Downtown demonstrators pitch variety of causes

By Andrew FitzGerald

BOSTON - (Sept. 12, 2008) Braving the rain, the city government and the determination of thousands of busy office workers, a group of demonstrators pressed passersby in Downtown Crossing Friday for a moment of their time.

"Have you heard about the Cuban Five? This is what we're here about. Take this."

Most of the business crowd flew by the gauntlet of signs and demonstrators in sandwich boards without even taking a pamphlet. Sometimes a pedestrian extended a curious hand for the literature without slowing down. Rarely did someone stop to talk.

Still, organizer Nancy Kohn, 59, of Jamaica Plain, said if she doesn't stand here, no one else will.

"You be as visible as you can," Kohn said as she passed out fliers under an awning across from Macy’s. "It's up to people like us to get the word out."

Kohn, a short, red-haired woman who looks half her 59 years, started the event along the side of Macy's and Filene's department stores to publicize the Cuban Five, a group of Cuban nationals convicted in U.S. federal court for espionage in 2001.

The five are all serving prison sentences for what the U.S. government called a conspiracy to commit murder. The accusations against them sound ripped out of a Cold War novel, including the name of their purported spy agency: the Wasp Network.

Supporters of the five contend the men intended to stop militant exile groups from making terrorist attacks against Cuba. In 1997, Cuba suspected exiles were responsible for a series of attacks on hotels in Havana that killed at least one Italian citizen, according to a June 3, 2006 Washington Post article.

Kohn said convincing the public to notice the Cuban Five, let alone sympathize with them, has proven difficult. She has written an op-ed piece that is still unpublished.

"It's not for want of trying," Kohn said with a sigh. "But sometimes, I get really frustrated."

Other demonstrators said they shared Kohn's irritation with the media.

"We found that even activists in this country haven't heard of it because there's such a media blackout," said Kevin Dwire, 52, of East Boston.

Like many demonstrators, Dwire used the event as an opportunity to support the Five while at the same time campaigning for his own cause, socialist presidential candidate Roger Calero. Cuba is a good example of how socialism benefits the working class, he said.

To illustrate his point, Dwire cited the example of Hurricane Gustav — a storm that he claims killed "thousands" in Haiti and the Dominican Republic last month but few to none in Cuba. Though poor, Cuba mobilized all its resources to preserve citizens' safety while its Caribbean neighbors let people fend for themselves, he said.

The Associated Press counted at least 70 people dead from the hurricane in Hispaniola, compared with none in Cuba.

Kohn said she also explicitly tied Gustav into her invitation to the demonstration, thinking that the Downtown Crossing Association, which grants protesters permits for the area, would find an event for hurricane relief more palatable than the issue of the Cuban Five alone.

Demonstrator Charlie Welsh of Brighton, who came specifically to support the Cuban Five, said most demonstrators met through "loosely organized" social forums where activists of different stripes meet to share news.

Though the demonstrators here came from diverse ideological backgrounds, they all said they were united solely by a common concern for the fate of the Five. Some said they were socialists or agents for "social justice," while others said they simply took an interest in Cuban affairs.

Kohn admitted she stumbled upon the case by chance. An avid baseball fan, she said she went to a game in the 2006 World Baseball Classic in Puerto Rico and ended up rooting for Cuba.

"Some of the Cuban media saw me wearing the hat and thanked me for supporting them," she said, pointing to a bright blue cap with the Cuban flag on it.

The more Kohn learned about Cuba, the more she said she became frustrated with the fate of the Five. Eventually, she traveled to the island to see for herself. She said the nation was filled with posters lionizing the Five.

Now back in the United States, Kohn continues fighting for the cause of a nation she has only seen twice. Though the men have been incarcerated for more than seven years, Kohn said she still has hope the Supreme Court will overturn their convictions.

"The Court has made some really good decisions this year on Guantanamo, so I'm hopeful," she said. "I don't think I'm being optimistic if I think that things can change."