Although it was raining most of the day, the United for Peace and Justice Anti-war rally at Lake Eola in Orlando, Florida, had a really good turnout. There were many speakers at the event, maybe too many, but the testimony given by Iraqi war veteran Clifton Hicks made it all worth it, as his accounts of what happened during his deployment in Iraq moved many to tears.

As the march started, the skies opened up and a deluge of rain came down. The marchers moved through the streets undeterred, and at about a mile into the march, came upon a small group of pro-war protesters that call themselves the Gathering of Eagles. These self proclaimed "real Americans" yelled hateful phrases and gave the old middle finger salute to everyone as they walked by. This conflict was pretty much over before it started, because the ratio of anti-war protesters to pro-war protesters was so great.

Below are the photos I took in Orlando on October 27th 2007. If you would like to see more photos from other anti-war protest I have covered, you can take a look at my Flickr or deviantART galleries.


Florida for Peace


Something good has begun


Born to Kill


Senator Mike Gravel


Military Families Speak Out


If You're Not Outraged


Bush's Last Day


Blood For Oil


Obama'08


Lydia Vickers


Antoine Demetrius Smith


Grandmothers for Peace


Make Art Not War


Mean People Suck


Anti-Imperialist Contingent


Give Peace a Vote


Anti-Flag


Clifton Hicks


For All We Know


Peace Love & Happiness


A Bird in the Hand


or Lose Jihad


Infidel


War is not the Answer


Would Jesus Bomb?

All photos by Danny Hammontree

On Saturday September 15th 2007 thousands of people went to Washington DC to bring a message to Congress that they are against the war in Iraq, and want the United States to pull out immediately and completely.

This demonstration was scheduled to coincide with General David Petraeus appearing before a joint session of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, to deliver his long-awaited report on the progress of the military buildup in Iraq.

The planned action for this event was a bit different then some of the past large protests. The plan for this rally was to march from the White House to the Capitol, and go straight into a mass civil-disobedience die-in. The die-in was led by an Honor Guard of Iraq Veterans against the War who simulated a 21-Gun Salute before taps was played to initiate the die-in.

Many thought the arrest would come as the thousands of protesters laid on the ground. The arrest didn't start however until protesters, mostly lead by Iraq veterans tried to cross the line of U.S. Capital police. Most of the arrests were very peaceful as all protesters filed in to be arrested. Three men were gassed by police for some unknown reason though. These three men didn't do anything differently then the others being arrested, so it is questionable as to why this single police officer gassed them. All other police officers were extremely professional from what I witnessed. If you'd like to view larger versions of these photos, please check out my Flickr or deviantART accounts.


Capital


Hair


Campbell


Mike Prysner


Sing A Song


Code Pink


Father and Son


Carlos Arrendondo holds a photograph of his son Lance Corporal Alexander Arrendondo. Carlos Arrendondo's son Alexander was killed in Iraq on August 25th 2004 at the age of 20. I first met Carlos in September of 2005 at Camp Casey in Washington DC. To view that photo and read about my experience with him please click HERE.

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Wartime Poet


Die Sonne


Heart Time


Heart Holding


Testify


No War on Iran


Peace Princess


Allegiance


Will Not Be Silenced


Conspiracy Theory


A Bloody Mess


Officer Jack Jeffers


Mike Prysner Arrested


Mike Prysner is arrested for crossing U.S. Capital Police, that were blocking access to The Capital Building. If you'd like to learn more about Mike Prysner, read this letter he wrote while serving in Iraq: LETTER

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Brian Becker


Taken Down


Eric Scott McKinley


Gassed


As Tears Go By


Police Action


Ann Wright


Ann Wright resigned from the U.S. Foreign Service on March 19, 2003, while serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Mongolia . She resigned due to her disagreement with the Bush administration's decision to go to war in Iraq without the authorization of the UN Security Council, the lack of effort in resolving the Israel-Palestinian situation, the lack of policy on North Korea and unnecessary curtailment of civil liberties in the United States .

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Arrest Bush


Leonard


Two Fingers


Our House


Talk Show


Officer J. Bell


Officer K. Rivera

All Photos by Danny Hammontree

Saturday August 12th, 2006. Muslims, Jews and Christians protested in front of the White House with many messages and ideas of how to achieve peace in the Middle East. It was amazing to see Jews and Muslims coming together arm in arm, marching down Pennsylvania Avenue, asking that the United States not support Israel militarily in this war that has killed more children than soldiers.

One of the odder things I saw at this event was Christians trying to sell Christianity to Muslims and Jews. The main argument being that protesting does not work and only through Christ can you achieve peace. If there is a God, I'm pretty sure the religion in which you serve him matters little and the quality of your service matters most, no matter what name you've given God. If you'd like to view a larger version of this photo please check out my Flickr or deviantART accounts.

On April 28th 2007 George W. Bush gave the Commencement Address at the Kendall Campus of Miami-Dade College. Many of the students graduating from the college were outraged that Bush was chosen as the addressee and refused to attend. Disappointment with Miami-Dade College spread throughout the South Florida activist community which led to this protest.

Somewhere between 600 and 1000 protesters were reported to have attended and a great majority of the protesters were voicing out against the Iraq war. There were also people protesting for immigration reform, women's reproductive rights and many calling for the impeachment of George W. Bush.

There were somewhere between 10 or 15 pro-Bush supporters which is a big decline from past rallies I've attended in South Florida. Bush has generally had favorable support in Miami-Dade County, especially from the Cuban community. If you'd like to see larger versions of these photos please click HERE.

Women for Peace


Life is Better Than War


Ditch the Fascists


War Criminal


Bush is my Hero


I'm For The War


Snoopy for President


Prayer for Our Country


My Uterus Not Yours


You are a Hypocrat


Pussy Whipped


Impeach Bush and Cheney


Daddy's Retribution


Bolivarian Youth


Stop Killing

Photos by Danny Hammontree

War veterans from the right and war veterans from the left converged on Washington DC March 17th 2007 to rally their strong beliefs for and against war and peace.

The anti-war rally planned by ANSWER coalition to mirror an anti-war protest that marched to the Pentagon 40 years ago was met by a grassroots group of counter protesters called The Gathering of Eagles. The counter protesters were motivated by rumors that anti-war protesters would be defacing war memorials and more specifically the Vietnam War Memorial. Although unknown why these rumors started, it was said they were created by the pro-Bush, Pro-war rightwing agenda pushers to inspire a large turnout of Vietnam war vets to counter the anti-war rally. There were at times very heated confrontations but at no time did I witness any violent clashes.

Speeches given my Cindy Sheehan and more specifically Carlos Arredondo were very moving. I wrote an article about my first meeting with Carlos back in September of 2005. If you're interested in learning about Carlos and his experience of losing his son in Iraq, please read HERE. Carlos has a beautiful way of looking at the world and understands the reason people are the way they are, I was very inspired by his story and I'm sure you will too.

Below are 32 photographs I took to document this event. If you're interested in viewing them at a larger resolution you can click on over to my deviantART or Flickr galleries.


Veterans For Peace


Angry Young Man


All Souls


Peace Thru


Stand Behind Our President


Guilty Of War Crimes


Throwin Up Peace Signs


Still A Traitor


Vet


Thumbs Up


Fat Boy


American Flag Bandana


Radical Queers


I Beg You


FOX News Terrorist Number 1


Bush War Criminal


Penny for the Guy


Prepare For War


Deli Pickles


Enshallah Shalom


It's Not Just For Blowjobs


Cindy and Carlos


People Are Dying


Dreaming Of Mercy Street


The Great Debate


U.S. Out Of Everywhere


Christians Don't Wage War


Peace Sucks


Believe In Peace


On The March


Blind America


Pentagon Police

photographs by Danny Hammontree

For about 6 months now I've been photographing a pro-choice/pro-life rally on Saturday mornings in Miami. This is not a topic I had really given much thought about before deciding to cover it, but I knew it would likely produce compelling photographs.

The pro-lifer's main objective is to get the women entering the clinic to see their signs, take their pamphlets, scare them off, shame them and ultimately close the clinic down. The pro-choice folks refer to themselves as "clinic defenders" and their main mission is to protect the entrance of the clinic so women can safely gain access to what the clinic defenders refer to as "A woman's legal right to pregnancy termination".

When I first arrived I was a bit taken back by the way each side would try and intimidate the other. Both sides would call each other names, push and shove for better positions, and the clinic defenders would shake containers full of beads and rocks to aggravate the pro-lifers with loud noise. The pro-lifers would march back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the clinic trying to make access for cars difficult, and at one point a priest even attempted an exorcism on one of the more aggressive clinic defenders.

After many weeks of this back and forth the police dictated that the two sides stay separate from each other, alternate positions every other week, as one position is believed to be better then the other. This however does not eliminate all conflicts since each side still attempts to aggravate the other.

During these months of protest a documentary was created by Beverly Yuen Thompson, Ph.D. In this documentary you will learn about the Miami Clinic Access Project and what their mission is. You will also see all the events I've described above. I have viewed this documentary and recommend it highly. If you're interested in getting the DVD for yourself, go to this website "www. snakegirl.net" and order it.

Below are some of the photographs I took during these months. If you're interested in seeing larger versions of these photographs please go to my deviantART or Flickr galleries to view them.


Keep Abortion Legal


Faith And The Muse


No Baby Should Die


Virgin Mother


A Woman President


Blind Faith


Life


Keeping the Peace


Holding the Line


Apocalypse Theatre


Comuni..n para la Misi..n


In My Pocket


Maiden Warrior


Jack of All


Peace the Fuck Out!

All Photos by Danny Hammontree

At the Mexican Consulate in South Miami today members of the Broward Anti-war Coalition and the Bolivarian Youth picketed in support of the Striking workers in Oaxaca, Mexico. A letter and petition was also delivered to the Mexican Consulate denouncing the killings of the striking workers.

In response to a state-wide work stoppage in Oaxaca, Mexico, paramilitaries and police linked to state governor Ulises Ruiz have unleashed a bloody massacre. On October 27th, at least four people were killed, with scores wounded in the shooting. Among the dead was Emilio Alonso, a striking teacher, and NYC Indymedia video-journalist Brad Will. Section 22, the teachers.. union in Oaxaca, has suffered fourteen dead during their six-month long strike that launched the state-wide uprising.

President Vicente Fox, through his Secretary of Internal Affairs Carlos Abascal, has authorized the entry of the Federal Preventive Police (PFP in its Spanish initials) into Oaxaca. More massacres are feared. The Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO), the mass alliance of organizations leading the work stoppage, has called for emergency pickets outside Mexican consulates and embassies to denounce the massacres and to prevent new ones. The people of Oaxaca are in desperate need of international solidarity. Please check out my deviantART or Flickr gallery to view larger size.

Ulises Ruiz Resign

Mexican Consulate

Consulado General de Mexico

Stop Repression

Oaxaca You are not alone

First at 5

Photos by Danny Hammontree

Saturday, October 28th, just days before the 2006 mid-term elections. The people will force the issue of the Iraq war onto the U.S. political stage by taking to streets in demonstrations in cities and towns throughout the United States. Tens of thousands of people will take to the streets in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, New York, Miami, Washington D.C. and in other large and small cities and towns throughout the United States.

That is of course unless it rains. I had a pretty bad feeling going into this that there would be a poor showing with the weather being so bad and all, but a few of the hardcore anti-war folks did show. Please check out my deviantART or Flickr gallery to view larger size.

Rufio

U.S. Out of Iraq

Country Feedback

Amnistia

Photos by Danny Hammontree

Last week was my buddy Andrew..s birthday. A bunch of us that regularly hang out at Starbucks went to The Wishing Well for a little birthday celebration. I actually never take my cameras with me to events like these, fortunately Leeann did.. Thanks for emailing them to me ;) I..ve also got a bunch of photos from when we all went to the drum circle last full moon; hopefully I..ll get those posted soon, as soon as someone sends me them, Marni!

Aidan..s wanted to be 5 way before he was 4 so we..ve been hearing it just about everyday since his 4th birthday ..when will I be 5?.. That day finally came this past Wednesday. He had a little cupcake party in school and when he came home we had another party waiting for him. The main thing he was asking for was to have the same kind of cake I had for my birthday.
Aidan coming in from school

Aidan excited about his paint

I'm not too sure about this gift

Sierra, Aidan and Casey