May 25, 2005

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

Inside the anarchy

by Bill D'Agostino

To bystanders, the Friday night mayhem in downtown Palo Alto -- where approximately 200 young demonstrators attempted to "reclaim the streets" by vandalizing property, stopping traffic and dancing -- may have seemed like meaningless chaos.

And in a sense, it was. But there was also an idealistic, anti-capitalist ethos behind the riot, as described by one of its organizers.

Speaking from a public pay phone on Monday morning, a "17- to 19-year old" local student who gave his name as "Kai Vaneigem" said the point of the event was to liberate the area's disaffected youth, giving them an opportunity to express themselves in any way they wish.

"Palo Alto is a place where all the youth suffer from a lot of horrible boredom," said Vaneigem, who described himself as a lifelong communist-anarchist. "There's really nothing to do. A lot of youth see their boredom and marginalism as a product of the process of capitalist globalization, which is marginalizing people all across the globe."

With the two-hour demonstration, organizers -- who called themselves "Reclaim the Streets Palo Alto" -- hoped to fan the flames of revolt for future protests. They also wanted everyone to have fun.

"People had a really good time," Vaneigem said proudly. "That's the most important part. Anything that doesn't impact people's lives directly in a positive way is just ideological slavery."

During the two-hour incident, which began around 8 p.m., two demonstrators were arrested for felony vandalism, including 19-year-old William O'Connor from Berkeley. A pole was sent through a window of the American Express building and a police windshield was cracked.

"All of those actions were not planned by us but we're supportive," Vaneigem said. "We feel that the police are forced to play a direct role in the maintenance of capitalism and the misery of working people and youth's lives all around the world."

According to witness accounts and photos on various Web sites, demonstrators shouted "Whose streets? Our streets!" while carrying signs reading such messages as "Live Without Down Time." Protestors, many wearing black, appeared to have closed the roads by knocking news boxes. They also tramped on garbage containers and spray-painted graffiti on streets and sidewalks.

Both the protestors and the police attempted to portray themselves as the evening's victor. "Palo Alto officers quell anarchists," read a press release from the city, which cited a lack of injuries to officers or "civilians." The release also noted that police were tipped off the day prior, allowing them to develop a "strategic plan."

The anarchists, meanwhile, noted that the local police needed to call in help from five other local agencies, that traffic along University Avenue was closed for an hour and that officers unsuccessfully attempted to arrest numerous other demonstrators.

"They tried very hard to maintain the illusion they were in control which they definitely were not," Vaneigem said.

One Los Altos student who participated said he saw a number of marchers with large bruises and contusions, which he attributed to police batons. Members of the crowd, he added, "were partially anarchists but a lot are more liberals."

During the march "one guy was really stupid -- he hit a police car with this flag thing," triggering the police response, said the student, who refused to give his name because he didn't want his mother learning of his participation. "What I saw was not what I expected. I expected to march and have freedom of speech. It was more supposed to be kind of a street party, where you move around the streets and just protest."

At one point, some of the demonstrators ran through Borders bookstore, police following behind. Officers asked the store to temporarily narrow its gate, to dissuade more from running through.

Border's employees praised police for keeping the peace. "There wasn't any damage and the customers seemed to take it in stride," said General Manager Pam Parsons.

The event had been planned for approximately a month by a group of 30 to 40 organizers, according to Vaneigem. Fliers were distributed throughout colleges and high schools in the area.

Downtown Palo Alto was chosen as the location because it's also a "central locust of consumerism and capitalism," he said. About 40 to 50 Palo Alto youth call themselves anarchists before the event, a figure that's probably "much higher now," he added.

The organizers sought to dispel the notion that they were out to vandalize "Digital DNA," a controversial 7-foot-tall egg-shaped artwork recently placed in Lytton Plaza. "Reclaim the Streets Palo Alto is completely supportive of the egg as a piece of artwork that is critical of Silicon Valley's high-technology industries," Vaneigem said.

On various Web sites following the riot, the group's supporters and critics exchanged sharp barbs. One commentator accused the demonstrators of being "bored of using Daddy's SUV and mommy's credit card? Oh BOO BOO! Poor little rich white kids."

The organizer didn't dispute the notion that the protest was a product of the area's wealth.

"I think obviously the people that organized and partied in Reclaim the Streets Palo Alto is in some ways an expression of first-world suburban middle class privilege," he said. But, he said, everyone has a responsibility to "express themselves and their resistance and their struggles and their outrage and alienation in their own ways."

Palo Alto Mayor Jim Burch, who once led anti-nuclear protests in the 1970s, bit his tongue as he was asked for a reaction to the event. He first noted that many youth positively impact the community by volunteering.

"You're only bored if you want to be bored; there's plenty to do around here," he said, before stopping himself from commenting further.

Weekly editor Jay Thorwaldson contributed to this report.

Staff Writer Bill D'Agostino can be e-mailed at bdagostino@paweekly.com.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.