Jeff

things started out really really peacefully, people were near the fence singing, chanting, dancing,

one thing that some SC people were involved in was the launch of toilet paper over/on the fence (in case you missed it: the Summit is a pile of shit haha). The cops (not the riot police) were kind of amused, and even threw one roll back. very cool.

that afternoon (friday) was when things started gettin kinda crazy. people pulled at the fence, threw rocks and bottles and therefore received large doses of tear gas. the tear gas wasn't that bad, unless you were right next to the canister. on friday evening there was some stuff going on right next to the fence, and the police responded in a good way (I think) until they decided that the crowd was too big. at the "front lines" people were causing some ruckus, but about 200 feet away from the fence people were just hangin out, peacefully.

the cops fired some new kind of gas up and over the violent/direct action people and in to the middle of the peaceful crowd, which included eric, me, denise, bindu and 2 people from the YPC. the gas was crazy strong. I can't even describe it. it like makes every hole in your head gush fluid. and there was no kleenex anywhere!

so after the unprotected gassing we got smart and bought some gas masks and continued our adventure. lots of people were really in to talking to us, but for some reason, didn't want to be on camera. I think most people are really afraid of the media and the type of picture they paint. we got a few interviews, and some really interesting video of the protest, march and people.

some observations I had: the police (mostly) were only reacting to actions, however, there were some times when they were really violating some rights. firing gas in to a peaceful crowd (this happened more than once) just to "thin it out" and the harassment of steven and some others and the violation when they searched our truck and basically STOLE some stuff (I'm sure steven will have a more detailed story about this) um.. yeah, also, french media gave a better view of what was going on, the english media really just reported the violent stuff. I think that's about it.

Eric

If I recall our final meeting with the YPC (Youth Planning Committee) on a dreary Sunday morning, in a trendy coffee shop next to a Royal Bank whose windows lay shattered in a pile on the floor, we asked one another what story we would first tell when we got back home. Some talked about intensely personal situations, such as Steven and a few others nearly getting arrested for wearing gas masks, or of a frightening late night visit to a local hospital after we were tear gassed where the staff, doctors and nurses included, were clad in full contamination gear, and others spoke more generally of the atmosphere. My comment fell into the last category. For me, it's the gas that I won't forget and of which I speak first when telling my story.

There was gas everywhere. I can't over stress that. Thousands of people, most of whom where peaceful, intelligent, literate people, many of whom who were teenagers, stumbled about with swollen eyes, coughing, while the police launched canisters of tear gas into the crowd. Even when we were hundreds of meters, even kilometers from the conflicts, eyes and lungs burned. I personally had much difficulty accepting that in order to participate in the protest peacefully, not to mention continue to conduct the research, I had to wear a gas mask. I both resented this reality and feared what it implied. If the gas was meant to "control the crowd," which it was, and since the masks tacitly negated this control, more serious and dangerous measure would then surely be taken in order to regain "control". And these measure were taken. My feeling of resentment spread to anger at having been forced to accelerate this process simply because I wanted to be present.

It was obvious that those people on the inside of the fence had things under control, even when things look pretty out of control. The majority of the fence snaked its way through narrow streets and alleys thus preventing any widespread "attack" and confined large gatherings at the fence to one of two areas. Helicopters hovered overhead, keeping a close eye on the crowds. The police had the advantage in all respects, but many of the "direct action" (that term had lost all its meaning by the end of the weekend) protesters were well equipped, though not as well as the media might have you believe.

It is almost too difficult to try and give a complete synopsis of the events. In many ways, it was an incredible learning experience because of the very reasons that it is impossible to recount the events and create a truthful, legitimate picture. These reasons were mainly the unmistakable contradictions and the sense of irony that seemed to be everywhere. The protesters decried the fence as a very symbol of their cause since those on the Ôinside' of the three meter fence and behind the thousands of fierce looking police officers were supposedly discussing the removal of barriers and of freedom and democracy. Those on the inside remarked that the protesters accused them of environmental atrocities, human rights abuses and other forms of violence against humanity and the earth while they simultaneously hurled rocks, Molotov cocktails, bottles, destroyed public and private property, and in the end left the city covered in trash. Personally, when we were eating our dinner Saturday night and no less than 14 police cars sped passed us, my stomach turned. People were about to get hurt, some of whom who were guilty only of the age old crime of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And what about those who had been violent? I vacillated from a stern outlook that they might well have expected this, to a sympathetic concern for them despite or perhaps because of their actions. For the record, I'm still not sure were I stand.

The contradictions on a personal level continued, Jeff's pants of shame, for instance (bought at the Gap), and our rental truck, a Ford Expedition V8, the largest and least environmentally friendly SUV manufactured in 2001, paved the way for my ultimate conclusions. Many journalists had painted the protesters as not knowing why they there, and indeed, given 12 seconds to speak into a microphone unprepared, with an enormous camera pointed directly at them, many were not able to satisfactorily articulate their reasons. I doubt that I would have been able to. They all, however, expressed an abstract desire to see the rules of the game, if not the game itself, changed. That they were wearing Gap, or enjoyed eating at McDonald's, or drove large cars was really inconsequential. A process had begun, a change. Personal boundaries were redrawn and would continue to be redrawn, and education, learning and teaching surrounding the Ôissues' was what it as all about.

Gisou

Everyone heard or at least saw one thing or another about the Summit of the Americas or the FTAA, but most were not present during this incredible event. The last three days have been more than just a protest against "McDonalisation", "Wall Marting" and ... ; it has been a 72 hour thrill ride. Between the tear gases and the rubber bullets, I have learned a great deal of stuff: vinegar has a lot more uses than you think (it can be used as a breathing agent)! Solidarity, cooperation and new political views are some of the things I learned to name just a few.

The third Summit of the Americas along with the Summit of the People was held in Quebec City during this past weekend. While the 34 prime ministers and presidents were discussing economic relations, poverty, discrimination and human rights behind closed doors, protesters' rights were being violated. Not only did they get gazed and fired at, but they were neglected of their fundamental right to breath thanks to a "law" that forbid the protestors to wear gas masks. While chanting for love, peace and liberty "Democracy" only gave protestors tear gas and rubber bullets.

I can officially say that my perspective and view of the armed forces has completely changed ever since the Summit of the Americas, but thanks to the Summit of the People I got to see and live the real meaning of solidarity in the people.

Is this what democracy looks like?