November 21, 2003
Miami Anti-Globo protests fizzle
Maybe it is the fact that they came to one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the United States. Maybe it is because the people of South Florida realize that free trade is good for them, and good for the country. Maybe it is because of the beefed-up police presence in the city. Maybe it is because they couldn't stay away from the beaches. In any case, the protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit, held in Miami, were a bust. The Miami Herald reported this:
Several protest groups planned additional demonstrations today, but the main event -- a march scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. from the Miami Arena—apparently evaporated.
Five thousand people had been expected; only three showed up, and they were outnumbered by reporters and photographers.
''This is ridiculous,'' said Rob Ward, 21, who joined two friends in the six-hour drive from Gainesville, only to find the demonstration canceled on account of no demonstrators.
(Gainesville, in central Florida, is home to the University of Florida, which has its fair share of leftist academics and their student bootlickers.)
What if they held a media-driven protest, and nobody came? Warms my heart...
Although the police arrested over 150 people, it is a far cry from the 1300 people arrested in Washington DC last year, or the 570+ arrested in Seattle in 1999. Additionally, there was no destructive activity like the $20 million of damage in Seattle when the protests turned into a full-scale riot. More information about the few confrontations that occured can be found in this Miami Herald piece, with some sniveling from the leftists about the heavy police presence. Screw 'em; they've already demonstrated that they are utterly incapable of behaving in a responsible, civilized fashion, so police presence was a must.
posted on November 21, 2003 09:54 AM
