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WSQT Guerilla Radio 87.9 in DC
Yesterday at the Capitol Hilton, Bush and Mayor Williams ate dinner together with hundreds of pro-war reporters at the annual Gridiron Dinner. Very loud protestors beseiged this event, defying police to do so.
As has become the usual pattern at events featuring the Dark Lord Bush, police attempted to quell all dissent. First they ordered protestors away from the door and across the street. Protestors crossed the street but soon made so much noise with pots, pans, and noisy chants that no part of the Hilton could not hear us!
As a result, cops came back for a second bite at the apple, but this time we stood our ground and refused to leave. This required physical resistance to being pushed, shoved, and sometimes even punched! Several protestors repeatedly warned cops to keep their hands to themselves, while another recorded a cop saying he would "kill someone" if so ordered.
In the end we prevailed due to DC's law prohibiting mass arrest of protestors. Since cops could not arrest us (or someone had decided they could not afford the political fallout of arrests), the only alternative was naked force. It would have taken enough force to draw blood to move us, however, and that would look just as bad on TV as arrests.
Therefore, we were sucessful in holding out until police tried a different tactic: BAIT!
Bush's motorcade was being delayed by the fact that he did not want to face protestors, even though we only held the sidewalk. Therefore, press attendees to the dinner were ordered to enter unprotected on the K st(South) side of the Hilton to serve as BAIT for protestors.
Most protestors took the bait and engaged the press delegates, but a few still did not budge. Mayor Williams was shouted at and booed when he showed up soon after, and finally Bush's motorcade approached from the L st(North) side. At this point the deception failed, as protestors broke form the main group and charged the length of the block to shout at Bush and his infernal string of gas-gulping SUV's.
Although the mainstream press put out NO coverage of the protests even in stories about the dinner(no supirse this), we completely defeated the usual Secret Service(SS) attempt to creat a free-speech free bubble around Bush.