Demo Time Again

It is protest time again in Washington. The portable latrines and first-aid stations will soon be hauled into place for the antiwar demonstrators, who, like the cherry blossoms, have become a regular feature of spring in the capital. Unlike last May, when the Cambodian invasion and the killings at Kent State and Jackson State heightened the tension between protesters and their targets, this year's preparations have been relatively amicable. March routes were quickly granted, and the old tactic of drawing a wagon train of protective buses around the White House has been scrapped as poor public relations, and because the Government expects fewer protesters in this quieter time. The cooling of America has even extended to Spiro Agnew. In his capacity as Senate president, Agnew granted permission for the demonstrators to assemble at the Capitol grounds, the first time a large group of protesters has been officially allowed to gather on the lawn of Capitol Hill. The main events scheduled for the three weeks of protest:

>Operation Dewey Canyon III, an assault on "the country of Congress, a limited incursion for the purpose of severing supply lines being utilized by the illegal mercenary forces of the Executive Branch." The parody of military jargon is skillful, and with good reason: D.C. Ill will be carried out by a brigade of 5,000 Viet Nam Veterans Against the War. The veterans will mount one of the most elaborate antiwar protests of the spring. Dressed in fatigues and battle ribbons and carrying plastic M-16 rifles, they will "occupy" Washington for five days, holding a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery, lobbying on Capitol Hill, then fanning out across the city--as they have in New Jersey and elsewhere --to take over one neighborhood after another in mock "search and destroy" missions. The "Winter Soldiers"--named after the troops who stayed at Valley Forge during the bitter winter of 1777--will conclude their demonstrations on April 23 at the Capitol. The ex-G.I.s will turn in their service medals, placing them in green body bags normally used to transport combat dead, for presentation to President Nixon.

>-A rally on the Ellipse and march down Pennsylvania Avenue. The National Peace Action Coalition, heir to the Moratorium supporters of the late '60s, will stage speeches from antiwar Senators and Congressmen, folk singing and the march. Organizers predict several hundred thousand for the April 24 demonstration; even with the Government expecting no more than 50,000, it is certain to be the largest showing of the three-week period. -- Workshops and lobbying at various Government agencies by the People's Coalition for Peace and Justice. Protesters plan to enter Government office buildings--the Justice Department, HEW, Selective Service, the Internal Revenue Service and the Capitol--to talk to civil service employees, distribute leaflets, and drum up support for a strike May 5. Although organizers stress the nonviolence of their actions, they are prepared to sit in and picket if they are denied access to the buildings.

> Large-scale civil disobedience and disruption. The most radical demonstrators assume control of the demonstrations on May 1. Mayday, a group whose most visible leader is Chicago Seven Defendant Rennie Davis, will open the final week with a "political Woodstock" rock festival on the grounds of the Washington Monument. The following day, a religious service will feature such disparate speakers as the Rev. Ralph Abernathy and Jane Fonda. Then the tactics escalate: May 3 and 4, Mayday demonstrators will attempt to choke off traffic on the highways leading to the Pentagon, stall cars at key intersections and bridges leading into the city. Finally, the anniversary of the killings at Kent State, May 5, is billed as "no business as usual day." In addition to the stall-ins and strike in Washington, Mayday organizers hope for a moratorium on campuses across the nation.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.