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Protest
Art from the L.A. 2000 DNC.
Photos
and Text by Mark Vallen
Click on the thumbnails for larger views
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Giant
puppets, beautifully painted banners and posters, elaborately
costumed street theater performers, were just some of the means
protesters used to get their message out during the Los Angeles
Democratic Convention of 2000. I've documented through my photographs
the creativity demonstrators utilized in their protests. I'm presenting
some of these photos to illustrate the importance of art in public
dissent. If you'd like to use any of these images please contact
me by e-mail
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This
poster reads Corporate Power Crushes Democracy. Hundreds
of copies were distributed during the week of protests at the
Democratic Convention. Activists carried this poster on the streets
of downtown L.A. during the Meet Human Need, End Corporate
Greed march of some 15,000 people.
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This
gigantic puppet of a riot cop confronted marchers along the route
of the Free Mumia march held on 8/13/2000. The puppet was
controlled by three people, one who actually stood inside the
puppet and served as it's legs, and two other people who each
controlled a puppet arm using poles. The huge 12 foot high puppet
carried a club and a canister of pepper spay, with the pepper
spray actually being a water spray to cool off the crowd in
L.A.'s hellish summer heat.
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I
photographed this on the last day of the convention. Some clever
group of protesters had made a TV camera out of cardboard and
ducktape to make their point; "TV Lies - Biased - Sensational
- Corporate."
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I
photographed this banner on the last day of the convention. The
huge, colorful banner was painted and carried through the streets
by a Filipino artist's collective called People's Artists.
On the last day of the protests, the artists hung the banner on
the security fence
surrounding the Staples Center.
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The
theme of protest on 8/13/2000 was Human Need not Corporate
Greed. An enormous crowd gathered at L.A.'s historic Pershing
Square for a march to the Staples Center. Ten thousand people
participated in the protest, and many issues were addressed. I
took photos of this enormous puppet as it was carried down the
broad avenues of L.A.'s downtown streets. The puppet's arms were
stretched out wide, touching each side of the street.
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Giant
Frogs invade downtown Los Angeles! In this picture a troupe of
street theater performers are dressed as gigantic frogs. They
are wearing signs that say SAVE BALLONA. The Ballona wetlands
are some of the very last marshlands left in the entire southern
California area... and they are under threat from big developers.
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I
photographed this puppet of a Navajo woman, representing
the indigenous resistance to the big coal companies and their
grabbing of traditional Navajo lands at Big Mountain. A
great number of protesters expressed solidarity with Native American
people and their right to self-determination.
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During
the Human Need not Corporate Greed march, no fewer than
10,000 protesters participated. The largest creative props in
the entire week of demonstrations were on display that day...
four helium filled balloons designed to look like actual nuclear
missiles! Nearly a dozen people were required to carry each of
the gigantic balloons!
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I
Photographed this enormous puppet of Ralph Nader as it
was paraded up and down directly in front of the security fence
surrounding the Staples Center. The puppet of the Green Party
candidate made it's appearance just as Al Gore took the
podium inside the convention hall. Those that held up the puppet
called out to the Democratic delegates and members of the press
just beyond the gate... "Come on down here and DEBATE ME!"
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This
Poster was distributed during the week of protests at the Democratic
Convention. The image of Mickey Mouse as a bomb was created by
an anonymous Serbian artist during the U.S. - NATO Bombing of
Yugoslavia. Hundreds of copies of this image were mounted as placards
and carried in demonstrations during the DNC.
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The
main critique of the Human Need not Corporate Greed protests
during the DNC was that the Democratic party is beholden to the
interests of the rich and powerful just as much as the Republican
party. From the antics of the Billionaires for Bush or Gore
street theater troupe, to the banners denouncing the Democrats
for supporting war and the anti-worker NAFTA treaty... the word
on the street was, "beware the Republicrats."
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