The Ashes Action.

Act up: October 11, 1992 1 PM.

An event organized by ACT UP on October 11, 1992 1PM gathered in front of the White House to protest the lack of action and money spent on the AIDS crisis. The protest was called "Ashes Action".  This was a protest organized to show the actual human carnage and loss of life that AIDS had amounted too.  It was also a counterpoint to the reveal of the AIDS quilt also in October 1992.

Family, friends, lovers, and partners of people who had died of AIDS, brought their loved ones' ashes to the lawn of the White House and threw them over the fence and chanted and cried and grieved.

George Bush as well as Ronald Reagan were held accountable for the deaths of 150,000+ persons with AIDS.  George Bush stated in an interview that Gay people needed to change their behavior as a means to stop the epidemic.

As people were throwing the ashes onto the White House lawn,  police on horseback moved in to disperse the crowd.  The crowd began to shout, "The whole world is watching!"  And then the chant went up, "SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!"









Here is the YouTube video in full:

More information about the film:  The Ashes Action 1992