A peacefully assembled Black Bloc was viciously attacked by the police at 59th and 5th while protesters were simply just standing there waiting to march to the Waldorf.

In what appeared to be a preventive terror tactic, NYPD rushed into a peacefully assembled crowd - specifically the Black Bloc, and started swinging their riot batons and snatching people. The police caused a little bit of a stampede (we should never panic - that`s what they want) as they viciously charged the protest, and employed some pepper spray. NYPD shattered the sheilds the bloc had - in the front - made of supposedly shatter proof fiberglass. When they charged us - and tried to snatch people away, although the cops were successful, they still had a lot of trouble getting people because the bloc was tight - linked arms and held each other, and when people tripped or fell, it was good to see people pick each other up.

I suggest an investment in motorcycle helmets with face sheilds. They`re not illegal. I saw aresstees with their faces being shoved into the pavement. We gathered around the arestees, yelling ^Let them go^ and ^the whole world is watching!^and shame! shame!^

The police were called ^terrorists^and âmerican taliban^in addition to the usual ^nazi pigs^etc..

This attack on the black bloc at 59th in 5th - in the sunny park - before we even started marching to the Waldorf, this unprovoked attack, was one of three such charges by NYPD into a peaceful assembly of the bloc.

The police attack seemed aimed at terrorizing, discouraging and targeting the more radical direct action oriented elements of the movement.

Indeed it was discouraging. Fascism always is. However, many were also further radicalized and educated by the experience. Our resistance may actually grow stronger as a result, as we gain more experience.

A Canadian Quebec, FTAA veteran told me that although NYPD is like an occupying army and violent, that we, as protesters, dissenters, etc.., STILL have a lot of choices in how and what we do - and our fear level is in our heads, and that we don`t have to OBEY and we CAN explore radical options... and be HARDCORE.

Oh yeah... that means we have to get out there and cultivate that level of resistance in out communities.

The cops want you to know how much control they have and in fact they set it up so that they end up controlling all your moves in the streets, and that has to change. (But what else can you expect in a permitted march) ALSO remember that the NY police have been heavily indocrinated and propagandized and fed lies about the protesters - prbably by the feds, which is a major reason they treat us like ^domestic terrorists.^

This violent and unprovoked behaviour of the NYPD makes peaceful protest a less attractive option. They make it so you don`t want to be peaceful. However if you are violent, then they have greater reason to use even more violence. Its been termed ^the provocateur state^- they provoke, in order to crush - so its important not to play into that dynamic. We need to be more imaginative than that.

There were a lot of lessons to be learned - and we need to learn them, to be safe, and to get better at what we do - cause we`re going to keep doing it - not roll over and be dead like they`d like us to be.

This world belongs to us and we would like to protect it from the nazi capitalist racist death culture.