Pima Democrats greeted by anti-Kerry protestors : AZ IMC

A dozen activists holding signs and a banner with a variety of anti-Kerry and anti-voting messages greeted Tucson democrats as they arrived at the carpenter’s union hall for a DNC party where they watched the closing speech given by democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. We had a variety of reactions, from pissed-off to curious and sympathetic.

The theme of the action was "A vote for Kerry or Bush is still a vote for war." We reminded people that Kerry says he supports the wars in the Middle East; the targeted assassinations of Palestinians and the separation wall; the patriot laws and the creation of a national intelligence agency and an intelligence czar, the continuation of the trade agreements that have lead to millions of lost jobs and sweatshops; the over throw of the popular democratically elected presidents of Haiti and Venezuela.

The first few 20 minutes went off well, as we engaged people on their way into the building. Then a handful of the organizers came out and attempted to kick us off the property. An older man, Don, (pictured below as the grumpy-crat) began shouting “This is private property! You’re trespassing!” He then began to call us “retarded” and “assholes.” He mocked our hand-painted “Vote Kerry = Vote War” banner, then walked over to his mini-van and took out a “Remember 9/11” banner and told us that this was a real banner and that we didn’t know anything about what America was. Others also yelled and scolded us, demanding that we leave. We just held our ground and politely ignored them.

Although they threatened to call the police, the decided to let us stay (thanks to the guy running the front desk!) as long as we didn’t block the door. We stayed from 6:00 pm until the party ended at 9:00. Many of us ended up having several decent conversations with a variety of people, young and old. Although many felt that we were wrong to protest Kerry, people admitted that they too were not fond of him or his record. One person even called Kerry a “Bush-lite.”

Most people were shocked when we told them that we probably weren’t going to vote at all. I heard many say, “we must change the system from within.” Although no one jumped in to join us, several said they were happy we were there and that we had an important message.

Don yelling at us and calling us retarted. The woman is Lori, she was also very upset and rude.