This weekend about 650 people were taking into custody by D.C. Police during a protest of the meeting between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Police estimated that there were roughly 2,000 total protestors, of which 30 were Brandeis students, making Brandeis "a visible contingent at the protest," according to Students for a Just Society (SJS) member, Paul Adler '04. None of the Brandeis students who attended were arrested.CNN reported some protesters threw rocks and smoke bombs in clashes with police, and others tried to block intersections and sidewalks. Those who caused a disturbance were taken away, while those who protested peacefully stayed, police said.

"The goal of the protest depended on which organization you belonged to. Some protesters on Friday wanted the whole city of Washington to shut down. On Saturday (the day Brandeis students participated in the march), the goal was mainly to gather as many people in the streets as possible to show opposition to the current global economic system," Adler said.

Radical Students Association (RSA) member, Lee Tusman '04, said that the WTO acts to help finance projects in developing nations, but as a condition, they dictate restructuring of the economy, opening of markets, and a weakening of government social services.

The countries that get financing loans must pay them back.

The Student Global AIDS Campaign chapter, RSA and SJS were all involved in the planning.

"The RSA did the majority of the logistics and attempted to charter buses, however, this was not enough time to accomplish this. However, many Brandeis students were able to ride down in vans provided by the national Student Global AIDS Campaign. There were also about 5 cars of people who traveled down," Adler said.

"I went because I feel I have moral and political obligations. I also find protests incredibly inspiring. The creativity is overwhelming. It's a celebration of resistance with huge paper-mEch and inflatable creations, radical cheerleaders, children, flags, etc. It's a convergence of ideas and daring to imagine a different world," RSA member, Josh Russell, who also participated in the protest, said.

"It's about corporate rule of globalization - turning the world into a strip mall at the expense of the underprivileged (the vast majority.) This is about institutional attempts to privatize everything - from water to even genetic material," Russell said.

Adler feels that over the last several years, protests similar to this one have had an affect on American culture.

"I feel the protests in the U.S. since Seattle in December 1999 have helped raise a great deal of awareness and movement on issues of globalization," Adler said.

"While I cannot say for certain how much effect this protest had, I do not feel it was a complete failure," he said.

"The goals of protests are to show solidarity, to raise issues, and to sow that people are willing to take a stand on concepts they believe in," he said.

Tusman said he believes the protests accomplished this solidarity.

"However, in terms of actual social change, I believe that the recent protests (this included) have largely been ineffective at contributing to change. I think that more direct actions and wider public education will be necessary for success to be attained," Tusman said.