Protesters advance on Washington
"Allowing the protesters to protest, to voice their opinion, I think is very important. But I also think it's very important the IMF and World Bank be able to hold their meeting."
-Washington Police Chief
Charles Ramsey
There were two goals in the minds of the thousands of protestors who marched on the capital April 8th thought April 17th. One was the peaceful protest at the Ellipse featuring speakers and informational sessions about globalization. The other goal was to repeat the success in Seattle by shutting down the joint International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank finance meeting.
This time, due to police and public preparation the meeting occurred but the voices outside still cast an overtone over the proceedings.
"Of course I'm concerned about the noise outside. It's a bit demoralizing when you see that there is a mobilization for social justice when you think that that's what we're doing every day." -World Bank president James Wolfensohn as quoted by the Boston Globe.
The Washington police department prepared early purchasing $1 million of new equipment and spending $1.6 million on overtime pay. 1,500 officers, both city and federal, armed themselves with metal barricades and stood shoulder to shoulder to face the over 10,000 protesters. This time the main portion of the protest, the meeting on the ellipse, stayed peaceful. It was only the attempted marches through downtown that turned violent as police used pepper spray and tear gas as busses waited on hand to support the mass arrests. Over 1,200 people were arrested.
