Bush Greeted by over a Thousand Protestors in East Grand Rapids

On Friday, April 20, over 1,000 people attended a protest against President George W. Bush outside of his appearance in East Grand Rapids. The protest was organized by the local group ACTIVATE who used it as an opportunity to call for an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq, objecting the human costs of the war, the illegality of the war, and the President Bush’s most recent escalation of the war. President Bush’s nearly hour and a half long speech was his second in Grand Rapids focusing on the Iraq War since taking office, and like his January 2003 appearance, he defended his policy without regard for the reality of what is happening on the ground in Iraq.

The protest began at John Collins Park in East Grand Rapids, a location chosen because it was unclear whether or not East Grand Rapids would allow protestors to gather in front of the school or in the city’s commercial district. When Vice President Dick Cheney was in East Grand Rapids in September of 2006, protestors were not allowed to gather outside of the home of Peter Secchia where he was speaking, prompting a lawsuit that forced East Grand Rapids to change its ordinance outlawing protests in residential zones. The protest began with a short speech by former CIA analyst Ray McGovern who reminded the crowd that the entire war was based on lies and that it has been maintained by illegal policies including torture. While it was believed that President Bush’s motorcade would pass by Collins Park, and indeed police officers suggested to members of the crowd that it would, the motorcade did not pass by the park. This was met with anger by many protestors, some of whom were told that they would not be allowed to leave the park.

Shortly after McGovern’s speech, the majority of the crowd moved to the intersection of Bagley and Wealthy in East Grand Rapids’ business districts. Amid anti-Bush chants and chants of “Whose Streets? Our Streets?,” a flood of several hundred protestors moving onto Wealthy blocked traffic and shutdown the Wealthy Street. The police appeared unprepared for the move and additional officers were hastily moved in and additional sawhorse barricades were deployed to prevent the crowd from moving closer to the school. Following this action, protestors occupied the intersection for the duration of the protest and waited during the President’s speech, unclear as to whether or not his motorcade would pass through this intersection or the intersection of Wealthy and Lake Drive. Several protestors moved to the intersection of Wealthy and Lake Drive, where a crowd of several hundred eventually booed and yelled as President Bush’s motorcade headed to the Gerald R. Ford Museum.

Following the departure of President Bush’s motorcade, ACTIVATE leafleted those who had attended Bush’s talk. The flyers–which contained ACTIVATE’s 10 reasons for opposing the occupation of Iraq–were intended to give the attendees a different perspective than that presented by President Bush, who as expected, attempted to justify his failed Iraq policy.

Related Posts:

1. President Bush Greeted by Hundreds of Protestors in Grand Rapids
2. Bush Greeted by Protestors at Grand Rapids Protest / (un)Welcoming
3. Protestors Tell Cheney in Grand Rapids: US Out of Iraq
4. President Bush Greeted by Hundreds of Protestors in Traverse City
5. Protest Outside of President Bush’s Grand Rapids Visit Announced

Tags: antiwar, george w. bush, grand rapids, iraq, michigan, protest