Dan's Papers - August 31, 2007

At 3 p.m. this past Saturday, protestors against the war in Iraq gathered in East Hampton. I was one of them.

The East Hampton Village Police outlined the areas where participants could march with yellow tape. The rope was set up on the eastern half of Main Street which allowed demonstrators to stand from the brick to the curb, while leaving room for the serious Saturday shoppers to stroll by on the sidewalk, in true East Hampton fashion. The length of rope stretched from the Chase Bank to the United Artists Movie Theatre on one side and from BookHampton to Elie Tahari on the other. This made a nice square for the 125 protestors to move along, crossing from one side of the street to the other, with the strong presence and help of cops on bikes, on the sidewalk, on the street and in cars, as well as traffic control officers.

The protest was very controlled this year, because in April of 2006, the anti-Iraq war protest abruptly came to an end when five participants, Kathy Engel, Ella Engel, Paola Aquadelo, Dan Steiger and Conner Wolf were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after they apparently stepped outside the barricaded area, causing grief for all the shoppers trying to get by. Their trial is coming up next week, on September 7, to be held before Justice Catherine A. Cahill. These protests were organized by Joe Giannini, a Marine veteran of the Vietnam War and president of the East End Veterans, Jim Henry, a Sag Harbor attorney who is also running for Town Supervisor, Betty Mazur, a local Democrat activist and Kathy Engel, who is a peace activist and leader of the Women in Black organization. In order to prevent another arrest at this demonstration, Giannini and the other organizers met with the East Hampton Village Police to acquire their permit for the march and define the marching zones to ensure that the policies would be followed without disruption.

I have been to a number of protests and whenever I go, I always bring my sign. I actually keep it folded in the trunk of my car - this way, it's always with me. It reads, "NOT ONE MORE DEATH." Who could argue with that? Well, a few people did during the Press for Peace march at the Southampton Fourth of July parade this year, which, according to the pro-death people, has no place for politics. I'm not sure how freedom and politics can be separated, but that's another story. My tattered sign blended in just fine with the other can't-possibly-argue-with signs like "No More Blood," "We Will Not Be Silent," "Peace Now," "Stop War," "Out Of Iraq Now" and, taking the funny award, a large chicken on a pole with the face of President George W. Bush.

If you've ever been in a protest or any sort of dynamic group, you know that the people are usually very welcoming and the East Hampton protestors were no different. It is also not every day that actor Danny Glover participates in a protest - he was the only celebrity to demonstrate. I made my way into the single file march towards the movie theatre, surrounded by friendly faces and warm conversation. Many of the people I was in line with had been there in April of 2006, when things went sour. They were determined to exercise their First Amendment rights uninhibited this time around. Although there were some snide comments about the large number of cops and the town's "well-spent tax dollars," we were happy to be corralled safely around town. What was more interesting about this protest than others in which I have participated were the non-protestors and their reactions. Many people driving by in the bumper-to-bumper traffic honked in support, yet those exposed in their convertible-top sports cars sort of just looked at us strangely. The sidewalk traffic was the best - crowds of men and women with blue Ralph Lauren bags and grande mocha frappuccino's casually walked by with their mouths half open in shock, whispering to one another, "Wow, you think these people are from the city or what?" One woman came up to me and asked who organized the parade. I said to her, "Joe Giannini, president of the East End Veterans."

The woman then responded by saying, "Okay, so the president isn't coming to town this weekend then?"

"No, Ma'am. He's not." I continued to march.

The participants were very vocal - there was a small group of boys and girls in their late teens that carried around a drum and a few tambourines. They started chants like, "What do we want, East Hampton? Peace! When do we want it, East Hampton? Now!" and "Support the troops! Bring them home!" After treading the peace square five or six times, we walked down to the windmill in single file.

As we walked, I looked around and thought about how nice it was to see people of all ages at this protest, from the 85-year-old grandmother next to me to the five-year-old child holding a sign and sitting on her father's shoulders in front of me. As we stood on the hill by the windmill, Giannini and a few others asked us to be quiet for a moment and told the participants that we would be called the "freedom choir." We sang "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize." With harmony, melody and even a free verse added by one of the protestors, this song was very moving and empowering for all who were present. The five participants who were arrested last year spoke and donned shirts that read, "We Will Not Be Silent." Jim Henry also spoke about how the war has gotten out of control and joked that one of the reasons there is not enough body armor for the soldiers in Iraq is because the metal is being used for golf clubs. Everyone scoffed sadly. Giannini also spoke of his friend, Corporal Doug Webb, who stood by the windmill two years ago and helped him plant crosses for all the fallen American soldiers. Corporal Doug Webb, who is now a Sergeant, and is originally from the North Fork, started out as pro-war. He is now conflicted with his view on the war and with the news of having to return to Iraq. Giannini pleaded, "We need to stop this war now!" He asked the group if they would join him at the White House if push came to shove and everyone responded, "yes."