On Saturday, January 20th, 2001, members of CHANGE and several other Kent State activist groups joined forces with tens of thousands of other protestors from across the country to protest the Presidential Innaguration of George W. Bush in Washington, DC. There were many protests, ranging from a Voters March demanding rights for voters, to a civil disobedience campaign from the Justice Action Movement. The Kent activists attended the Internation Action Center Rally, which focused on racism, the Death Penalty, and political prisoners such as Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Protestors packed Freedom Plaza in an awesome display of solidarity in the face of a government headed by a racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-environmental, capitalist autocrat, selected by a court against the will of the people, and determined to undermine the progress that so many suffered to bring about. We were loud and we were strong, with signs and chants that showed just how widespread Bush's destructive ideology is.

To our knowledge, there were no arrests at the International Action Center Rally, although at least seven individuals were arrested elsewhere in D.C., and police brutality reared its ugly head once again as the cops beat down non-violent protestors in the streets. However, we saw none of that in Freedom Plaza, thanks to the enduring patience of thousands of protestors as they waited for hours to pass through frivolous security checkpoints.

All in all, the protest was a success, and we hope that President Bush is aware that any action to oppress the people or the wildlife of America will be met with a unified front of righteous resistance. We sincerely hope that George W. Bush will change his hateful and destructive agenda, but after witnessing a millitary parade paid for in full by corporations, one can't help but be a little cynical.