That didn't stop the city's Cuban-Americans from putting on a Hollywood show. As the anniversary of the high school massacre approaches, President Clinton meets with opponents to see whether everyone can agree to close the gun-show loophole. But savvy protesters wonder where the badges are.
Tensions continue to percolate between the Washington police and throngs of scrappy protestors.
Still, the incident, which snarled rush-hour traffic to a stop, gave witnesses a good look at a police squad in full riot gear, primed to react swiftly on the eve of a series of protests against the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank expected to last through Monday. Many pointed out that, in a direct violation of police protocol, if not law, a vast majority of the badges of the men and women in blue were hidden from view. Of the two dozen policemen clad in riot gear and standing on the periphery of Dupont Circle, the badges of only four were visible. I wasn't there. The events that led up to the near-ugliness, in which one protester was arrested, began with the trappings, at least, of innocence.