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Tuesday, Feb 9, 2010
A West Palm Beach rally for the enfranchisement of Democrats, and others.
Nov 13, 2000 | As Monday's protest march reaches Narcissus Avenue, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his team turn left.
A few blocks away, a stage has been assembled outside the West Palm Beach governmental building, at 3rd and Olive streets. But a welcoming crowd does not await Jackson. Approximately two dozen supporters of Gov. George W. Bush -- half of them black and all of them hostile -- have reserved choice spots at Jackson's "Democracy & Fairness, Every Vote Counts, Every One Counts" rally. While Jackson & Co. are marching from the Meyer Amphitheater, near the inlet that separates Palm Beach from West Palm Beach, the pro-Bush contingent stands front and center, shouting "Jesse go home!" at the top of their lungs.
Soon they can say it right to Jackson, as he mounts the stage, around 5 p.m. And they do. And they won't stop.
It doesn't matter what the protest organizers do or say -- whether they attempt to stop the heckling with mockery or prayer or an off-key verse of "My Country 'Tis of Thee." The Bush-backers keep yelling. They hold their signs high, blocking Jackson from the platform set up for the TV cameras.
Soon enough, Jackson leaves at the advice of police, who cite security reasons. He skedaddles back to the amphitheater and the rally is moved there.
The Jackson demonstration is clearly a disappointment for its organizers. West Palm Beach police were told to prepare for a crowd as big as 30,000, but the turnout was closer to 3,000. And it is not exactly a cross section of the local electorate. For the most part, the participants seem to be among the most fervent supporters of Vice President Al Gore. Based on their signs and banners, they come from liberal interest groups that detest Bush and all that he stands for -- People for the American Way, local Gore-Lieberman activists and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The most popular sign -- "Let every vote count" -- is the work of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates Inc.
Jackson is staying in my hotel, so it was not tough to catch him earlier Monday afternoon. He was standing in the lobby, resplendent in a flowing black silk shirt, his well-fed belly poking out from its midst. Surrounded by cameras, his entourage and fans seeking his autograph, Jackson is in his starry-eyed element.
"So why are you here?" I asked him. Angry Bush-backers have been slamming him for days; some Democrats have even expressed concern -- albeit off the record -- that his presence isn't exactly helping things.
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