- and hurry away quite shaken. Bullies going yellow are a pitiful sight. I'm sure they expected any number of things from today but that one always comes as as a painful shock.
It was definitely better entertainment than I had expected. And it seems, from what the City Councillors and others said, that Ashcroft is not meeting with much success on his "campaign"- New York City and Boston are about to pass anti-PATRIOT ordinances anyway. It's for practical purposes irrelevant whether Ashcroft can get a bunch of rural New England citylets and towns in line, maybe keep a small state or two from slipping away, if NYC and Boston knock that tool out of his hands. And he can't afford to lose this one- if PATRIOT falls apart, if a federal judge upholds the (inevitable) legal challenge emanating from these ordinances, the ramifications will be very nasty.
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