Voice of Revolution

January 22, 2005

• Counter-Inauguration Actions Across the Country
• Worldwide Actions January 20 Oppose Bush

Counter-Inauguration Actions
Across the Country

In conjunction with mass demonstrations taking place in Washington, DC, thousands of Americans organized similar demonstrations across the country. These demonstrations also had the spirit of not conceding to the electoral fraud and opposing the war and occupation of Iraq, as well as other crimes committed by the Bush administration. The following are excerpts from reports posted to various U.S. Indymedia sites about these actions:

Actions took place in many states across the South, including Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas.

In Atlanta, Georgia, more than 200 protesters marched through downtown, going from CNN Center to the state Capitol, where they rallied for more than an hour. Dozens of the protesters were Atlanta-area high school students who walked out of class to join the march. Many others were anti-war activists, as well as people defending the environment and the right to healthcare. The march got bigger as it wound through downtown with onlookers flashing peace signs or honking in support. More college students joined the parade as it passed Georgia State University.

In Louisville, Kentucky, protesters solemnly read the names of dead Iraqis and Americans and staged a skit that spoofed Bush and his chief political adviser, Karl Rove.

In New Orleans, Louisiana, in one of the largest demonstrations in recent history, about 1,500 protesters joined the “Jazz Funeral for Democracy.” A mock coffin bearing copies of the USA Patriot Act and the Constitution was taken through the French Quarter’s narrow streets on a horse-drawn hearse to the wail of trumpets and trombones.

In Austin, Texas, it was reported that 100’s of students from at least two public schools and two private schools broke out of school early to join the protest. More than 1500 people were estimated to have gathered at the state capitol before marching down Congress Avenue, stopping traffic at rush-hour. In Houston, about 150 people, took part in the parade that ended a day-long series of events. The theme of the day’s activities was “inaugurate yourself.” They also included dancing and street theater performances at the University of Houston.

In the Midwest, people in Ohio continue to protest the election fraud, including a rally Inauguration day in Akron. In Madison, Wisconsin, also saw an Anti-Inaugural Rally.

The West saw actions in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and elsewhere. In Tucson, Arizona, about 500 people marched in the downtown area and rallied at the Federal Building. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, about 50 people gathered at the University of New Mexico, including many high school students.

In Las Vegas, Nevada, activists, including veterans, gathered to protest the Bush inauguration and discuss issues they think need emphasis, including “love, the environment and the Bill of Rights rather than the proliferation of war, poverty and constitutional violations.”

On the West Coast, actions were held in cities throughout California, such as Humboldt, Mendocino, Modesto, Palo Alto, Eureka, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, as well as ones in San Francisco and Los Angeles which each brought out several thousand demonstrators.

In Santa Cruz, California, “More than 400 protestors turned out in Santa Cruz for a march and rally to coincide with the 2nd inauguration of George W. Bush as President of the United States. People gathered on the steps of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse and heard musicians and speakers, before collectively taking an oath of office as President Pro-Tem of the United States.”

In Oregon, rallies, marches and banner drops took place in Portland, Bend and Eugene.

In Seattle, Washington, more than 1,000 people participated in walk-outs at the University of Washington and Seattle Central Community College, where students marched through buildings, pounding on doors and encouraging others to leave. The demonstrators marched from the community college to a rally downtown, calling for “no work, no school, no business as usual.”

On the east coast, in addition to D.C. there were rallies in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and elsewhere. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, “a couple of hundred marchers from West & North Philly converged on City Hall to express their opposition to the inauguration and coronation of the self-proclaimed ‘Commander-in-Chief of the United States.’”

In Northampton, Massachusetts, demonstrators marched with “placards and banners with messages such as ‘Bush is a Weapon of Mass Destruction,’ ‘Bring Them Home,’ and ‘Unleash Your Humanity, End the Empire, Start the Domino Effect.’ ... One marcher who braved the cold with her young daughter pointed out that it is ‘no longer hyperbole to talk about fascism in the United States,’” saying she was there “‘for her child and the future of her country.’”

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Left: Santa Cruz, CA; right: Atlanta, GA