The Media Is Lying About The Size Of The Peace Marches (Seattle - Vanity)

Seattle PI, King 5 News ^ | 02/16/03 | The One True Bunny

[Psycho_Bunny]

I've been going around FR posting my doubts about the size of the "Peace Protest" crowds reported by the media.  None of the pictures I've seen match any of the figures I've seen alleged.

After today, I'm satisfied that most all of the figures are probably lies being told by sympathetic reporters....and I know for a fact that it's the case of Seattle and the Seattle media.

I have lived in a brownstone across the street from the Seattle Center Mercer Parking Garage since 1991.  For those FReepers who don't know what Seattle Center is, it's a large park/cultural center just north of the downtown area.  The Space Needle stands in a corner of Seattle Center...there is also Key Arena, The Opera House, several stage theatres, a museum and several other venues on the campus.

For the past 5 years, I've bought monthly parking passes for the Mercer Garage so, as you may well imagine, I know crowds and crowd sizes.  During festivals like Bumbershoot or Bite of Seattle, life is hell for the residents of Lower Queen Anne (the district of Seattle which holds the grounds).  It's not uncommon for Bumbershoot to draw a total of 100,000 persons over a 4 day period.

Key Arena is the home court of the Seattle Supersonics.  The arena has a seating capacity of 17,000 people.

When the Supersonics play, the Mercer Street Garage is full and the management of Seattle Center staffs both ends of the garage, so it may be filled faster.  The garage is two square blocks and varies between being 4 to 5 levels.

Now read the following report from the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

Tens of thousands of peace activists in Seattle joined millions of others in cities around the globe Saturday for a massive demonstration condemning the United States' push for war in Iraq.

Or the following from King 5 News:

SEATTLE - An energetic crowd of about 20,000 anti-war protesters turned out on a rainy day Saturday at the Seattle Center

This rally was held at Seattle Center and it marched downtown.  I went to the golf range this morning around 10:30, when people were just starting to arrive and I returned, during the height of the protest, at 12:30.

As usual, when something big is going on at Seattle Center, I expected the drive home to be jammed-up, and the Mercer Garage to be full.  Imagine my surprise when I coasted straight to the garage and found it less than one-third full.

How is it possible that a protest that garnered "Tens of thousands of peace activists" (meaning, at a minimum, more than 20,000) couldn't fill 1/3 of a parking garage that is filled to the brim when 17,000 people are watching the Sonics play?

It's not.  The number is nothing but a lie.  A blatant and damned lie.  And I submit that it's entirely probable that almost every "number of protesters" reported by the media is also a lie.

[Utah Girl]

That's because the anti-war protestors were also being environmentally conscious and took mass transportation to the peace rally. :) I agree with you, I read an article about the numbers of protestors today, in every case the organizers of the rallies way overestimated the number of protestors by 2x all the way to 10 x estimated by police, etc. Of course, our news media only showed the protests today, and intimated that millions all over the world were partipating. One reporter on CNN even said that she hoped the protests would start a wave of peace and that the protests would build on each other.

[Psycho_Bunny]

"That's because the anti-war protestors were also being environmentally conscious and took mass transportation to the peace rally."

I know you're joking but I'll address that. Seattle Metro runs buses to Mercer Street and groups hire buses that have to park on Mercer, whenever anything "big" is going on.

There were none today.

[syriacus]

Thanks for taking the time to tell us what you've determined.

[Solar Wind]

PB,
Good on the ground intel. There may be some that rode bikes, walked or took busses but not enough to account for the huge discrepancy in numbers that you reported. From your observations would you think that 5 to 6000 would be a more accurate count for the Seattle protest rally?
SW

[Psycho_Bunny]

Yes...5,000 or 6,000 is exactly what I thought.  I went over and looked. 

And I found a aerial shot ----

THIS is the ENTIRE crowd that was there:

That is NOT 20,000 people.

[Balata]

Interesting. The converse was noted in the coverage of many other news outlets, focusing on the few pro-war protesters and giving short shift to the larger pro-peace crowds.

Please provide us with a link.
And BTW, provide us with your definition of a "pro-war protester".

[Waco]

Gee, I'll bet that HUGE" turnout really created huge CO² emissions.

[WOSG]

The conclusion is that Communist led marches can draw crowds if there are enough willing dupes out there to be mislead into thinking appeasement is effective against brutal dictators.

The Left is whining. And the Left is wrong. ... nothing has changed in the last 50 years.

[Balata]

The national media estimated the turn out in Colorado Springs today at 3000 while the local paper estimated it at 1000. Click Here Amazing they always error in the same direction.

[WOSG]

there certainly was emissions of toxic gases from the speakers at these rallies.

[tessalu]

The spinners are out there spinning their tales, and telling what they wish it would have been.

[Thorondir]

The crowd of rent-a-mob morons is forgetting 9/11. Or, perhaps, 9/11 is just to their liking.

Human civilization had better wake up soon and get as serious about its survival as the seventh-century savages of Islam are about our annihilation!
SLEEPING AMERICANS ARE EASIER TO KILL.
Do not be lulled to sleep by the Religion of Peace defenders.
Click here and never forget the face of Islam and what it wants for you infidels.

[Balata]

Right you are. They think they are getting away with it too, that's why we need to call them on it every time.

[toenail]

Nice aerial. I've seen more people congregated around the bargain DVD bin at Wal-Mart.

[Jumper]

A million-man march would have put the District of Columbia's budget in the Black instead of communist read for more than reason if it actually occured; and if peace protests/anti-war protests were so well attended, they would become a mainstay of city planning in conjunction with the local hotels - conventions would spring up and money would be made. This is not the case; there is no ground swell beyond the unemployed, students and the media who have jobs which allow them to travel and pretend the Ivory Towers of American Educaiton gave them insight.

[Jumper]

"communist red"

[Solar Wind]

PB,
Good work on the aerial photo. You are following this closely. Doing a quick head count by grid on the picture it looks to be about 5 to 6000. Totally confirms your parking garage estimate. Yes, 5 to 6000 is a nice little crowd but nothing close to a football game or the 20,000 that was hyped.
SW

[oceanperch]

Has somebody contacted Fox news about these crowd numbers?

You are right I have been reading other threads and it is being consistantly reported that crowds are bigger than they actually are.

Change the name on these threads to ones local report and they all are reporting the same antics by the anti war people.

One of their bongo playing white boy with dreadlocks spit on me and the guy standing next to me.

My son has a trach and coughs allot sometimes shooting secreations up to ten feet. I am always on the ready to block him so he will not hit others I wished I would have missed a block while he was facing protestors passing by us. I just can't not play their game.