Oh, so because DC cops killed some kid, it's ok to throw bricks in people's faces.

Thanks for clearing that up...

Why was this lady out on the streets of Georgetown, people were told to stay away from georgetown and stay off the streets, she chose not to listen to that and stay on the streets and unfortunatly she got hit with a brick accidentally. The march upon Georgetown was specifically promoted as a rowdy march it was in the news and many other places, people knew this was going on and those who chose to stay out and disregard all the information they had and disregard the fact that people were boarding up shops means they could have gotten themselves hurt or in trouble and it is not good that people got hurt and it shouldn't have happened but she chose to stay out and got involved with an unforunate accident. Accidents happen, in fact there was an article in todays Washington Post about construction workers getting hit by cars because cars are moving to close in and it sucks and shouldn't happen and possibly can be prevented (no cars near construction) but they happen and they are really unfortunate and shouldn't happen but accidents do happen. Cars should not be around construction workers just as random tourists or passersby or yuppies or whatever they happen to be should not be around rowdy marches that have been planned and publicized way in advanced and well known to be rowdy!

"Oh, so because DC cops killed some kid, it's ok to throw bricks in people's faces."

It's as good of a reason as any. Not that it was an excuse, I don't think anyone needs an excuse to throw a brick in someones face (not that I am saying that it happened like that). People had reasons to smash windows and do whatever their hearts desired. They still do! We all do.

I don't care if it was an accident or not, why should their be pity?

Whoever got hit chose to ignore the situation at hand. She made a decision to be on that street that day, she made the decision to shop/work at those stores, were those clothes, she is choosing to be part of the anti-culture that is the yuppie. It's a conscious decision. There were ramifications to that decision. Any excuse she has to that would sure as shit come from a first world white privileged position that I don't give a fuck about.

Let's contrast that to being a person of color anywhere, Or being poor in a country that is under IMF/WB rule.

Are you white and heterosexual by chance? Are you a male too?

Wow asshole way to stick up for workers everywhere.

Every company fucks with people, the workers have no decision making power as to what their company does or how it treats its foreign labor, hell they have no choice how they treat their domestic labor either without a Union(and even then its not always pretty)

get your head out of your self righteous ass. Smashing some working class store clerk in the head is counter productive, absolutely fucking terrible and treason against the working class.

Whats next? Gonna kick your teamster UPS driver in the knee when they walk up?

The cops intentionally shot Deonte Rawlings.

No one intentionally hit a woman with any projectile.

It was, nonetheless, an unfortunate accident.

<<We would find it very puzzling, however, if people were more bothered by a woman unintentionally being hurt in an unfortunate accident, than by the intentional cold-blooded murder of 14 year old Deonte Rawlings, just a few shorts weeks ago, by members of the Metropolitan Police Department, right here in Washington, DC. Deonte Rawlings was shot in the back of the head, and despite police claims that he fired first at them, an autopsy revealed no gunshot residue on his entire body. Sadly, due to the color of his skin, and the fact that his murder took place in a working class community, the apparent murder of Deonte Rawlings by members of the Metropolitan Police Department has largely been ignored.>>

Your claims of powder residue are unfounded. That test is not an exact science. It merely assists investigators in determining if there may have been a firearm present. The results are not 100% conclusive and are not admissable in court. It is merely a tool similar to a lie detector.

Comparisons of this young man's death, the deaths of those overseas, and the assault of a woman in Georgetown are in no way connected, regardless of this twisted, seven degrees of separation, blame game, you choose to use.

No gun was found at the scene. Did the kid get up and ditch it before dying from his gunshot wound to the back of the head?

Seems like someone is going to some length to defend the police... Hmmm....

I'm not defending the pigs. I'm just disseminating the correct information.

Seems like someone is going to some length to continue to rely on faulty and fallible information to defend the victim...Hmmm....

yeah, i remember when i went that party and those 3 guys got really DRUNK and they didn't INTEND to rape me, so i guess it was OK with you guys... Intention has some legal force. If you didn't intend to kill the person during your riot you'll probably only get 20 years instead of 40....

if by local dc person you mean a cop or someone who hates radicals...

"Whoever got hit chose to ignore the situation at hand. She made a decision to be on that street that day, she made the decision to shop/work at those stores, were those clothes, she is choosing to be part of the anti-culture that is the yuppie."

How about this:

Whoever got shot by the cops chose to ignore the situation at hand. He made a decision to be on that street that day, He made the decision to steal a car and shoot at the cops, wear those clothes, He is choosing to be part of the anti-culture that is "thug life".

lol.

Wait. Get a sense of proportion, folks. Anyone being hit with a brick unintentionally is not by any means a good thing. But pure, premeditated, cold-blooded murder of a 14-yeard old - little more than a child? and that too by people supposed to uphold the law? It's some of the commenters, not the authors of the statement, who are guilty of the worst form of moral relativism here.

I understand the frustration with the current warmongering and sheer greed and oppression inherent in our society, however violence will only beget more violence. I believe it will not accomplish much. So, some shops and restaurants were shut for a few hours? What changed? A young woman was injured. And a bunch of violent and dogmatic activists isolated themselves further from those who are uninformed, but might potentially have been sympathetic to the message of justice for all. Throwing rocks and engaging in fisticuffs with the police out of outrage does not help the cause. It certainly doesn't "enlighten" more people to your message/demands. It does not reach out to those somewhere along the fence; it will not grow the movement. Instead of creating violence, feed someone, talk with someone about the cause of justice and engage courageously in acts of nonviolent civil resistance. That will involve some self-sacrifice -- but as was stated, it's nothing compared to what the truly oppressed experience on a daily basis.

I am saddened by the comment "I don't think anyone needs an excuse to throw a brick in someone's face." Why do we feel a need to hurt one another? Maybe that young woman was oppressed -- maybe she is a lesbian who had been discriminated against -- perhaps she had been raped by a boyfriend -- maybe she could have joined the movement...

What happened to Mr. Rawlings was an unjust tragedy. But let's grieve that tragedy, not create further violence. To pursue retaliation would be somewhat along the same lines of -- "Someone attacked America on 9/11, so let's go kick some ass."

"An eye for an eye, leaves the whole world blind."
~Gandhi

When was the last time I engaged in rock throwing?

By the way, I don't have a big butt. It's kinda flat. :)

Weak.

The atrocities of our enemies don't excuse such behavior. How about apologizing, instead of spin doctoring?

Sad but true. Last time I don't remember anything in the mainstream media about the IMP demos. This year we cause some disruption in Georgetown with a tad of rock and brick throwing. And the demos have been in all the news both last night and today's demos. Even some interviews with demonstrators about why we are here. What message is the mainstream media sending? Decide for yourselves.

sure the media is corporate controlled, but in the day of the internet if you have a message people agree with your protests serve to organize people in person; committing violence drives people away both from organizing and the ideas, once the media get hold of the only thing of interest to them - violence. Who knows what your ideas are, anyway? Except smash capitalism violently which 99% of amerians reject vehemently - not to mention 98% of Chinese and 95% of Russians.

"Whoever got hit chose to ignore the situation at hand. She made a decision to be on that street that day, she made the decision to shop/work at those stores, were those clothes, she is choosing to be part of the anti-culture that is the yuppie. It's a conscious decision. There were ramifications to that decision. Any excuse she has to that would sure as shit come from a first world white privileged position that I don't give a fuck about."

What a completely moronic statement.

Anyone who does different from what I do--gets a brick.

Anyone who dresses different or shops different--gets a brick.

Anyone who believes different from what I do--gets a brick.

This is the future you are demanding I belong to? I'd rather take my chances with the IMF

Then the anarchists chose to be there, the cops beat their ass. So using your logic ex-leftist, what is the fucking problem?

Maybe revolutionary violence should be removed from these large protests and put to more constructive use. At these events we are always at the disadvantage in arms, preparedness, and ability to make effective statements to the surrounding community. I think the anger is justified, and i think the police, the imf, and all the other oppressive factors of this society will have to be engaged if we're truly serious about bringing dramatic change. "Diversity of tactics" is going to have to start meening alot more to us would-be revolutionaries if we want to bring down these powerful systems, because our tactics can only be but so diverse in the protest context. Yeah it sucks that a worker was hit by a brick, but what we should be talking about here is not striking violence from our movement, but rather exploring more effective targets and uses of the violence.

I have no problem with property destruction. But you need to be careful when there are human beings around! If you are suggesting any form of violence toward a fellow human being, you are a psychopath and need help.

Exploration, agreed.

Attention: Destruction of property is not violence.

Throwing a brick in a woman's face IS violence.

While this incident is an unfortunate example of what the US calls "collateral damage", let's look at how this would happen someplace like Iraq, where people have to resist raids on their homes and theft of their resources with guns and powerful IED's.

An equivalent incident in Iraq would go like this: The pro-US puppet government in Iraq has some kind of large meeting in the Green Zone, and resistance fighters launch mortar rounds. One of the mortar shells has a defective propellant charge and clips the Green Zone wall, bouncing back before detonating and striking a civilian vehicle.

In Iraq, mortar shells EXPLODE, something bricks generally don't do. An incident like this in Iraq ususally leads to multiple civilian deaths. Yet few outside the US seriously suggest that the Iraqi Resistance should stop using mortars and rockets, choosing instead to just submit to occupation. For that matter, few suggest that Iraqi insurgents confine their weaponry to bricks and stones, which would do far less damage but could never win the war.

Now let's consider what happens in Iraq when the US tries to attack a meeting of Resistance leaders. In such missions the he US uses, not bricks, nor even mortar shells, but 2,000 pound bombs dropped from aircraft. Even if every bomb is somehow a direct hit(with no shorts or overs), people in neighboring houses get killed or permanently disabled as their homes collapse on top of them.

Yet, the wealthy GOP'ers who support the war(some of whom live in Georgetown) do not choose to discontinue their occupation of Iraq to put an end to incidents like this, nor to whole families being slaughtered by panicky Blackwater mercenaries.

Let's get real, folks! This was a stone(not even a brick by some reports), not a bomb, and thanks to that this woman is still with us, still able to stand and have her picture taken. Yes, if she is a worker in one of the stores or otherwise not one of the targetted yuppies we should take up a collection for her medical expenses, just like we do for our own people if they are arrested or injured. Some insurgent groups in Iraq have done this, we should too.

It is good that our medics offered assistance at the scene, and most combat medics of whatever forces would do the same.

That 12 year old boy who had his arms blown off and his face burned away at the start of the Iraq war(in another notorious incident of "collateral damage" was not so lucky. I'd rather take a brick in the face than a bomb hit(or a bullet like DeOnte Rawlings got)) any day.

Lastly, you may ask what in hell Iraq hasd to do with the IMF and World Bank? Well, the IMF still wants repayment for loans Saddam Hussein took out to build palaces for the rich(like himself). That's like asking residents of Anacostia to pay higher taxes to bail out bad mortgages on $1M homes in Georgetown!

That's it. Anarchism is dead. We're stuck using the same tactics over and over. Our protests are rituals, endlessly trying to repeat the success of Seattle. The so-called "movement" is more interested in dressing up and getting cheap thrills from facing down police than taking any meaningful, effective, action, direct or indirect.

If this is anarchism, I renounce anarchism, and I probably never was one.

funny how father's to be will use any excuse to dump the movement when it is no longer of use...

How do you know that's Jim? And why are you going out of your way to snipe at him? By the way, he is a father now -- and if he is dumping your anti-social and counter-productive tactics -- good for him! He has hope for his son's future.

what isn't a ritual? You should be happy that people are passionate enough to desire another world. We all obviously have a lot do learn from, but to dismiss an entire movement that is inherently diverse and pluralistic is rather hasty.

I know that although it may not have been smart to throw the brick from far away I still can agree with the intention. Resistance is never as beautiful as it is romanticized to be and we really shouldn't expect something that seeks to be beyond control to be.

Keep up the good work, but maybe try to be a bit more careful.

Love and Solidarity from Milwaukee!

as someone who was there and saw that woman, i was very sorry that a bystander was hurt. but as someone who saw the news footage of her and a friend, having left the store where she worked, laughing and videotaping, i'm a little confused about the reactions i've read here.
a black bloc is not and has never been a tourist attraction. this person made a conscious and very unfortunate decision to get in between people throwing rocks and what those people were throwing rocks at. i'm very sorry that happened, but being sorry isn't going to change the fact that she made a very bad call and endangered herself.
getting written off as collateral damage is one thing (bad), walking into the middle of target practice is another (stupid).

Yeah, I bet all the Nazi SS storm trooping throwing bricks at Jews who didn't leave their stores before Krystall nacht had the SAME argument. What percentage of the black bloc is cops now adays, anyway? 10 - 15 - 20%?? It's a joke.

i bet its not. i bet their argument was more like "let's exterminate the jews". so when the black bloc announces its campaign to exterminate the store clerks, you just go ahead and repeat that, because you'll have a chance at being relevant. in the mean time, ask yourself how often you bring up nazis in debates that make you feel insecure. 10 - 15 - 20%?? because its a fucking joke.

yeah, people who intend to end domination and those who intend to perpetuate it are totally the same. Get lost idiot!

Word. But of course, in this type of situation people are going to naturally be curious and watch. It's very unfortunate that girl did get hit, perhaps she didn't know that it was a possibility of getting hit by a brick. She did make the decision to watch, though.

And of course, this will be the thing that will be playing over and over on the news. Not the reason why we were there and how no one even fucking questions who the fucking cops are protecting. How about education in the media about neoliberalism? But I wouldn't even fucking trust that. All news is fucking horrible and not trust-worthy.

Violence is part of revolutions. Look through history of human beings, it's bound to happen. Destruction of property is not violence, however. Like, stated above.

An unfortunate accident?
what do you expect to happen when you throw a brick in the air?

Young revolutionaries scare the crap out of me.
They do not respect the "masses" they propose to liberate.

To excuse this behavior by telling us it is not bad because someone else is Worse?

Pitiful

I assume we will all be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes.

why should a diverse group of people who did not have the intention of hurting anyone be held accountable for one individuals actions?

People who talk of masses and of their liberation do not respect the self determination of the "masses." They can take care of their own liberation, which will be much easier once we collectively start destroying capital.

<<why should a diverse group of people who did not have the intention of hurting anyone be held accountable for one individuals actions?>>

this is a rule you should apply to all since you seem to not appreciate blanket statements.

The person who threw the brick that hit the woman was clearly one of two things:
1) an amateur who doesn't understand what revolution means
2) an agent-provocateur who injured a person to discredit everyone else who actually does understand what revolution means.

Property destruction, graffiti, blocking streets, directly confronting the police and other non-legal forms of political action can get a message across just as clearly as a peaceful, legal and permitted march, if not more so in some cases. However, it is very important for everyone engaged in illegal political activity to understand why they are doing it and what it means.

Revolution doesn't mean privileged middle class radicals throw brick through windows and then that's that. It means the conscious uprising of the broad masses of society, under the leadership of the urban proletariat.

In short, while I do defend what happened in georgetown generally, there are many tactical and theoretical issues that I think a substantial amount of those who were involved with the action did not understand and therefore the actual ability for the demonstration to be meaningful and inspiring was very limited.

It isn't a revolution without the proletariat.

A question I have is why does the media get all fussy when a protester (or at least, a cop disguised as a protester) *accidentally* injures a person and publicly apologizes for it, but when the cops proudly beat my comrades practically nothing is said?

"It isn't a revolution without the proletariat."

Not to be flip, but saying this without spelling out who you think the proles are makes this all but a meaningless sentiment. Somebody who is working at a cafe for minimum wage is probably more of a prole than someone working a card-carrying big union job. That's not to say that one person inherently has revolutionary consciousness and the other doesn't, though.

Sorry for the diversion, but when I hear people say "proletariat" as if the global work force was the same in 1890 as it is in 2007, it throws up a few, erm, red flags. ;)

"the moment revolution calls for self sacrifice it no longer exists"

Your narrow idea of class struggle belongs in the dustbin of history.

Anyone with passion these days is considered illinformed or an agent-provocateur. It is a shame. But this garbage generally comes from people who call fowl play when others refuse to parrot your alienating politics, so there's very little reason to take it seriously (because no one takes you seriously).

There's no doubt that cops killing Deonte Rawlings is worse than accidentally hitting a woman with a brick. Problem is those of us who believe in social justice should be trying to do better than that.

It is a good thing that there are protests against the World Bank. And of course, the World Bank and IMF cause much greater violence than you did on Saturday. But you are going to have to get serious and more disciplined or you'll alienate the people we want to reach. This isn't a game. It's a matter of life and death. These international policies need to change.

If it's necessary to throw a brick into a window, get close enough to the window so you don't hurt any people. Even if it means you might get caught. And if you'd rather hurt an innocent bystander than go to jail, you might as well be working on Wall Street. Or K Street. There's no excuse for what happened to that woman. And if you want to hold yourselves to the standard of murderous police or international economic hit men, you are missing the point. If we are not fighting for the well-being of other humans (instead of the well-being of money) then what are we fighting for?

Yours in the struggle,
Patty

the police threw the brick. luke was in the washington post on saturday and sunday.

Anywho,

Justying hiting someone with a brick by refering back to an incident that none of these kids are doing any organizing around is pretty lame. Sorry if working in concert with established community organazations about the fucked up shit happening in your own back yard isn't as sexy as going into an endless scripted routine with police.

Incidently, at the RNC Critical Mass a few years ago I was almost brained by a brick aimed at a police scooter, thrown by someone on a bike, from across the street. Lame and pointless.

Is community organizing any less of a scripted routine? I'm not saying that it isn't important, but I feel that it's silly that people doing either have to create a binary when there really isn't one.

Put down those rocks and join the non-profit industrial complex and be a white savior.

What a stupid and narrow view of what community organizing is ...

"Yet, no matter how successful we could have been in forcing Georgetown residents to think about the consequences of their actions on working class people in DC"

You mean like the working class people that will have to clean up your mess? Or the working class people who you will cause to have their jobs in jeopardy because your "protests" make them late for a job they are barely holding on with?

"We would find it very puzzling, however, if people were more bothered by a woman unintentionally being hurt in an unfortunate accident, than by the intentional cold-blooded murder of 14 year old Deonte Rawlings"

Perhaps if you were more in touch you would have noticed that story about that teen has been a top story in our area and is still being investigated, including the FBI. In other words, it has not been just written off and I suspect the officers will be held responsible. Of course like any good close-minded group, you all have made up your minds and will not hear anything else.

"Georgetown has a long history, sadly not yet complete, of keeping out working class people of color. Once a separate city from Washington DC, Georgetown, at one point during the 19th century, was a haven of many recently freed slaves. However, much as low-income residents are now being pushed out of Washington, DC altogether through gentrification and the included increasing property values, poor people of color were also forced from Georgetown through “urban renewal”, even as early as the 1920's."

Are you f-ing serious? Yes, "poor people" do not live in Georgetown. OF ANY COLOR DUMMY! Way to play the race card to fit your needs though. Asshat. I am middle-class and I don't live there either. "Largely White"???!!?? You mean like you protestors????!?!?!?! You do realize that "minorities" exist because there are majorities. They happen to be white in this country. Are you daft?

"We understand that much has been made of an unfortunate accident in which a young woman was hurt in Georgetown"

This is your idea of an apology? I see you and your group as no different than the idiots running this country. They don't apologize for the mayhem they cause either. They divert, just as you do in statements like this.

I remember vividly your group protesting several years ago near the World Bank and setting a car on fire. As it turns out that car belonged to a cleaning woman that worked her ass off and was still not even middle-class. But that car got her to and from a job that sustained her. You f's in your "wisdom" made her life that much harder.

Do you know the Hippocratic oath that doctors take?

FIRST, DO NO HARM!

You have no credibility with a majority of the population because of yyour antics. And truly that is all you contribute. Antics.

You curse wealthy people like Bill Gates but do nothing substantial yourselves. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has done more for this world than you and yours can even hope or dream of. You would do more for the people you say you "care" about by working with rich people than by cursing them. Try it. Step into reality.

poor people of color were also forced from Georgetown through “urban renewal”, even as early as the 1920's."

Are you f-ing serious? Yes, "poor people" do not live in Georgetown. OF ANY COLOR DUMMY! Way to play the race card to fit your needs though. Asshat.

Angry words.

I talked to one African-American woman who grew up in Georgetown. She lost her home there and was moved by the city to Southwest. When that neighborhood got "renewed" she was moved to Southeast. Now her home there is going to be a parking lot for the new baseball stadium, I have no idea where she is now.

see you deleted the photo of the bloody woman you attacked. COWARDS!

This was posted on one of the other section's comments, I believe by the author, and I really think everyone in this conversation should check this out. Thanks to the lady and her brother for sharing their thoughts- we appreciate it.

These comments by the woman hit by the brick and her brother are really, really interesting. This lady DOES NOT want to be the poster child or martyr for the right wing's agenda.

It just goes to show: Don't believe the hype.

wecouldbefamous.blogspot.com/

looks like in her own blog response she calls us/you a bunch of loonie toons.... I wonder if she'd give me a % if I gave her an identifying photo of the person who threw the rock and she sued their rich parents for millions.... ha ha ha just kidding.

It is white-reactionary-privileged pacifism that is responsible for people thinking that the only way they can affect change is by parading and seating around buildings and enriching the police coffers by making people pay for mass arrest actions. Arrogant, self-righteous pacifism only serves to perpetuate and maintain the most violent state terrorist entity in the world today: the US government. Some conveniently use the accidental injury of that woman in Georgetown, but never mention the blatant murder of 14-year old DeOnte Rawllins by DC cops and the violence and siege they maintain on black and Latino communities on daily basis. Is the injury of one white woman somehow more horrible than the lives of young black and Latino kids in this city? Most important, does anyone think we are going to stop police and state terrorism with hugs and peace parades? I beg to differ! I'm sick and tired of these "professional" white, anti-war pacifists coming here, doing their thing and not giving a cent about what local oppressed communities of color are going through!

As for business losses or property damage in Georgetown, I don't think you'll find any sympathy on this side of the city! This petulant arrogance is annoying, specially when people preach this "high moral ground" and pass judgment on the actions of others that they don't have the courage to take! Stop judging others from your white comfort zone and Fox News which will only make you dumber and more reactionary by the day!

Valid criticism is greeted with inaccurate and personal attacks. Classic. So courage is throwing a brick into a bystanders face and then trying to justify your actions because a young black kid was tragically killed? Apples and oranges people. Think about it, and don't use people as a political footballs!

By the way, the tower shields make you look like the police in riot gear. Give it up.

Oh the petty bullshit sensitivities of these self-righteous pacifists! They give themselves the moral authority to be the ultimate judges about the right and wrong forms of resistance to state oppression, but when you call them on their coward pandering and accommodation with the powers that be, including the police, they just whine and bitch instead of dealing with the issues in an honest, straight-forward manner! Their preaching of the "high moral ground" or "holier than thou" bullshit is hypocritical when they keep repeating this sickening cycle of paying cops for mass arrests that only help to maintain and perpetuate the fascist police state in which we live! Has it ever occurred to them that by paying all this money, that by now perhaps reaches into the millions, they are helping subsidize police state terrorism and repression in communities of color in this city and all over this country!? It is fake grandstanding and posturing pretending to stop the wars this empire carries all over the world and not saying or doing anything against the wars against poor people and communities of color in this country!

The one or two people obsessing pathologically with the woman accidentally hurt in Georgetown in order to attack what we did, should think about and deal with these issues instead of shifting blame and calling my responses invalid and personal! It is them who use people as political football by placing higher value in the well being of this woman as opposed to "other" people in the city! That type of attitude is classist and racist at best! Friday night, the police assaulted many of us verbally and physically with their motorcycles and bicycles. If they are so righteous, why don't they condemn police violence!

As for the kids that marched on Georgetown, they are all alright. They showed a level of commitment and courage that none of these high preachers of pacifism ever will! We all know what these self-appointed leaders and celebrity-status-seeking moralists will do in such circumstances: continue with their parasitic passivity and tell us to just "turn the other cheek" and follow the path of "least resistance." All there is left for these people is to turn into snitches and start selling out all of us that act in ways they don't approve of to the cops!

Instead of using their reactionary politics to tell us what to do, it is them who should think about their outdated tactics and give them up!