IMF Protests Fizzle

We mentioned the IMF protests that were to occur this weekend, and we were curious as to what happened between the Greenwashing event and the parade. A few folks were concerned, as there seemed to be little to no news about the two events by 2am Sunday morning. This meant one of two things (especially after the violence at the RNC convention this year): Either nothing happened, or something awful happened.

Fortunately, it was the former problem. The International Herald Tribune reported that about 20 free-market protestors gathered on Friday, and the author of Another Dead Canary, the source of the photo above, reported that there were far more cops than protestors at the march on Saturday night/Sunday morning. He stated:

Cops outnumbered the few dozen protesters who showed up at Dupont Circle by at least four to one. This cop [in the photo above], who seemed to be in charge, warned those gathered several times that they could be arrested for walking in the street and not on the sidewalk.

We noted that the ‘cop in charge’ at least wasn’t in full riot gear (bless him for small favors). And, we duly note that many folks stated they weren’t going to the march after the violence at RNC and after the rhetoric that the McCain/Palin camp have been spewing this past week.

Now, isn’t that a note. It appears that fear and violence can lead to a willingness to avoid participation in free speech events. At the same time, sometimes one needs to save energy for the really important issues – such as campaigning for Obama.

Thanks to Another Dead Canary for the use of the photo!