Indianapolis protest draws little attention

INDIANAPOLIS -- President George W. Bush's inauguration Saturday sparked protests across the country, including one in downtown Indianapolis. \nThousands thronged the streets of Washington, D.C., in the largest inaugural demonstration since 1973, when Richard Nixon was sworn in at the height of the Vietnam War.\nPolitical activists planned on organizing protests in every major metropolitan area.\n"The movement needed to step up to challenge George W. Bush," said Larry Holmes, co-director of the Liberal International Action Center, which helped organize many of the rallies. "We needed to say 'no' to his right-wing agenda."\nBut, as was the case in most cities, the inaugural protest in Indianapolis lacked the numbers of its counterpart in the nation's capital.\nOnly about 60 people showed up downtown at the time of the inauguration, bearing placards calling for "Voting Reform Now." Others took a more partisan tack with their signs, declaring "Hail to the Thief." Gathered near Monument Circle, protesters urged passing cars to honk their horns in support.\nSome obliged; others gave them the finger or a mouthful of obscenities.\nUnlike in Washington, no counter-protesters turned up to show support for the new Republican administration. \nThe poor attendance aside, there would have been no need for Bush supporters to counter-rally, said John Gibson, who ran as an independent in Indianapolis' 1999 mayoral race. He said the rally wanted to focus on the election's flawed process rather than oppose Bush.\n"The politicians won't do it," he said about the virtues of grassroots activism. "We, the people, have to get it done."\nOrganizers, who expected at least hundreds of people in the streets, were disappointed, said Ron Haldeman, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center.\nHaldeman said the ranks were depleted by those who headed to Washington.\nBloomington resident Dave Agranoff, a member of the Monroe County Green Party, had a hand in organizing the Indianapolis rally but decided instead to protest in Washington. \n"I want to show people we're not ready to move on," said Agranoff, a supporter of third-party candidate Ralph Nader in the November election. "We don't want this kind of leadership"