Out on the streets they came! With puppets, dolls, slogans, banners, dogs, balloons, and yes, with people. Lots of people, as a matter of fact. An estimated 250,000 people participated in one of the biggest protests the city has ever seen. In this sea of protesters were Chinese of different age, gender and social background. Some of them have never protested before. They have only one message, “President Bush, we’ve had enough of you! No more four years!”
Chu Che-Min, who came to New York 13 years ago and has never left the city, said that he had never protested before. Chu said that this time, somehow he felt that he could no longer just sit and watch TV. Chu said that what he dislikes most is the war. “It is not fair to ask thousands of young people to sacrifice for a few people’s obsession,” he explained, with his wife beside him.
Ying Ying-Hsu came from Hong Kong 8 years ago. She is a first time protester as well. She and her husband carried their 20-month-old daughter and walked silently but enthusiastically in the crowd. Hsu said that she believes her daughter “will be living in a better world in 20 years, if Bush is defeated.”
Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY) sent out a small troop of 50 people, all wearing bright yellow T-shirts. We-Ben Wong, one of the organizers, said that Bush has a very narrowed definition of human rights and gays simply don’t fit into it. On top of that, Wong said that Bush has to pander to his ultra-conservative supporters and that leads to an increasingly more conservative policy.
Joyce Li, a high school student, is a member of the Billionaires for Bush satirical group. Li said that the group aims to demonstrate with live street theatre how “the Bush administration represents only 1 percent of the population’s interest.” Li, wearing a night gown and pearls, does not think she is too young to be politically active. As the new generation in an immigrant family, she feels it is her responsibility to get everyone around her engaged in the political system, and she is very proud that she has persuaded her mother to vote.
