Funk the War 8 got the anti-war message out, and had a blast in doing so…
October 8, 2009, 8:16 PM
On Wednesday, October 7, anti-war protesters hit the streets of Washington once again in the form of Funk the War 8, organized by DC SDS. Demonstrators marched, danced, and all in all, had a great time in the process.
This Funk the War was a lot tamer than others I’ve been to – only one clash with police, no arrests, and no black bloc for the most part. Police let the unpermitted march take the streets rather than stick to the sidewalks. That last point in particular is important – when taking to the streets, it makes the demonstration far more effective, rather than pushing demonstrators to the sides. This also frees the sidewalks for regular pedestrian traffic. The crowd was also a bit smaller than in March, but while our numbers were smaller, it definitely gave the demonstration a more intimate feeling.
The message this time was specifically the war in Afghanistan. Much of the energy of the anti-war movement has been focused on Iraq, and Afghanistan has kind of taken a back seat. The march was timed to coincide with the eighth anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan, and we were out there reminding all that this war must end, too.
The route was fairly predictable, going around downtown Washington, visiting the Washington offices of various companies allegedly engaged in war profiteering.
And so the people marched…
The cops guarded various targets on the route while we demonstrated…
And in the one scuffle with police, people ran into an unguarded building, 1401 Eye Street NW. Demonstrators were quickly ejected from the building.
And above all, people made sure to have a good time while getting the message out.
And the music was awesome, with two big speakers towed in separate carts, and longtime DC activist Adam Eidinger at the controls.
And as I mentioned, there was no black bloc this time around. Just about everyone who would usually make up one of those types of things came in whatever and didn’t bother. Works for me. You could count the number of masks on one hand, with a couple of bandannas, and a teen wearing a full respirator:
I personally thought that was a tad extreme for a Funk the War demonstration. But to each his own, I suppose. Meanwhile, one woman wore a monkey-themed hoodie, and masked the monkey:
Cute to the nth degree, if you ask me.
And of course, people danced, and danced, and danced…
All in all, it was a great protest! My only criticism is that the march felt a shade short, and that we arrived back at Thomas Circle WAY sooner than I felt we should have. But hey, it worked, and there will be other Funk the Wars in the future, I’m sure.
Web site: Video in Dupont Circle from Funk the War 7 - what is the name of this song?
Song: "Paper Planes" by MIA, danced to in the second video of mine.
Quote: So now coming up, there are two Anonymous raids on back-to-back days, and then this Sunday is the National Equality March. Seems I picked a good time to take a vacation - all this activism is keeping me busy!
Categories: Anti-war