Disarm Bush T-Shirts is a for-profit political activism campaign created in 2004 in the run-up to the American Presidential election, in which the incumbent George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 ultimately defeated challenger John Kerry

John Kerry

John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

. Disarm Bush effectively mobilized opposition to the Republican incumbent in a number of large metropolitan population centers, in which their guerrilla t-shirt vending methods were most successful. Through 2005, the organization had sold no fewer than 25,000 t-shirts with their universally recognizable anti-Bush logo and registered over 5,000 citizens to vote.

Founded by Ysiad Ferreiras in Union Square in lower Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

, the group expanded to include hundreds of for-profit activists who spread the group's message at both national political conventions in 2004 and at speeches across the country. The shirts were especially effective in mobilizing political activity on college campuses. Ben Piven became the director of PR, political activism, and national distribution, while Marty Taylor took charge of Disarm Bush's internet campaign.

Eventually popularized by the Roots

The Roots

The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...

, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...

, and The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...

, the Disarm Bush logo became a simple but powerful expression of disapproval of the incumbent's performance in office. The Republican National Convention

Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...

, which lasted from August 30 to September 2, saw the emergence of hundreds of similar t-shirt campaigns in which vendors attempted to spread their political dissent via the estimated 500,000 marchers who converged upon New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to protest the presence of Republicans in a largely Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 urban area. The 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity

2004 Republican National Convention protest activity

2004 Republican National Convention protest activity includes the broad range of marches, rallies, performances, demonstrations, exhibits, and acts of civil disobedience in New York City to protest the 2004 Republican National Convention and the nomination of President George W. Bush for the 2004 U.S...

created an unprecedented level of political mobilization and also posed security problems.

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Disarm Bush photos