Looking for info on what is going on? Check out this calendar:

More background here.

The joint press conference between the Poor People’s Economic and Human Rights Campaign and the RNC Welcoming Committee will take place at 10 AM at the site of Bushville, 400 Western Ave N in St Paul.

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Wednesday’s spokescouncil will be at 11am at the still beautiful convergence space, 627 Smith Ave.  Send your spokes and let’s formulate our next steps, support our comrades in jail, and stay strong!

Coldsnap Legal:

On the first day of the Republican National Convention, the people were out in the streets expressing their resistance and frustration with the imperialist capitalist system. The Coldsnap Legal Collective is an autonomous collective whose purpose is to educate, empower, and support the radical community. We have developed a network of legal support and solidarity for the RNC arrestees and are committed to providing support to everyone throughout the anti-RNC actions. On the first day of RNC action, hundreds were arrested as they publicly expressed their dissent, many of whom were the victims of extensive police brutality. Many people were cited and released on the streets, though scores of people have been brought to and held at the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center. Some arrestees within the jail are currently engaging in non-cooperation strategies, including refusing to give their names and identifying information to the jail officials. The arrestees from the weekend raids continue to be held.

Thusfar, 61 people have been released from jail, and more are expected to be released throughout the day. We have set up a round-the-clock jail vigil outside the Ramsey County jail, where we are greeting released arrestees and providing legal, medical, and material support. There are a handful of individuals within the jail who are being denied medical attention. Coldsnap is asking for people to call the jail at 651.266.9350 or the St. Paul Mayor’s office at 651.266.8510 and demand that all arrestees receive proper treatment and access to medical services. Additionally, we demand that all protesters are immediately released and that all charges are dropped. We have scheduled two upcoming arrestee meetings to provide information and legal support for our community. Check our website at www.coldsnaplegal.org for details. Coldsnap needs volunteers both in the legal office and at the jail vigil. If you are available to help out, call the legal hotline at 651.356.8635 or show up at the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center at Lafayette and Grove, St. Paul.

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PRESS STATEMENT FROM RNC WELCOMING COMMITTEE ON DAY 2 OF REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION RESISTANCE
September 2, 2008
rncwcmedia[at]riseup.net

[A statement read on behalf of the RNC Welcoming Committee, especially on behalf of the members of the Welcoming Committee who continue to be held without bail by Sheriff Bob Fletcher and who are being kept in 23 hour solitary confinement]

First, let us start by saying thank you.

Thank you to the 1000’s of people who courageously faced 10 ton buses, concussion grenades, tear gas, pepper spray, batons, charging horses, gas masks, rubber bullets, and all of the tools of repression and intimidation that were used yesterday to repress the public in this supposed democracy. Your direct actions stand in stark contrast to the conventioneers inside the Xcel Energy Center, passively dragging the party line and the rest of this world down with it.

We are inspired by the extraordinary people who stopped buses, blocked highway ramps, and breached concrete barriers to reclaim the streets and recapture the space of downtown St Paul. We are excited about what the next few days may bring, now that the illusion of business as usual has been shattered.

The actions taken yesterday prove that the 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 yesterday 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.

Indeed, after a long hard day of losing control in the streets and having to resort to calling in the National Guard, Sheriff Bob Fletcher continues the raids on homes, public spaces, and our lives. It isn’t surprising that these tactics continue, especially now that Sheriff Fletcher and the mayor’s office are faced with the challenge of trying to spin 284 arrests and climbing, 130 of those people being charged with felonies, along with massive police and military brutality. In spite of the arrests of our friends, we are excited by the fact that the number of people willing to take to the streets and express their dissent is growing, and we proudly support the March for Our Lives happening in St Paul today.

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 newcomers 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.

See you in the streets,
The RNC Welcoming Committee
http://nornc.org

Day one is behind us and the idea of business as usual during the RNC has been shattered.

Monday night a Spokescouncil met and from that gathering the suggestion was made to take time today to reflect, to sleep, and to eat well so that energy is high when folks take to the streets again. We can’t forget though that Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher and the St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman are holding many of our friends hostage.

Coldsnap is working round the clock on the monumental task of jail support and folks have actions planned in solidarity with our imprisoned friends. In addition to your own acts of solidarity, Coldsnap also needs more volunteers to answer their hotline and people to donate legal funds.

Today the Convergence Space will re-open at 10 AM anarchist time and people can hold meetings or gather there as needed. If the National Guard still has the Smith Street bridge closed off, ya’ll can check out some of the other fine bridges in the Twin Cities and take the opportunity to ride along the Mississippi and enjoy. Lunch will be served as scheduled at 1 PM.

After checking out the other events going on around twin cities today we welcome folks to extend their solidarity with the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign - the March For Our Lives - which begins at 4 PM in Mears Park in St Paul. More information can be found here:
http://www.economichumanrights.org

PS. Someone passed on the rumor that the Comms team will be back up and running tomorrow. Hope you’re ready to be twittered.

Change of time for Tuesday 9/2/08 Press Conference to 9 AM.

The joint press conference between the Poor People’s Economic and Human Rights Campaign, the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, AND RNC Welcoming Committee will take place at 9 AM at Bushville, 400 Western Ave N in St Paul.

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The spectacle has been crashed!

Dinner at Convergence Space at 7 PM if you can get there (Smith Ave bridge may be closed off)

Efficient and brief Spokescouncil at 8:30 PM
Redirect Point at Groveland Park
Cleveland Ave and St Claire St. in St Paul
Due to space and time constraints, if possible send a single spokesperson.

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Lies from the City’s news conference:

“the arrests that have occurred, each of those people have been involved in some criminal activity”

“Fear was not an element in the police’s strategy”

PRESS STATEMENT FROM RNC WELCOMING COMMITTEE ON DAY 1 OF REPUBLICAN NATIONAL
CONVENTION RESISTANCE
September 1, 2008
rncwcmedia[at]riseup.net

Today is the day that the RNC and its resistance will commence. Even though it has not yet started, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department, in cooperation with other local and federal police agencies, continue to profile, harass, and disappear activists preparing to protest this convention. Sheriff Bob Fletcher maintains that we, the RNC Welcoming Committee, are a criminal anarchist enterprise seeking to use violence to reach some sinister goals. What we have been doing is coordinating resources and logistics to ensure that the people are able to use their civil and human rights to freely express and defend our values, our communities, and our planet. We have been organizing publicly for the past two years, and yes, many of us are anarchists. For our political beliefs and our efforts to organize healthy communities outside the spectacle of electoral politics, 5 activists remain locked up.

The people of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the world must take back control of their communities. They can call the Ramsey County Jail at 651 266-9350, to demand an end to this outrageous police repression. Also, they can call Mayor Rybak at 612 673-2100 and Mayor Coleman at 651 266-8510 to join us in demanding an end to terroristic police behavior in the cities they claim to govern.

Today is also the day that many communities are bracing for what may be a disaster of epic proportions. As you have heard, our anarchist friends in New Orleans and the gulf coast are getting ready to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, while the Republicans, who failed us during Katrina, will be celebrating another candidate for president who has no real plan for getting us out of this ecological mess. The RNC will be slimming down their schedule so as to make the appearance that they are concerned about our friends in the South. During Katrina, George W. Bush played guitar; when the 35W bridge collapsed, Bush strolled around with his sleeves rolled up. What PR stunts will he, John McCain and Barack Obama do this week? The only proper response from the government would be to abdicate its failed rule and turn control of people’s lives over to the people themselves to organize on the basis of mutual aid and solidarity. This is the demand of the direct
actions in the streets of Saint Paul to take place later today. And, just as we organized free meals, housing, medical care, communication systems, legal support and bicycles for protesters of this convention, we will continue to respond to all disasters political or otherwise. We the people, together, are capable of securing the streets of Saint Paul and we the people, together, are capable of responding to disaster and keeping ourselves safe.

We continue to maintain that the RNC has no right to invade our community, and we are moving forward with the national call to crash the convention. For everyone who is tired of watching our planet be destroyed, our community spaces raided by the police, and individuals snatched from
public parks - while the people who let it happen hold their party – we ask you to join us in the streets of St. Paul today!