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Police State & Prisons
Unpermitted Dissent in the Streets of St. Paul
Decentralized, unpermitted protests took place throughout the streets of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota on September 1st to mark the start of the Republican National Convention (RNC). Following the permitted demonstration organized by The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, various items were pulled into the streets, some corporations had their windows broken, and people danced without permission. There were mass arrests by the police who deployed a wide range of weaponry, including concussion grenades, tear gas, pepper spray, batons, charging horses and hard rubber bullets.
The RNC Welcoming Committee, an anarchist / anti-authoritarian organizing body that worked for over a year preparing for the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, wrote a statement about the events that unfolded on September 1st.
You can read the full press statement at:
9.2 - Press Statement from The WC
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/02/18532398.php
Here is an excerpt,
"The actions taken yesterday prove that the [government's] tactics of intimidation, harassment, violent oppression, the snatching of specific individuals, and the profiling of activists will not stop committed people from taking to the streets for what they believe in and putting their bodies behind those convictions. These tactics were seen in the targeting of medical workers, journalists, legal observers, and the public. They are the same tactics used daily by police and governments around the world to terrorize and oppress those that they claim to serve.
"The infrastructure that has been created for these actions with the help and support of the twin cities community has been amazing. 100’s of people in Minneapolis and St. Paul have opened their homes to 1000’s of protesters. Locals and [out of town guests] have taken time off work and from their lives to cook meals, provide medical care, legal support, and transportation. We understand that it must be intimidating to see people organizing for themselves around the idea of mutual aid and solidarity, but in doing this we are actively creating the world we want to live in. This is work that we will continue to do for the rest of our lives."
--
For more information, please see:
Resistance in the Streets of St. Paul Despite On-going Police Violence
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/30/18531223.php
Twin Cities Indymedia
http://twincities.indymedia.org
You can read the full press statement at:
9.2 - Press Statement from The WC
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/02/18532398.php
Here is an excerpt,
"The actions taken yesterday prove that the [government's] tactics of intimidation, harassment, violent oppression, the snatching of specific individuals, and the profiling of activists will not stop committed people from taking to the streets for what they believe in and putting their bodies behind those convictions. These tactics were seen in the targeting of medical workers, journalists, legal observers, and the public. They are the same tactics used daily by police and governments around the world to terrorize and oppress those that they claim to serve.
"The infrastructure that has been created for these actions with the help and support of the twin cities community has been amazing. 100’s of people in Minneapolis and St. Paul have opened their homes to 1000’s of protesters. Locals and [out of town guests] have taken time off work and from their lives to cook meals, provide medical care, legal support, and transportation. We understand that it must be intimidating to see people organizing for themselves around the idea of mutual aid and solidarity, but in doing this we are actively creating the world we want to live in. This is work that we will continue to do for the rest of our lives."
--
For more information, please see:
Resistance in the Streets of St. Paul Despite On-going Police Violence
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/30/18531223.php
Twin Cities Indymedia
http://twincities.indymedia.org
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Cuidate Yo
Thank you so much for all of your photos and for letting us know what was going on. This was as an amazing experience- changed my view on a lot of things.
"...and people danced without permission."
Damn right, Bradley! well put
and we will keep dancing.
While some onlookers may have wondered why all those people are dancing, and why so funky?
like a journalist for the Minneapolis alt weekly City Pages.
A sample of how much of the reporters--as committed and close to the action they got--still have some figuring out to do about protest...
"The anatomy of this protest march was strange. Below a melting ice sculpture that read "Democracy" was a makeshift dance party led by a guy who had mounted a boom box onto a wagon. The gathering had the feel of Thriller meets Hamas.
"Then the dude with the wagon decided it was time to protest—an hour before the start of the scheduled march. Several hundred people followed him, along with several hundred more photojournalists. The group walked against the one-way streets of St. Paul, blockading traffic. A few drivers—the smart ones—flashed peace signs.
"Soon the action started to heat up. Bandanna-faced protesters slid goggles over their eyes. Ahead of the group a large number of riot cops formed a wall, diverting the anarchists onto Seventh Street. The mounted police rode in. When dancers got a little too close to the police, they got faces full of pepper spray."
http://www.citypages.com/2008-09-03/news/the-show-must-go-on/
"a makeshift dance party" maybe, but this was hardly something orchestrated by just one dude with a wagon [in fact there were two]--they were with Funk the War, an instillation of D.C. Students for Democratic Society chapter. And stepping off an hour before the march was no accident. It was all part of the plan, in order to respect the agreement honoring diversity of tactics and the principles of a separation of time and space between those organizing the main march on Monday, and those bringing a little bit different flavor than permits and picket signs.
But perhaps after 40 journalists were arrested the press might start getting a bit funky...especially as their own people get a firm shove of the baton and pepper spray...
http://blogs.citypages.com/gop/2008/09/protesters_in_s.php
Let us hope more journalists and photographers have opened their eyes a bit wider after the pepper spray was washed out. Now they just need to get it passed the editors and comglomerate execs.
Damn right, Bradley! well put
and we will keep dancing.
While some onlookers may have wondered why all those people are dancing, and why so funky?
like a journalist for the Minneapolis alt weekly City Pages.
A sample of how much of the reporters--as committed and close to the action they got--still have some figuring out to do about protest...
"The anatomy of this protest march was strange. Below a melting ice sculpture that read "Democracy" was a makeshift dance party led by a guy who had mounted a boom box onto a wagon. The gathering had the feel of Thriller meets Hamas.
"Then the dude with the wagon decided it was time to protest—an hour before the start of the scheduled march. Several hundred people followed him, along with several hundred more photojournalists. The group walked against the one-way streets of St. Paul, blockading traffic. A few drivers—the smart ones—flashed peace signs.
"Soon the action started to heat up. Bandanna-faced protesters slid goggles over their eyes. Ahead of the group a large number of riot cops formed a wall, diverting the anarchists onto Seventh Street. The mounted police rode in. When dancers got a little too close to the police, they got faces full of pepper spray."
http://www.citypages.com/2008-09-03/news/the-show-must-go-on/
"a makeshift dance party" maybe, but this was hardly something orchestrated by just one dude with a wagon [in fact there were two]--they were with Funk the War, an instillation of D.C. Students for Democratic Society chapter. And stepping off an hour before the march was no accident. It was all part of the plan, in order to respect the agreement honoring diversity of tactics and the principles of a separation of time and space between those organizing the main march on Monday, and those bringing a little bit different flavor than permits and picket signs.
But perhaps after 40 journalists were arrested the press might start getting a bit funky...especially as their own people get a firm shove of the baton and pepper spray...
http://blogs.citypages.com/gop/2008/09/protesters_in_s.php
Let us hope more journalists and photographers have opened their eyes a bit wider after the pepper spray was washed out. Now they just need to get it passed the editors and comglomerate execs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jICnZn0DS6Y
local fox news reporter lets the truth be spoken
raw video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA6V1JE1zbM
local fox news reporter lets the truth be spoken
raw video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA6V1JE1zbM
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