But for those and a few other exceptions, it was hard to tell
what, if any, effect the dueling messages had on passers-by.
Back on the sidewalk, some protesters grew frustrated at the
ability of a small group of counter-demonstrators to co-opt their
rally.
They urged people away from the curbside shouting match and
back toward the center of a small park. There, underdressed students
jumped up and down and danced to fight off the cold as Jack Smith
of the Hudson Valley Activist Network talked about the need to
revive a dormant anti-war movement in the wake of President Bush's
re-election.
One man in the crowd turned to his friend. "The problem
with all these things I go to," he said, "is they're
preaching to the choir."
Across the street, Roger Bannon, visiting from Florida, was
singing a very different tune. He wondered aloud why the left
marches against U.S. action and not against brutal tyrants like
Saddam Hussein.
"That's why I'm here," he said.
Between the two sides, the lights turned to green and the traffic
moved on.
A couple of young women protesting the war dodged traffic and
approached Bannon and the others. They wanted to talk.
Wanting to avoid any trouble, the police sent them back to their
side of the road. |