by Michael Warner

On Saturday, December 1, 1990, to
mark the observance of World AIDS
Awareness Day, the Vermont arm of ACT
UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power,
staged a two hour rally, march, and "die-in"
on the Church Street Marketplace in
Burlington.

The protest was held to draw attention
to the need for increased support for AIDS
treatment and research as well as to vent
anger and rage at thecurrent lack of govem-
mental support. According to organizers of
the event, more deaths have occured na-
tionwide during the AIDS crisis than lives
were lost in the Vietnam war. Worldwide,
one AIDS-related death occurs every ten
minutes.

Amid a large crowd of holiday shop-
pers, the protesters marched up Church
Street chanting, "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, AIDS
phobia's got to go!" S_ome handed out stick-
ers and packets of condoms as they pro-
ceeded up the street.

By noon, the group of over 50 men,
women, and children had formed a circle in
front of the entrance to the Burlington
Square Mall. With slogans
such as, "Money for AIDS,
not for war!" and "Racist,
sexist, anti-gay; George
Bush — go away!" they pa-
raded, clapped, and shouted,
drowning out the piped-in
sounds of Christmas music.

Every few minutes some
of the protesters would "die."
Seemingly without warning,
they would drop to the
ground, wailing and moaning
in pain and anguish. Other
members of the group then
rushed in to draw chalk lines
around the "corpses," adding
a name and date next to each
body to symbolize someone
who had died of AIDS.

A second ring of sup-
porters and onlookers sur-
rounded the protesters. TV
crews and reporters from the
local media conducted inter-
views and snapped pictures
as the chanting continued.

"We're here, we're queer
and we're not going shop-
Ding!" seemed to amuse the
more perplexed bystanders,
including mall workers

ACT UPost In Burlington

dressed as elves who refused to join the
protest. After several die-ins, the brick
walkway in front of Woolworths was
strewn with dozens of ghost-like silhou-
ettes. Small black stickers featuring a
bloody palm-print were mixed in with the
outlines and their haunting messages.

The protest, although loud, remained
peaceful until the procession entered the
Burlington Square Mall. As the large,
shouting group marched through the shop-
ping area, it forced customers to step aside.
Security guards ordered the protesters to
leave the mall, but as the group made its
way toward an exit, a confrontation re-
sulted in the arrest of two protesters. John
Kusakabe and Stephanie Lind, both stu-
dents at the University of Vermont, were
arrested for unlawful trespass.

A subsequent protest was held on Fri-
day, December 8, 1990, both at the Burling-
ton Police Department and in front of the
Burlington Square Mall. About 70 people
gathered to protest alleged racist remarks
and brutal tactics used in the arrests of
Kusakabe and Lind, who are scheduled to
appear in court in January.

January 1991

 
 
   

SI-IIATSU

In the Comfort of your Home.

.10 Bdmondson
omgmbn Prod:'d:‘one;r

Enctay Balancirg
Common Pmarwmffidierns
395155 Reduction

Welt-561:5 rznhamement

Pain Management