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Mike Kane/Daily Texan Staff A trumpeter with Bands Not Bombs, center, strikes up a tune while a protester, left, sings along during the main march of the Showdown in Texas protest Saturday. Protesters gathered to voice their opposition to several Bush administration policies, mass media coverage of world events and other issues.

Protesters rally against Bush's policies

By Lomi Kriel (Daily Texan Staff)

May 05, 2003

Protesters from all ends of the political spectrum joined forces Saturday to show their resistance to President Bush's policies at home and abroad.

The rally, sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee, a pacifist Quaker group, chose Texas as its home base for a national peace campaign called Made in Texas. Organizers said they chose Texas because of its connection to Bush, its military base involvement and death penalty record.

Austin Police estimated that between 800 and 1,000 people converged for Showdown in Texas, while organizers estimated a crowd of 5,000. An estimated 300 police officers were also present, Sgt. John Hetzelberg said.

"The aim of the event was to begin to model a sustainable peace movement that includes domestic issues, and to bring together diverse constituencies," said Patrice Mallard, coordinator of the Made in Texas campaign.

"We want to show that we don't like the way our tax dollars are spent on war and destruction."

Mallard said although the war is over, militarism is not. She stressed the importance of redirecting the conversation and focus of the movement away from the war to domestic issues and to building and sustaining a diverse peace movement.

The day's events started with marches to the Capitol and culminated in a mass rally at noon, with diverse speakers ranging from Will Harrell, the American Civil Liberties Union Texas executive director, and Richard Troxell, national chairman of the Universal Living Wage.

The Austin Peoples' Legal Collective, a new group that sprang up after arrests made during rallies in February, was also present to give advice to protesters.

"We want to make sure that people's rights to express themselves are not trampled on," said Adam Seehaver, a member of the group.

Seehaver described the group as acting as a liaison between the public and lawyers.

After numerous speakers, music and dancing, protesters marched down Congress Avenue to Sixth Street, looping around downtown and marching back to the Capitol. Protesters were redirected out of the intersection at Congress Avenue and 11th Street and back onto the sidewalk by a line of police officers on motorcycles.

As emotions escalated, police arrested two men. Gary Mowbray, 30, was arrested on a criminal mischief charge for allegedly throwing a paint ball at the offices of KTBC Fox 7 News and at the Starbucks on Congress. David Aponte, 22, was arrested for interfering with a police animal.

Protesters from FreeRepublic.com, a self-described conservative group, were also present to show their opposition to the protests, as well as some other students.

"If you live in America, you should be for your country," said Shayla Griffith, an ACC student.

Crowds dispersed around 4 p.m. with some protesters joining a caravan to Crawford, where they planned to protest Bush's meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

Article from Houston Chronicle

May 3, 2003, 10:18PM

Protesters continue opposition to Bush

By ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN -- With only the lingering suffering that comes with rebuilding remaining in postwar Iraq, about 500 protesters gathered here, not for a last hurrah but to continue their pledge to speak out against perceived wrongs.

"Just because George Bush did a photo-op on a ship does not mean that Iraq and the foreign policy that he's following comes to an end," said Bruce Hunter, 70, who drove from Dallas.

"There's still bullets flying in Iraq, there's still infrastructure to build, there's still no government in Iraq and clearly this administration has designs to continue this kind of isolationist and unilateral foreign policy all over the world," he said.

The "Showdown in Texas" rally was organized by the American Friends Service Committee and included a hodgepodge of groups and activists that ranged from labor unions to a United Nations representative for the indigenous people of Hawaii.

Event organizers said they wanted to protest the Bush administration's foreign and domestic policies and draw attention to the number of defense contracts awarded to Texas companies.

Alongside university students with spiked hair were clergymen, anti-death penalty activists and the graying manes of a nearly gone but not forgotten Austin.

Jenny Greenberg, 19, wore a Bush mask, a pair of toy six-shooters on her hips and carried an American flag. She said she was protesting everything she saw wrong with Bush's policies, from the economy to the Iraq war to his stance on women's issues.

But in the sea of Bush detractors was Craig Calman Pruscha, who drove in from Burleson.

On his back, Pruscha has a tattoo of the World Trade Center towers in flames beside a likeness of his wife, known only as "Pussycat" to those walking behind him.

Under the tattoo are the words, "Freedom is Never Free."

"Freedom comes at a cost and there's a price to pay for their ability and right to walk down the streets here today saying what the believe," Pruscha said.

Pruscha planned to take his message to Crawford, where President Bush is hosting Australian Prime Minister John Howard at his ranch. A caravan of protesters also planned to drive to Crawford.

Protesters marched through downtown Austin before returning to the Capitol grounds for a peace festival. Austin police said two people were arrested as of late Saturday afternoon.