cannabisnews.com: 30 Busted At Rally To Smoke Pot 30 Busted At Rally To Smoke Pot Posted by FoM on May 06, 2001 at 07:44:16 PT By Greg Gittrich and Don Singleton Source: New York Daily News Thirty demonstrators were arrested yesterday afternoon when a Manhattan marijuana march ended in violent clashes between protesters and cops. Police hit at least a dozen people with pepper spray after marchers ran through crowded Battery Park pointing out undercover officers arresting participants for smoking pot. "No narcs in the park!" they chanted as they identified the narcotics cops. Other chants included "41 shots!" — a reference to the police slaying of unarmed African immigrant Amadou Diallo. The annual pot parade, this time called "Cures Not Wars — 2001 The Space Odyssey," began forming at 11 a.m. at Washington Square Park. At 1 p.m., marchers proceeded to Broadway and then headed south toward their intended destinations — City Hall Park and Battery Park.Organizers estimated the crowd at 5,000; police say 1,000.The protesters walked south, filling five solid blocks, chanting, "We smoke pot, and we like it a lot," and carrying placards that read "Free the Herb," "Emancipate Cannibis" and "No Ganja, No Peace."Many argued for the legalization of medical use of marijuana; others supported legalized recreational use of the drug.The marchers, mostly young and white, were led by a statuesque woman dubbed Medical Marijuana Barbie, who wore fluorescent pink hair and a pink patterned dress."Marijuana is peaceful," said Marcus Josepin, 18, of Kearny, N.J. "You never see a crackhead march or a heroin user march."Organizers carried a piñata shaped like Mayor Giuliani's head that was filled with fake joints.By 3 p.m., the marchers reached Battery Park, where they began to light up real joints.Plainclothes cops arrested smokers in twos and threes, placed them in plastic handcuffs, photographed and herded them into waiting vans.At 4:10 p.m., four plainclothes officers were carrying an arrested man toward an area where several police vans were parked, and the man's loud protests and the way the cops were carrying him — facedown, his face bouncing on the ground — caused scores of people to come running.A few minutes later, another officer tripped as he was removing a man. A uniformed officer rushed in to help the fallen cop to his feet, and when a crowd gathered around him, a lieutenant began spraying the protesters with pepper spray.The demonstrators disbanded shortly after 6 p.m., the time their rally permit expired.Joint Custody: Police nabbed over 30 pot smokers as yesterday's demonstration turned violent. Source: New York Daily News (NY)Author: Greg Gittrich and Don Singleton, Daily News Staff WritersPublished: May 6, 2001Copyright: 2001 Daily News, L.P. Contact: voicers edit.nydailynews.com Website: http://www.nydailynews.com/Related Articles & Web Site:2001: The Space Odysseyhttp://www.2001thespaceodyssey.com/Thousands March To Protest Marijuana Laws http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9602.shtml Barbie Stays Dolled-Up For Medical Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/7/thread7676.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Million Marijuana Marchhttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=mmm END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by jorma nash on May 08, 2001 at 17:40:07 PT correction on arrest numbers i guess somebody at imc-nyc jumped the gun a bit:the previous figure of 500 arrestedhas since been corrected to 193.my point still stands - this is rather more than the corporate media reported,and it seems like far more than 149 other citiesneeded to keep the peace... [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by jorma nash on May 06, 2001 at 20:37:42 PT audio, video soon from IMC happily, the worldwide rallys are the lead story at http://www.indymedia.org/ you can get reports from all around the world.lookinside - looking for pictures: IMC in NYC,http://nyc.indymedia.org/ already has at least a dozen text reports,and says we should "Stay tuned for video and audio from theMarch."the sort of pictures you want should turn up there soon.also, IMC is reporting 500 arrests total throughout the day,obviously far more than the corporate news reported.actually, even though the Drug War is certainly not the only issue they are interested in,i recommend IMC as an excellent alternative to corporate media, in general.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~somebody could correct me here, but it seems to me NYC is the only city in the worldreporting signifigant numbers of arrests,and the same thing happened last year, to my knowledge.i wonder what it is about the peaceful protesters in NYCthat singly deserved mass arrests? [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by observer on May 06, 2001 at 19:27:12 PT a boot stamping on a human face . . . four plainclothes officers were carrying an arrested man toward an area where several police vans were parked, and the man's loud protests and the way the cops were carrying him -- facedown, his face bouncing on the ground But always -- do not forget this, Winston -- always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face -- for ever.1984, George Orwell [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by MDG on May 06, 2001 at 17:39:01 PT: Can you say "Cable Ties"? Plainclothes cops arrested smokers in twos and threes, placed them in plastic handcuffs, photographed and herded them into waiting vans.Cable ties aren't designed for wrists, but the point is that they're cheap, and they hurt. To keep the arrested smokers quite, they might as well use Duct Tape, or as it's known in Law Enforcement, "Chopper Stopper".Mike... [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by MikeEEEEE on May 06, 2001 at 14:50:41 PT Can you spell Nazi's?The world should know what these evil people are doing. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by observer on May 06, 2001 at 08:39:46 PT Raw Hate At 4:10 p.m., four plainclothes officers were carrying an arrested man toward an area where several police vans were parked, and the man's loud protests and the way the cops were carrying him — facedown, his face bouncing on the groundThis is what police think of you, and your "rights." Four cops ganged up against a peaceful pot-smoker, grinding his face into the pavement. Literally. (Isa.3:15)That's called "saving the children." I'm so glad we have goodly officials and kindly authorities to save the children like that, aren't you? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by sm247 on May 06, 2001 at 08:32:23 PT YES YES YES !!! Yes yes lots and lots of picture posted for the WORLD to see this injustice in AMERICA. The Indy march was very peacefulthere seemed to be no police at all. As people marched up the road all we heard was people honking and screaming throwing arms in the air out hteir windows in support. The outdoor cafe's people were hollering in support unlike the kkk rally held in South Bend the same day (which really ticked me off they would do that on a day of worldwide protest against the prohibition). Their protest was uncalled for and a disgrace to us. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by lookinside on May 06, 2001 at 08:15:22 PT: the NYPD arresting people? i hope some of the marchers took photos of those policemenand their methods...this is the kind of thing people need toSEE...if anyone finds photos of this rally posted on theweb, please pass the address along...my wife and i are considering attending the rally at thestate capitol today...she's not physically capable of themishandling the cops might inflict if things go bad...verypossible in that F***ing cow town(sacramento)... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: