[Nettime-bold] Netizens and the Feb 15, 2003 demonstration in NYC (fwd)

[Heiko Recktenwald <uzs106@ibm.rhrz.uni-bonn.de>]

Well, this is Jay Hauben. Netizens??


H.

Voila:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 20:52:56 -0500 (EST)
From: Jay Hauben <hauben@columbia.edu>
Reply-To: NETZFORUM@wz-berlin.de
To: Zur Entwicklung der Kommunikationsnetze in Praxis und Forschung
    <NETZFORUM@medea.wz-berlin.de>
Subject: Netizens and the Feb 15, 2003 demonstration in NYC 

Report from the NYC anti-war demonstration February 15, 2003

The NYC government wouldn't allow a march. It's denial of a march
permit was upheld by the Federal courts. The mainstream medium
reported that the march would not happen. Many hundreds of thousands
people came to NYC anyway to show their opposition to a war against
Iraq.

So in New York City today there was a demonstration but not a march.

There were a lot of protesters on the streets of Manhattan. Some
observers estimated between 700,000 and 1 millions.

There were many homemade signs and people of all ages and
nationalities and political beliefs.

But the treatment of people in NYC shows that democracy is not
something the US federal government or NYC government have any
respect for.

People lined First Avenue, from the around 51st to the mid 80s. There
were people filling Second Avenue and Third Avenue and Lexington
Avenue. But, except for those on First Avenue, the demonstrators could
not hear or see the rally platform and speakers. The NYC police made a
very strong effort to keep most of the protesters from getting to the
scene of the rally: First Avenue. Even on First Avenue the police kept
people apart by keeping them in barricaded pens and not allowing
movement to and from the pens or between them.

So people were kept from seeing each other and most from hearing the
speeches.

There were reports that police on horseback charged and injured
demonstrators on Third Avenue and on Lexington Avenue. The police say
they made 50 arrests and that eight police officers and two police
horses were injured.

Most of the people who had come from all around New York City and
other cities and states around the US even though kept from getting to
the demonstration on First Avenue seemed in good spirits and anxious
to protest the war plans of the US Bush regime. The slogans on their
signs included "Not in Our Names", "We love Germany", We love France",
"Thank you Belgium", "Make International Law, Not War", "Empty Warhead
found in the White House", "Democracy. I don't think so!", "If War
Starts, We Are All Collateral Damage", "No Empire", "Stop Lying To
US", "Kein Krieg", "Terrorists Love War", "No to Detentions, No to
Deportations", and hundreds of other slogans.

The rally was a victory despite the police tactics in NYC and despite
the city officials who were allowed by the U.S. federal district court
to prevent a march.

But the treatment of the demonstrations in New York City on February
15, 2003 showed that the U.S. government and the New York City government
have no interest in supporting democracy at home or abroad.

There were many calls for more organizing and for more rallies and
marches. The many people who demonstrated in NYC added to the world
wide out pouring today of opposition to Bush's war against Iraq.
-------------------

Below is a leaflet about netizens and communication and the war against
Iraq given out by us at the march.

  "Communication Not Annihilation,  No War on Iraq.  Netizens Unite"

Today's marches around the world demonstrate the power of the Internet
and Netizens. There is a need for global communication to be utilized to
solve the enormous problems in our modern world. More citizens and
netizens around the world can now participate in helping each other to
solve what otherwise would be impossible difficulties.

What is a Netizen?

The concept of Netizen grew out of research online in 1992-1993. This
was before the commercialization of the Internet. Contrary to popular
mythology the number of people connecting to the Internet then was
growing rapidly each year. There began to be Free-Nets springing up to
provide community people with access to the Internet.

A student doing online research, Michael, writes:

 "The story of Netizens is an important one. In conducting research
 . . .  online to determine people's uses for the global computer
communications network, I became aware that there was a new social
institution, an electronic commons, developing. It was exciting to
explore this new social institution. Others online shared this
excitement. I discovered from those who wrote me that the people I was
writing about were citizens of the Net, or Netizens."
                        from Preface to "Netizens: On the History and
                        Impact of Usenet and the Internet"
                        http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/netbook/

The Internet was making it possible for people who got access to
communicate with others around the world. And there were people online
who did what they could to connect others to the Internet and to make
the Internet something valuable for people around the world. The
student documented this development in his paper "The Net and
Netizens: The Impact the Net has on People's Lives".

The paper was posted online in 1993. The concept of Netizen spread
round the world and has been adopted by many who continue to
contribute to the development of the Internet as a global commons and
to spread access to the global communication the Internet makes
possible.

We need the vision of the Internet and the Netizen, that both its
early pioneers and the users that the student in 1992/3 found online,
have embodied. This is as a network of networks linking people around
the globe where online users act as netizens helping to solve the
problems of the Internet and of the society.

People online and people who aren't online, can help to make the
vision of the Internet pioneers and users a reality. We don't want war
in Iraq. We don't want war in North Korea or Iran. We don't want war
against the Palestinians. We want to communicate with each other and
collaborate together to have the wealth of society go to its people so
that the better world that is now possible, becomes a reality. It's a
hard and difficult struggle. But with lots of netizens around the
world, we can forge a better world.

Long live the Netizens  Long live the Iraqi People  Long live the
American People  Long live the peace loving people everywhere

Let us honor the memory of those who have perished in the struggle.

  NETIZENS UNITE AND SPREAD THE INTERNET SO EVERYONE HAS ACCESS

Let us continue to take up the challenge to make the Internet a global
commons that all can contribute to and build.

Dedicated to Michael (1973-2001). I have written this to honor his
memory and to try to continue his contributions to make the world a
better place.                                 Ronda ronda@panix.com


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