January 22, 2005
Anarchists Strike Adams Morgan
Wow, we thought Inauguration-related protests had run their course, but we learn from the Post that anarchists went wild in Adams Morgan late Thursday night. This DCist was eating at the Amsterdam Falafelshop on 18th Street and we didn't sense that much was going on. But we guess we were distracted by our fries and falafel to notice that post-Counter Inaugural activities were getting out of hand on the streets.
From the Post:
Self-described anarchists, fans who had attended the punk-rock ball and passersby joined in a melee in the area of 18th Street and Columbia Road NW, where police said they spray-painted buildings with the red "A" anarchists use as their symbol, threw a brick through the windshield of a police vehicle and smashed out glass windows and doors at a police substation and at Riggs Bank and Citibank branches.There were 80 people arrested and city and police officials are upset, naturally. Metropolitan Police Chief Charles Ramsey calls the disobidience "ridiculous." Ward 1's councilmember, Jim Graham, questioned the anarchists targeting of Adams Morgan, which is "is not associated with the Republican Party."
Since we were too interested in eating, can anyone give us any more information?
(Photo of Inauguration protest signage taken by DCist's Grayson Shepard. More photos at Yakusha.)
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We were leaving Adams Mill that night which was hosting an anti-inaugural, anti-ball event and wanted to grab a slice of pizza down the street. We were greeted by 30 or so police officers in riot gear making a flying-v formation along with a helicopter with search light soaring above at the Columbia and 18th St intersection. We apparently just missed the melee that ensued moments before we arrived as an officer said there was an "illegal protest" going on.
I was at the Counter-Inaugural Ball (the show that turned into the protest) but wound up staying late at the church to clean everything up. Damn good thing too. We only found out about the havoc when about twenty kids in various states of distress burst back through the doors.
From what they said, a lot of the kids got away from the police by ripping loose a fence and using it to block off an alley while they fled. They also implied that the police must have been waiting for them, since there were so many cars and so many officers in riot gear. I don't necessarily believe that, but while the concert was still going on, some agency or another had a few guys in front of the church trying to take photos of as many faces as they could.
What's interesting to me is that only 80 people got arrested, out of the 800 who attended the show. Can't say whether this means that a lot of people got away, or that a lot of people skipped the march.
To clarify: I think it was obnoxious for the kids to start smashing things. But you can't be too surprised at how pissed off they were, considering how busy the show's medics were with all the pepper spray and baton injuries. Toward the end of their set, Anti-Flag brought a nine-year-old on stage who announced that a cop had pepper-sprayed him in the face earlier in the day.
Say what you will about the rest of the protesters, but a kid that small hardly has the physical means to be unruly enough to get maced.
who the hell would bring their 9 y.o. child to the front lines of a protest that has potential to clash with police (assuming Anti-Flag's story was even true)?
I am baffled by the conduct of these protesters. I would assume they would want to gain support for their cause, but they would rather fight the police and terrorize our community instead. It's rather disgusting.