I went on an afternoon walking tour of downtown Boston on Monday, July 26th, the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

Here are some things that I saw.

[If anyone wants a larger, high quality copy of any of these, please email and I will oblige]

 

I got off the T at Government Center, more than eight blocks from the FleetCenter, and was greeted by these gentlemen.  Notice the plastic handcuffs each of them carry.

A tiny pro-Ralph rally was going on (maybe 25 people shouting at passersby); I overheard a wonderful debate between a Dem and a scruffy pro-Nader college student.  The college kid was soundly, unequivocally smacked down.  The Dem was just too much for him to handle.  I caught up with the victor and offered my congratulations on a well-argued debate.

I couldn't get a very good shot of this guy (Dubya mask) and his buddy (Cheney mask).  They were both in drag, and Cheney would periodically bend Bush over a mailbox or hydrant and whip him with a little cat-o-ninetails.  CNN was filming their antics.

Speaking of CNN, they had about fifty kids dressed up like this, passing out free buttons and magnets to everyone on the street.

Needless to say, this was the highlight of my day.  There were two photographers from the Boston Herald taking pictures of the Hooters manager taking my picture with the ladies.  Very strange.

All the streets around the FleetCenter are blocked off with Public Works dumptrucks like this one.

These ten-foot steel fences surround the entire building, with a five-foot gap to another interior fence.

 Each gate is as well-guarded as this one.

Almost as much media as regular folk.

More cops, soldiers, and Secret Servicemen than you can shake a stick at.  Surprisingly, I was not once told to stop taking pictures or even move away from entrances to the Convention.  I can only assume this is because they are trying to avoid any unnecessary confrontations about free speech/press etc.

The infamous 'free speech zone', which looks a lot like some internment camps I've seen on TV.

This short fellow was onstage when I wandered in to see what was going on...he was giving a absolutely hysterical speech that didn't seem to have any point, but he ended his time on stage with a pro-Bush freestyle -- which was about as bad a rap as anything I've ever heard.  I love the smirk on the guy in green.

View to the delegate arrival area from the 'free speech zone'.

Good questions all.

A bunch of these green-shirted legal observers walking around.

The 'free speech zone' is quite literally a cage.  Two layers of twelve-foot high cyclone fence mounted on cement highway dividers plus a semi-opaque mesh on the second layer seperate people inside from the delegates arriving over a hundred yards away.  Netting extends from the top of the cyclone fencing to the old I-93 overpass, on which rolls of razor wire are strung all over.  There were only about 150 people there by the time I left, but it already seemed a little claustrophobic.

This is also why I left.  A rather bellicose pro-Palestine rally began shortly after the short guy exited stage right.  I like the bumper sticker up top, though.

And, of course, a Quaker was found amongst the madness...

This guy got more than his fair share of attention.  I at first thought this sign was tongue-in-cheek, but it quickly became clear that this fellow did not grasp irony.  I stood around and listened to him argue with anyone who was willing to interact with him.  

The red-head got into it pretty heavily with him after he made some asinine comment about homosexuals.  I guess she got offended because she is a lesbian (or so she claimed).  A woman standing behind her chimed in that she was lesbian as well and added that her brother was serving against his will in Iraq.  Mostly people just stood around and gawked, unable to grasp the fact that this guy was actually serious with the military clip art next to "Trust Jesus".  I had to admire his balls, standing in the middle of a crowd of left-leaning people, all angling to take a pot-shot at him.  I asked him to take off his sunglasses and interact like a man, but he ignored me.  Notice the bible in the lower pouch of his tool belt.

Um, okay.

 

I stopped by the Holocaust Memorial next to Faneuil Hall on my way back to Park St.

Six plexiglass towers, each one 54 feet tall, each one holding the etched prisoner numbers of six million people slaughtered by the Nazis.  A truly powerful experience if you've not seen it for yourself.

(this pic is from the official site)