We have a convergence center! It’s a beautiful building close to downtown St. Paul, located at:

627 Smith Ave S
St. Paul, Mn 55107

phone: (651) 293.3968

This is a space for people to gather during, before, and after the RNC. There will be computers, limited bag storage, bikes, food and more. Open hours are from noon-10pm through August 29, 9am-10pm on the 30th and 31st, and will possibly be extended again on September 1st.

The convergence center is also a space for workshops, spokescouncils, sector meetings and other events. We would like to encourage people to use the space!

The current schedule of Convergence Center events is posted on the right sidebar of this page.

Click here for info on Safer Space at the Convergence Center.  If you want to schedule a workshop, event, meeting, etc. please email convergencespace@riseup.net with your needs and we will work with you to schedule it.

We reinvented the wheel for our housing board but didn’t feel like we needed to for a rideboard. We know that plenty of resourceful folks have already figured out how they are coming to the Twin Cities. If you haven’t thought about it yet, try taking advantage of the resources that already exist online to post your rides or find one:

Craigslist (Official Sponsor of the Crash the Convention strategy)

Share your Ride

eRideShare

There are plenty of other ways for folks to get here. The Twin Cities is serviced by Greyhound, Amtrak, Megabus, Jefferson Lines, an airport, and other forms of transportation come in and out everyday! Want to come in at the last minute for the 1st? There are buses that are traveling to the March on the RNC to Stop the War

The RNC Bike Space

No more bikes are available; bikes that were borrowed can be returned to Arise! Bookstore (2441 Lyndale Ave S., Minneapolis) as well as the Convergence Space (St Paul) so that they can be used for the local community for years to come. Convergence space open hours will be 11am-8pm ending on Monday (so Arise! is your best bet). Don’t be lazy now that the RNC is over, return that bike!

About the project:

The RNC Bike Space is a community bike shop that formed to get bikes to those who need them for transportation before and during the RNC, and intends to continue as a resource beyond the RNC. For the month of August open hours will be exclusively for repairing and distributing bikes for those participating in RNC resistance.

We consider EVERY bike that goes out of the space to be a LOANER and a community resource. When you return the bike after using it during the RNC it will go back to the local community where it will be put to good use. Bike drop off locations will be available around town after the RNC and will be communicated to you at the Bike Space. Note: the police in the twin cities are not known to be bike-friendly , we understand and apologize if they misbehave and steal this valuable community resource from you/us.

Location:
Corner of 36th St E & 5th Ave in Minneapolis

View Larger Map

UPDATE:

The folks at the RNC Bike Space have been busy as bees putting together bikes for the RNC. We have tons of energy in our great space and have seen a lot of bikes go out our doors, but we are starting to run low on the raw materials themselves (we’re down to frames, which take a while to become bikes). If you are in town already and looking for some way to help, start asking around to everyone you see for bike donations. We are also calling on all of the folks that are coming from out of town to network with their local community bike shops and to bring/send as many as they can or bring their own. Demand will be high in the next few days and we hate to see sad faces.

September 1-4: Any bikes left over will be at the Convergence Space. Bike Space folk and tools will be at the Convergence space to help with tune-ups and flats as much as we can and intends to have roaming bike fixers around St Paul as much as possible.

Getting a bike:

For the moment the only way to get a bicycle is to come in person to the space during open hours. The demand seems like it will be HIGH and we most likely will not have bikes for all those who desire them. One bike will be available for every one person who comes in. We know that you need a bike; here is what we need to keep the space running:

• 2-5 hours of work-trade
• monetary donation$
• bikes, parts, & tools

You will be asked for one of these things if you come to the space for a bike. Also, we expect these bikes to be returned when you are finished with them. If you are going to leave it around town in places where it might be tempting for others to appropriate this community resource you should plan on locking it up (please provide your own lock).

At this time we will only consider requests for multiple bikes from groups organizing for RNC resistance. Each separate request will need to be talked over at our collective and this doesn’t except groups from thinking about our needs in running the space. Talk to us or email us with who you are, and what you are organizing, what your request is and we will see what our capacity might be to fill this request. Please be realistic.

Donating:

The space depends and operates entirely on donations (of time, bikes, parts, tools, money, sustenance, good thoughts, etc). Donations can be dropped off at the RNC Bike Space during open hours. If we happen to be closed right when you want to drop something off you can bring bike donations to Arise! Bookstore during their open hours .

Getting involved:

To carry this project through to completion, we need to expand and grow! Have time or knowledge to spare? Come during open hours and help build some bikes. Stay and help us organize if you want to see a lasting community project and bike shop to be born out of this work. Donations of money and other material things are always welcome and helpful, but your time and energy is the most important thing that you could contribute to this project for it to succeed.

Contact the collective:

The #1 way we vastly prefer to be contacted is by coming to the space and talking with us in person. Otherwise, if necessary, email: rncbike -atsign- riseup.net

Seeds of Peace, Sisters’ Camelot, and Minneapolis Food Not Bombs –with the help of friendly volunteers– will be providing two nutritious meals a day beginning a few days before the RNC and continuing through the convention and a few days into its aftermath. You can help us by working in the kitchen: choppig vegetables, delivering and serving food, washing dishes, etc. Additionally, we can use donations of bulk food and money. Because of the large amount of food we will be preparing, however, we can only use relatively large quantities of bulk items (e.g., 25-100, not 5, pounds of rice). Some of the basic bulk items we will need are:

• cases of soy and/or rice milk
• 25-50 lb. bags of potatoes
• 25-50 lb. bags of onions
• 1-5 gallon jugs of oil
• 1-5 gallon jugs of cooking vinegar
• soy sauce
• tons and tons of garlic
• tea and coffee
• 25-50 lb. bags of pinto, black, red, and garbanzo beans
• tofu and tempeh
• sugar
• 25-50 lb. bags of rice
• 25-50 lb. bags of flour
• 25-50 lb. bags of oats
• 25-50 lb. bags of quinoa, polenta, lentils, and split peas
• cases of fresh fruit and vegetables

If you are interested in volunteering and/or donating food, email us at seedsofpeace@riseup.net or call us at 208-220-2133 or 208-240-3253.

Here we post as much information as possible about the Republican National Convention. Do with it what you will.

We welcome and encourage any relevant information you can send our way, but please note that we do not post or distribute stuff until we have verified to the best of our ability that it is true.  If you have questions about anything posted here or would like further information, email rnc08@riseup.net.

• Maps
• From the RNC
• Police
• RNC Welcoming Committee Powerpoint Presentation: if you’d like to use this presentation but need further information on slides, email rnc08@riseup.net for accompanying notes. also browse the rest of the material on these pages, as they may contain more up-to-date info.
• Miscellaneous

Basics
(from the Host Committee)
Dates: Sept. 1-4, 2008
Convention facility: Xcel Energy Center
Headquarters hotel: Hilton Minneapolis has been recommended
Delegate Experience venue: Minneapolis Convention Center
Hotel rooms needed: 20,000 per night at 95 hotels have been secured specifically for the convention
Number of hotel rooms in the metro area: Approximately 35,000
Cost: Approximately $50-$80 million-15% in goods and service, and 85% in cash- plus federal security dollars
Expected attendees: (all are approximate & estimated numbers)

• Total: up to 45,000
• Delegates: 2,000
• Alternate delegates: 2,000
• Volunteers: 10,000
• Media: 15,000
• Staff, families, guests, etc.: 15,000

Economic impact: Differs according to attendance and the host city. According to the Democratic National Committee, the 2004 Democratic National Convention held in Boston resulted in direct spending of $156 million.

• Corporate Sponsors
• Strib article on Day One schedule: the RNC will have an afternoon session on Day One!
• Bush Speaks on Day One: another Strib article
• RNC Park Rentals
• Guide to Metro Area Protest Ordinances (also see: Extra Credit)
  

Following is information about law enforcement preparations for the RNC.

• Detention Plans: for Ramsey and Hennepin Counties
• List of Departments sending officers to the RNC
• SIU Procedural Manual: the SPPD’s updated procedural manual for the Special Investigations Unit.
• Article on RNC Policing Shortage

The following info comes from the Convention planners themselves.  Also check out: http://www.msp2008.com and http://www.gopconvention2008.com.

• Spring Media Walkthrough: a hefty guide given to members of the Media by the RNC, spring ‘08. full of maps.
• GOP Express: a March 2008 proposal for delegate transportation, produced by the City of St. Paul in response to a Data Practices Act request in a lawsuit filed against them by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War.
• List of Delegate Hotels: an April 2008 press release
• Additions to RNC Senior Staff: from Fall 2007

• 3S Sector Map of Downtown St. Paul (ffi on 3S and Sectors, click here.)
• Downtown St. Paul
• City of St. Paul Convention Maps: includes the vehicle restriction zone, the permitted Day One March route, ramp closures and relocations, and more. Let us know if these links go down!
• Points of Interest in Downtown St. Paul
• Delegate Hotels
• and check out Google Street View of Downtown St. Paul! and Downtown Minneapolis!
• Latest on Day One March Route (not most current info)
  

There are a lot of ways to get involved in anti-RNC, anti-authoritarian work:

1. Swarm, Seize, Stay: Blockade Downtown St. Paul and deny delegates access to the RNC on Day One of the Convention.
2. Bikes: Check out the Bikes page for ways to help the anti-RNC bike effort.
3. Medics: Check out Northstar Health Collective for info on plugging into street medic infrastructure.
4. Legal and Jail Support: Check out Cold Snap Legal Collective for info on legal/jail support efforts.
5. Childcare: Email childcarerncprotest@riseup.net to help out with childcare during the RNC.
6. Media: Email IMCatRNC@gmail.com to get involved in independent convention media.
7. House a Protestor: Post available housing on our housing board.
8. Fundraise/Donate: Use the Paypal link on our sidebar to donate money, or check out our Wish List for items to donate.
9. Announcements List: Email rnc08-subscribe (a) lists.riseup.net to add yourself.
10. Keep your eyes and ears open for any logistical information- about the convention, related events, and responsible parties- that might help us plan and prepare.
11. Come to a WC Meeting and find out more. The RNC Welcoming Committee’s meetings are open to anyone who agrees to our Points of Unity. Meetings are EVERY SUNDAY, alternating 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., at our beautiful convergence center, 627 Smith Ave. in St. Paul. Check the calendar in our sidebar to see where we’re at in the rotation, or email rnc08 (a) riseup.net. Please note that we try to arrange childcare for all meetings, but would appreciate a heads up if you plan to bring kids, so that we can guarantee appropriate accommodations.
    We DO NOT allow members of the Media, acting in that capacity, to attend WC meetings. If you are a member of the Media, looking for info on the WC, please see our “Media FAQ. “

Twin Cities residents are now organizing childcare for radical parents coming to Minneapolis in September, and we’re happy to say we have a space secured for this purpose. The location is large and includes lots of child-friendly outdoor space, and is accessible from down town St. Paul but distant enough for safety and comfort.

Volunteers with significant childcare experience will provide safe and respectful supervision between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the four days of the convention. Vegetarian or vegan food, organic milk and snacks will be available. Parents should provide diapers if needed, and any special food or medicine.

We’re asking parents to pre-register by sending us an email with the # of children you plan to bring and their ages. This form, is to bring with your children when you arrive, and asks for emergency information, etc. We hope to provide for all those who need childcare, but in order to know how many volunteers are necessary, early head counts will help us help you.

For more details, to volunteer, or to send in preregistration contact us at: childcarerncprotest@riseup.net

Registration Form: http://www.nornc.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/rncchildcareregistration.pdf

Sector Calls and Adoptions

Sector One
contact: rnc@organizepittsburgh.org
Calls:
POG
NEAN

Sector Two
contact: indy_tact08@yahoo.com
Calls:
Indy-TACT

Sector Three
contact: ua.midatlantic@gmail.com
Calls:
UA Mid-Atlantic

Sector Four
contact: UAintheBay@lists.riseup.net
Calls:
UA in the Bay - updated 7/31 with maps!
Sector 4 Barricade Building Contest
Karz SuX, karzsuxbrigade@safe-mail.net

Sector Five
contact: mwclusterup@riseup.net, bashbackchi@riseup.net, snowswarm@riseup.net
Calls:
Midwestern Cluster
Bash Back!
Snow Swam

Sector Six
contact: no.rnc.nw@gmail.com
Calls:
Grey Coast
CAN

Sector Seven
contact:
Calls:

All Over
Funk the War @ the RNC

Wait! If you don’t know what “3S” means, read this first.

So what’s up with Sectors?
Per the request of pReNC attendees, we’ve divided Downtown St. Paul into sectors based on its topography. The motivation of mapping sectors was to provide reasonably-sized areas in which various groups- large and small, public and private- could start to plan 3S actions, with the idea that they could coordinate amongst themselves within these sectors. This removes the need for any existing organizing body to act as a central point of coordination for September 1st, while still avoiding needless overlap and haphazardry. This map is meant to be descriptive, not prescriptive, and should be understood as a working model with the potential to grow and change organically from here on out. We welcome thoughtful input, as well as information about developing public plans whose incorporation into the map would help in organizing efforts. For more detailed descriptions of each sector, email rnc08@riseup.net.

Here’s the Sector Map (if that link doesn’t work, try this one).
Here’s a “How-To” Guide.
Here’s a list of Sector Calls and Adoptions.
Here’s a Second Call for Sector Activity.
And here’s a 3S/Sectors flyer. Download it, print it out, and spread the word.

Sector One: Northeast corner of Downtown St. Paul. Mostly condos, with a few churches and small businesses. Contains several freeway off-ramps and overpasses.

Sector Two: Southeast corner of Downtown St. Paul. Contains two bridge entrances, Kellogg Blvd. E., Shepard/The Great River/Warner Rd. Bordered on the South by the Mississippi River; Includes the bluff and and the narrow riverfront area just below it.

Sector Three: Southwest riverside section. Includes Eastbound Shepard Rd., and many parking ramps and lots, back allies, and parks. Primarily residential, with lower-income area starting as you head West from Irvine Park.

Sector Four: Southwest I-35E section. Contains several freeway off-ramps. Also contains a hospital, with some businesses around that service it and the surrounding neighborhood- primarily residential off main streets.

Sector Five: Northwest corner of Downtown St. Paul. Contains several freeway off-ramps, and on a normal day traffic from Minneapolis would enter via this sector. Borders the “Free Speech Zone,” contains the Dorothy Day Center (homeless shelter), a hospital and the Cathedral. Sits on a downward slope toward the Xcel.

Sector Six: Northern section of Downtown St. Paul. Contains several overpasses and freeway off-ramps, and part of the march route. Also contains a hospital, some elderly care apartments, and high-rises.

Sector Seven: Central section of Downtown St. Paul. Gridded traffic from all directions. Contains part of the march route. Mostly high rises, and includes the police station.

The How-To Guide

Adopt a Sector
The purpose of dividing Downtown St. Paul into sectors is to decentralize coordination of blockades on Day One of the RNC. The intention is that organizing develops organically, and so it will look different from sector to sector. Ideally, one large group or cluster planning a large blockading action will “adopt” each sector, positioning themselves as a focal point for coordination of that sector. This doesn’t mean their action needs to or should fill the entire sector or that they will be directing intrasector activity but, rather, that it establishes an open avenue of participation. It would be great if the group were willing to facilitate planning for the entire sector but, at minimum, this group needs to be open to communication from others planning actions within the same sector, and to be committed to respecting a diversity of tactics.

Sector adoption should happen by mid-July (mid-July update: while a lot of progress has been made, we still need more groups to step up- it’s not too late!) and entails releasing a public statement containing the following information:

1. What sector you’re taking, and what you want to name it.
2. Contact information, both for the summer months and the convention itself.
3. Your capacity and intentions in terms of intrasector coordination, e.g., are you planning a public, participatory action? are you planning spokescouncils?

As the convention nears, you are responsible for releasing updates on your sector- this may be done through the WC, if you wish. Updates should include an honest assessment of sector strength and of your needs- if you do not feel that your sector will be filled, say so. Delusions of grandeur are not permitted.

Plug into a Sector
Those wishing to plug into a sector without adopting it should establish communication with any group that has done so, and should make every effort to organize in complement with other intrasector activities.

What is the RNC Welcoming Committee’s role?
The Welcoming Committee will post the sector adoptions on our website and update the map accordingly. We will make contact information for each sector available, help connect organizing groups and individuals where prudent and, upon request, provide any information that we can about Downtown St. Paul and convention plans, including detailed descriptions of sectors. We will not recognize or, in any way, facilitate the plans or organizing of groups who are willing to cooperate with law enforcement in the repression of dissent.

a call for Crashing the 2008 Republican National Convention

The playbill has been printed, the tickets have been sold, and on September 1st , 2008, the Republican National Convention is scheduled to open in St. Paul, MN. The RNC is political theater- meant to showcase the GOP’s finest actors and send their chosen into a spectacular final round of campaigning before the November election. But what is spectacular about hiding the repressive show of force necessary to keep this system on its bloody course? Republicans, like all politicians in this two-act tragedy, exist to maintain systems of oppression that keep us down- at any cost. Our Earth is not for sale and we are not mere spectators in this brutal charade….who is going to pull the final curtain in September?

The RNC Welcoming Committee calls for anyone and everyone who cares about a better world than the politicians claim to offer to “Swarm, Seize, and Stay,” on September 1st. Our goal for Day One is to blockade Downtown St. Paul, so that the only show worth watching is the one we create in the streets. Generally, Swarm Seize, Stay (3S) means:

1. Move into/around Downtown St. Paul via swarms of varying sizes,  from multiple directions, and with diverse tactical intentions.
2. Seize space through both hard (e.g., lockboxes) and soft (e.g., congestion), fixed and mobile, blockading methods.
3. Stay engaged with the situation in downtown St. Paul as long as necessary. Regroup. Reinforce.

The RNC-WC has divided Downtown St. Paul into sectors, so that organizing bodies throughout the country can coordinate their actions and make sure that every inch of the map is covered come September 1st. Now it’s up to you. Pick a sector, gather your comrades, and start planning.

For a sector map and further info, see the Sectors page.

See you in September,
the RNC Welcoming Committee

The Saint Paul Principles

Historic “St. Paul Principles” Agreed upon by Key Twin Cities Groups

At an anti-RNC conference held over the weekend of February 9th and 10th, a broad spectrum of groups revealed what are being called the “St. Paul Principles” of unity for resisting the 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC). Key organizations including the RNC Welcoming Committee and The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War are signed onto the principles which seek to unite and strengthen the partnerships amongst those planning to confront the RNC. This is a departure from the sectarian squabbles that have plagued past years’ anti-convention organizing. Pitting groups of differing political beliefs against each other has been a frequent tactic of state repression since the days of COINTELPRO.

By drafting the principles together, the co-signing organizations are taking historic steps to actively extinguish divisiveness from their respective groups. The principles will ensure respect for the soon-to-be-permitted march on September 1 by people planning non-permitted activities, and in turn, participants in the September 1 march will adhere to the principles and do nothing to sow division among the many activists coming to the Twin Cities to protest the RNC.

The principles are:

1. Our solidarity will be based on respect for a diversity of tactics andthe plans of other groups.
2. The actions and tactics used will be organized to maintain a separation of time or space.
3. Any debates or criticisms will stay internal to the movement, avoiding any public or media denunciations of fellow activists and events.
4. We oppose any state repression of dissent, including surveillance, infiltration, disruption and violence. We agree not to assist law enforcement actions against activists and others.

The RNC Welcoming Committee, The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, The Anti-war Committee, SDS-U of MN, Communities United Against Police Brutality, The Welfare Rights Committee, and Unconventional Action – Chicago were among the first to sign on to these principles. As other groups sign on to these principles, a unified, effective, and radical front will form.

This is a list of some of the things that we’ will need and are working on collecting. Please note that we don’t have space right now to store everything that you might be able to send us. If you send a note to rnclogistics(a)riseup.net to let us know what you have, we will come up with a plan to get it here safely when we need it. Our mailing address can be found here .

FUNDS

• our number one need right now is cash , all that you can spare. donate online using the paypal button or send us some love in the mail .

TRANSPORTATION

• your insured car/van/truck/bus for use during August and Sept. email rnctransport(a)riseup.net
• bikes , lots of them. start responding to those craigslist ads and building up your collection. we would also like to network with community bike shops who might be able to send us larger shipments. check out the RNC Bike Space information here
• bike locks, padlocks, and chains . we wouldn’t want all of these bikes to walk away. read how to donate here

STORAGE

• the name says it all. if you have a garage, basement, or warehouse to spare in the twin cities email rnclogistics(a)riseup.net

FOOD -email seedsofpeace(a)riseup.net

• check out this post for needs
  

HOUSING -visit http://nornc.org/stay

• your bedrooms, living rooms, warehouses, treehouses, yards, garages, RVs, houseboats, farms or anywhere else that we can store bodies from out of town.
• your friends, families, and neighbors to offer up the spaces above too

NETWORKING - email rnclogistics(a)riseup.net

• image designs for graphics
• free printing
• copiers
• local copy machine codes

TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATION

• fancy video editing computers
• computers that can run at least win 95
• routers
• wireless routers and hubs
• everything needed to run computers
• donated fast internet connection (did we mention we need money?)
• radios and scanners
• phone cards
• phone cards for GO! phones

Cada 4 años el Partido Republicano y el Partido Demócrata hacen una convención nacional como parte de las elecciones presidenciales, gastando millones de dólares para juntar sus miembros en un show mediático, bajo el nombre de la “democracia”, para hablar mucho y hacer poco en beneficio del pueblo. En septiembre del año 2008 (¡este año!) el Partido Republicano viene a hacer su convención en Minnesota.

Nosotros, juntos con miles de personas de todo el país, vamos a hacer una manifestación. Vamos a llenar las calles protestando un sistema injusto, racista, y desigual, en contra de las distintas formas de opresión y autoritarismo, y por un mundo mejor, luchando a favor de los valores de igualdad, autonomía, solidaridad, y ayuda-mutua entre la gente. Condenamos las redadas, las deportaciones, las separaciones de familias, y apoyamos la lucha de la comunidad inmigrante de Minnesota y de todo el país, como una parte de la lucha nuestra. Como siempre se dice: “¡El Pueblo, Unido, Jamás Será Vencido!”

Quienes Somos/Puntos de Unidad
El Comité de Protesta de la Convención Republicana (”RNC Welcoming Committee” en Ingles) es un cuerpo anti-autoritaria que se formó para prepararnos para la Convención Nacional Republicano en St. Paul, Minnesota en septiembre del 2008. El comité es conformado sobre todo por anarquistas y anti-autoritarios y funciona como un centro de información, logísticas, y otros asuntos relacionados con la resistencia a la Convención Republicana (RNC),que incluye la coordinación de comida, transporte, hospedaje, y educación.

Lo que sigue son nuestros Puntos de Unidad. Les invitamos participar en nuestro comité a todas y todos que están comprometidos a estas ideas.
1. Un rechazo del Capitalismo, Imperialismo, y el Estado.
2. Resistir la explotación abusiva de nuestra tierra.
3. Trabajar bajo los principios de descentralización, autonomía, sustentabilidad, y ayuda mutual.
4. Trabajar para poner fin a las relaciones de dominación, incluyendo los con raíces en el/la racismo, clasismo, homofobia, y patriarcado.
5. Oponer los abusos de la policía y la industria carcelaria, y mantener solidaridad con todas las personas impactados por la represión del estado.
6. Confrontar directamente los sistemas de opresión, y respetar la necesidad para tácticas diversas.

Aunque nuestro comité esta enfocado en un evento específico, esperamos que nuestro trabajo transcienda la convención misma, contribuyendo al desarrollo de movimientos en contra del autoritarismo y a favor de la ayuda-mutua, con redes locales y globales. Estamos en contra del Partido Republicano tanto como el Partido Demócrata. Invitamos que nos acompañen en la resistencia todas y todos que comparten nuestra visión.

Changed your mind? Well, we hope you come back!

See you in the streets,
the RNC Welcoming Committee

Thanks! See you in the streets,
the RNC Welcoming Committee

note: these reportbacks have come out of a variety of radical anti-RNC efforts; not all of them are written- or endorsed- by the WC, but we are archiving them here in the interest of facilitating a diversity of tactics in anti-authoritarian organizing against the convention. we do obsessively comb the internets looking for new material, but you can help us out by sending your reportback to: rnc08 (a) riseup.net.

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NoRNC-IA Consulta:

A Summary of the NoRNC-IA Consulta

************************************

November 07 Milwaukee Consulta:

MKEtoRNC Reportback

TransFolk and Queers to Blockade RNC!

************************************

2007 pReNC

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Are you interested in designing some eye-candy for us?
Check out our Call for Submissions here.

-The Unconventional Action Paper: http://www.hackasheville.com/nornc/uaftp/downloads/paper_spreads.pdf

-Stickers and Posters:

Statement on the ICE raids of May 19, 2007

The RNC Welcoming Committee- a group of Twin Cities-based anarchists and anti-authoritarians formed to organize resistance to the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul- stands firmly with immigrant communities in opposing the recent wave of nativist repression led by the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) branch. To those people impacted by the raids, to those people resisting this new wave of anti-immigrant activity: we would like to offer our bodies and our infrastructure in whatever way is most constructive. As community turnout on May 19th demonstrated, you are not alone. We are always ready and willing to support you in your struggle for justice; we maintain a politics of solidarity, and believe we have common ground with all targets of State and systemic repression.

To ICE and the Minneapolis Police Department: We want to make clear our opposition to the raids that occurred in South Minneapolis last weekend, to all raids, and to this system that denies certain people and their families their basic right to survival. We condemn the practices of both ICE and the MPD, recognizing that the raids weren’t a break with policy so much as a continuation of the long-standing law enforcement tradition of terrorizing communities, for the sake of maintaining an unjust social order. Our communities have always been terrorized by law enforcement, whatever their initials; this terror is furthered daily, on the streets, in our workplaces, even in our homes. We know that it will continue- tomorrow, next week, at the RNC in 2008, and into the future- as long as our communities are not able to sustain and defend themselves. Thus, we are committed to building alternatives that render law enforcement agencies obsolete, and in the meantime to resisting State terror however it manifests itself, by whatever means are available to us.

—-en español—–

El “RNC Welcoming Committee” - un grupo de anarquistas y anti-autoritarios de las Ciudades Gemelas, formado para organizar en contra de la Convención Nacional Republicana en 2008 – se pone firmemente con las comunidades inmigrantes para oponernos a la ola reciente de represión nativista, encabezada por la Migra.

A aquellos impactados por las redadas, a aquellos resistiendo esa ola de actividades anti-inmigrantes: les ofrecemos nuestros cuerpos, y nuestra infraestructura de la manera que sea más útil. Como se demostró por tanta gente el 19 de Mayo, es verdad que ustedes no están solos. Siempre estamos listos para apoyarles en su lucha por la justicia; mantengamos una política de solidaridad, y creemos que tenemos causa común con todos los que son objetos de la represión estatal y del sistema.

A la migra y a la policía: Queremos aclarar nuestra oposición a las redadas que ocurrieron en South Minneapolis la semana pasada, a todas las redadas, a ese sistema que les va negando el derecho básico al sobrevivir a ciertas personas y sus familias. Condenamos la práctica del ICE y de la policía, reconociendo que las redadas no eran cosa nueva, si no que eran una continuación de la tradición ya muy establecida de las fuerzas de la ley, del aterrorizar comunidades, para mantener el orden social, tan injusto que es. Nuestras comunidades siempre han sido aterrorizadas por las fuerzas de la ley, ni modo el nombre que llevan; el terror se avanza diariamente, en las calles, en el trabajo, hasta en nuestros propios hogares. Pues ya sabemos que eso continuará- mañana, la semana que viene, en el RNC en 2008, y en el futuro- mientras no hallamos como sostener y defender nuestras comunidades. Entonces, estamos comprometidos al construir alternativas las cuales les harían obsoletas las fuerzas de la ley, y mientras tanto resistimos el terror estatal de cualquier forma, por cualquier medio disponible.

An Open Letter to Labor Organizations in the Twin Cities
Spring 2007

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Labor Movement,

As you know, the Republicans have decided to befoul St. Paul with their national convention in 2008. Make no mistake, this sordid affair has nothing to do with the ‘democratic process’ or the selection of a presidential candidate: that will have been done seven months earlier. We in the RNC Welcoming Committee are a group of anti-authoritarians organizing direct resistance to this evil brood preparing to descend on our cities.

No surprises on Labor Day 2008: the RNC will be their opportunity to spew hateful propaganda through the airwaves for free. They will brag about undermining working families while giving permanent tax cuts to the rich. They’re going to take over a host of other local institutions and public spaces so that they can celebrate the devastation they have wrought on our communities. It’s a Karl Rove Special: taking a swing at a labor stronghold on Labor Day.

On issues like collective bargaining, health care, minimum wage, and immigration rights, the Republicans have attacked us on every front, while they poison our earth both here and abroad. They have led us into an illegal and unjust war where oil corporations and Bush-Cheney cronies rake in profits generated by our tax dollars, while our sons, daughters, and working families pay with their lives.

Unions have historically been at the forefront of struggle against those who inflict poverty and oppression by consolidating their power and wealth on the backs of the workers and the less fortunate of our society. We’re doing our own organizing, and you’re invited to join us. But perhaps even more importantly, we want to know how we can support you. In the spirit of mutual aid and collective welfare, we know that our strength is your strength, and that our freedom increases with your power.

Some of your locals and leadership have already received letters from the Republicans or local government asking for pledges not to strike, walkout, or protest. Many of you have already declared that this is ridiculous, and we agree. It is ridiculous. The Republicans have done everything they can to hurt and beat us into submission; why should we agree not to disrupt their party? Our power is in our solidarity, and our weapon is our ability to halt the work that we do every day.

The Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee wants to work with all interested workers, locals, and other labor organizations to display our collective power, formulate new directions, and show the bosses what’s what. We want to pursue a genuine coalition with Labor, to help you achieve your aims, which are ours as well. With Labor and activists working together, we can pursue a public victory the likes of which hasn’t really happened since Seattle in 1999.

If you are interested in working with us directly, you can find more information about us on our (developing) web page, at www.NoRnc.org . Check out our Points of Unity, especially. But even if you’re not interested in formally endorsing us or affiliating, don’t be shy about letting us know how we can help you. We see radical union activity as one of the keys to a better world, and we’re in your corner. We can’t wait to meet up and get things cranking.

Let’s show the Republicans what a real party looks like!

In Solidarity,
The Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee

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No RNC, No DNC- down with all politicians!
A resolution of support for those organizing against the DNC
from the Twin Cities’ RNC Welcoming Committee
Summer 2007

Many people believe that we should protest the RNC because the Republican Party is the party of warmongers and CEOs. But as we prepare our resistance, we do so against all government. We would resist just the same if the Democrats were planning to use our city to scheme and push their agenda. As anarchists and anti-authoritarians, we recognize that representative politics, and therefore all politicians, undermine the ability of people to organize their own lives. This is true whether they are outright fascist, or if they preach a “liberation” that only they can provide. The false opposition that the Democrats espouse against war, poverty, environmental destruction and corporate domination- the realities of capitalism- only makes them more dangerous than the Republicans. Politicians talk of hopes and dreams, using our desires for a better world as a means to control and pacify us. We see through them all- there is nothing that they can give us that they haven’t already taken away. So as we make plans to show the Republicans just how welcome they are in Minnesota, we act in solidarity with those doing the same to the Democrats in Denver, for no politician can give us our freedom.

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pReNC Press Statement
Read by Bea Bridges
08/27/07

Good morning, members of the Press. Thank you all for coming. My name is Bea Bridges, and the RNC Welcoming Committee has asked me to show you this video and read a statement.

The Welcoming Committee is a group formed specifically to respond to the 2008 RNC in St. Paul. However, we hope the work we are doing fosters the growth of stronger radical communities in the Twin Cities and beyond. We are not single-issue focused, and we will not be satisfied by merely stopping the war or ending Neocolonialism (although that would be a great start). Instead, we focus closer to the roots of oppression. We believe in radical change- in ending Capitalism, Imperialism, Patriarchy, and all other forms of hierarchy, and in replacing them with direct, participatory democracy, sustainability, individual autonomy, and personal relationships built on empathy and a desire for mutual aid.

As you know, the RNC Welcoming Committee is hosting the pReNC this coming weekend. The pReNC is a gathering of anarchists and anti-authoritarians one year in advance of the Republican National Convention. Its purpose is to share skills, network, and develop a strategic framework for the 2008 protests. Many of you have wondered if we plan violence, confrontation or mayhem for this weekend. We do not. The pReNC is not intended as an arena for protest and direct action. Rather, it is a time for learning, building, and planning for next year.

We expect a few hundred people to attend the pReNC, and we estimate about half of the attendees to be coming in from out of town. It is hard to give a more exact number, given that some people might just come for a workshop or two, or a meal, while others may participate for the entire weekend.

The main feature of the pReNC is Sunday’s strategizing session, where individuals from every region of the country will bring together the plans and ideas they have been developing. Together, we will establish an anarchist goal for September 1-4, 2008, which attendees will bring back to their communities and develop into action over the course of the following year. We cannot provide you with further details because we don’t know, and don’t want to make assumptions about, what will come out of the strategizing session.

Some of you have asked how we plan to prevent police infiltration of the pReNC. Though it is not foolproof, we have a security protocol in place and a security team to facilitate said protocol. Further information about our security practices has already been made public and is available on our website.

We are aware of the Patriot Act and its relation to the “National Security Event” designation of the RNC. As you know, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are also making attempts to further codify repression. However, we will not allow the state to regulate our resistance. You will not find us in the protest pens nor will you find us asking permission to demonstrate. The State asks that we only resist in ways it finds convenient and easy to contain, promising repression of those who act outside the parameters it sets. This is a threat- a violent threat with which the State hopes to terrorize us into submission. Therefore, there exists no “peaceful” option. Some among us may choose to resist State violence using pacifist tactics, while others use whatever methods they deem necessary and appropriate. But, no matter how we respond to it, violence is already present at the protests through no fault of our own.

Lastly, we know some of you have been wondering about our media policy, which has been one of “no real time engagement.” Media will not be welcome at the pReNC; this is so that the pReNC remains an event for participants, and not a spectacle for the press. We don’t know yet what will come out of the pReNC, but we will be having a poStNC press conference next Monday, September 3^rd, at 11:30 a.m. on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol. We may have more to say about the weekend at that time, and hope to see you all there.

We will not be taking further questions today, but if there is anything else you’d like to know regarding anarchism, our media policy, or our group, we have extensive info available on our website, www.NoRNC.org.

Thank you and good day.

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poStNC Press Statement
Read by Sandra Brown-Rivers
09/03/07

Thank you, ladies, gentlemen, and otherly-gendered of the press, for joining us on this, most glorious of occasions. This Labor Day weekend, anarchists and anti-authoritarians from every city, every town, every hamlet, every last Hooverville of this great nation convened a grand congress. Together, we have magicked into being a detailed plan, worthy of note, to receive the 2008 Republican National Convention. Like many a good plan, it is broad in scope, aimed at nothing less than complete control (!!) of this hallowed turf, our fair city. Today, we declare our first victory, having achieved a complete shutdown of government services citywide. This we have accomplished whilst wading in the dark tide of the State and their attempts to crush us on the first eve of our festivities, when the gentle flesh of our comrades was met with hard metal and penetrating volts by members of the self-appointed police force – a foreshadowing glimpse. Yet here we stand, and our chariots ride on. Much as a phoenix rises from its own ashes, we admit that tomorrow the city will function anew. But know this: its hegemony, like all but the truest of loves, is fleeting, ephemeral.
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Organizing for the 2008 RNC Protests: A Report and Reflections

from Media Mouse

October 3 2007

Over Labor Day weekend this year, some folks from Grand Rapids made a trip to the Twin Cities to attend the “pReNC,” a meeting organized by the RNC Welcoming Committee¹ to make plans for protests surrounding the 2008 Republican National Convention. What follows is the official report from the meeting issued by the RNC Welcoming Committee, as well as some thoughts and reflections on the planning process as it compares to other recent mass mobilizations. By way of a disclaimer, this piece reflects the thoughts of one local person who attended the meeting and is not meant to influence any of the local organizing which will no doubt follow. Moreover, it’s important to be up front–both the RNC and the DNC will, and indeed should be–protested. Neither is “better” than the other. To that end, visit Unconventionalaction.org² and Recreate68.org³ for more on organizing against the DNC.

Media Mouse formed in the fall of 1999 following the protests in Seattle that shutdown the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting⁴. While no official count is available, it would probably be safe to assume that thousands of people got involved in hundreds of groups around the country that formed following Seattle. Like many of these groups, Media Mouse formed to work on what could be generally described as opposing neo-liberal economic policies both abroad in the form of undemocratic and imperialist trade agreements such as NAFTA and locally with the outsourcing of jobs to Mexico. Media Mouse also took inspiration from the Indymedia movement (http://www.indymedia.org) and was formed with the understanding–learned from the streets of Seattle and rooted in the struggles of the Zapatistas⁵–that the corporate media was not going to report on the burgeoning social movements in an accurate manner.

Like the groups that formed around the country, Media Mouse quickly began working on local issues connected to the large goal of challenging neoliberalism. One of our first actions was a “Rally for Alternative Transit⁶” that protested the shutdown of US-131’s “S-Curve” through downtown Grand Rapids and the routing of traffic onto Division in Grand Rapids’ densely populated Heartside Neighborhood. For us, it was another example of the needs of profit taking precedent over the concerns of people, embodied by the popular slogan of the post-Seattle movements “People over Profit.” This organizing continued locally with a protest held against the World Bank and the IMF⁷ in solidarity with demonstrations happening in Washington DC in April of 2000⁸. While Grand Rapids’ event was small–100 people or so–and nothing compared to the militancy of the several hundred person “black bloc” in DC⁹–there were arrests at the unpermitted march and indeed it seems hard to imagine being able to mobilize 100 people for a march against the World Bank¹⁰ in 2007 in GR.

At the risk of being overly nostalgic, the post-Seattle climate was considerably different than now. Without going into the causes of this shift in consciousness–of which numerous causes from 9/11 to burn-out can be analyzed–the post-Seattle period was considerably more exciting. Coming off of what was a clear victory in Seattle–the delay of the WTO Summit and its overall failure–there was an unmistakable sense that direct action and organizing could confront some of the most powerful institutions in the United States. Aside from the aforementioned anti-World Bank march, a protest held outside of a speech by a former World Bank economist in May of 2000 attracted fifty people, no small feat for an event at noon in downtown Grand Rapids.

In the post-Seattle period, it was not uncommon to see people travel great distances to attend the rash of demonstrations held, so it was not a surprise to see people at the World Bank event from Detroit. Similarly, when groups in Detroit and Windsor issued a call to oppose the Organization of American States meeting in June of 2000¹¹ thousands showed up to protest the two institutions¹². While this idea of “summit hopping” (http://nefac.net/node/84) was justly critiqued within the movement, thousands of activists mobilized to confront a variety of entities including the RNC¹³ in Philadelphia, he DNC in Los Angeles¹⁴, the Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue in Cincinnati¹⁵.

By 2001, Media Mouse made the decision to attend and report (photos¹⁶, video¹⁷) on the April 2001 protests (http://www.infoshop.org/octo/ftaa.html) against the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)¹⁸. The city had been turned into a veritable fortress, with miles of fencing enclosing the Summit site and the police geared up for a confrontation. On the day before the protests, the police reported on the arrests of a “terrorist” group that allegedly planned to use bombs against the Summit. Despite the rhetoric of the police and the militarization of much of the upper city, within an hour of the first protest beginning, Media Mouse was able to witness demonstrators knock a substantial hole in the fence and surge towards the site of the Summit. Despite being pushed back, repeated attempts on the fence would take place over the two days and nights of protests as protestors engaged in running battles with police. In the end, the demonstration overshadowed the Summit and the FTAA is dead.

Following 9/11, this energy lessened, perhaps understandably so. Many in the movement temporarily shifted their energy to antiwar work, while a debate flourished over the place of militant protest in the post-9/11 climate. However, this did not keep the movement silent for long, in January of 2002 some 10,000 protests attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in New York City¹⁹ to protest against global capitalism.

Media Mouse attended the 2003 protests against the FTAA in Miami²⁰, and while several thousand protestors turned out to protest the FTAA meeting, the intense police repression minimized the effectiveness of the protests. Following the FTAA protest in the fall of 2003, there was significant attention placed on the 2004 RNC protest as a chance for “the movement” to steal back its moment. However, the 2004 RNC protests lacked strategy and despite hundreds of thousands of protestors in New York City, little of consequence happened. Media Mouse observed²¹ a combination of mass arrests and masses of protestors wandering around without any clear idea where their interests should be focused, a fact that clearly showed that the strategy for the RNC–including a “direct action” day–had failed. Energy was briefly rekindled for the 2005 inauguration protests, but despite an attempt to “crash” the parade route²², those protests largely failed as well.

With the so-called “summit” protests, there was always a tension between those who prioritized organizing in their own communities and those who focused on the “summit” meetings. Criticisms can certainly be made–and should be–of the “summit” organizing model, but in thinking about the post-Seattle period, it seems clear that they served an important function in giving inspiration to local organizing efforts and fostered a greater sense of “a movement” than what exists now. Certainly, with Media Mouse coming out of that context, the post-Seattle period to 9/11 was incredibly exciting–with numerous protests planned and a sense that either “we are winning” or that we could win. To be sure, a lot of us–myself included–never really stopped to think about what “winning” meant, but the energy was infectious and thousands of folks got involved–and in many cases–participated in demonstrations and organizing campaigns that seem unheard of in the contemporary political climate. There have been antiwar convergences since 2003, but they have largely been unable to inspire people to action in the manner that the anti-globalization movement did.

Out of this context, I attended the “pReNC” in Minneapolis-St. Paul, in part to avoid the simple tactical failures of the 2004 RNC protests, but also with a desire to rekindle that energy and sense of excitement that I had in the post-Seattle period. Coming out of the “pReNC,” I am quite excited and impressed by the work that has been done thus far. I left the “pReNC” feeling that there is a potential for the RNC to rekindle the energy of the anti-globalization movement and take a step towards building a stronger anti-authoritarian “left” movement in the United States. Aside from the inspiration that always comes from interacting with radicals outside of Grand Rapids, there were a lot of conversations that were far more promising than those proceeding pre-protest discussions in recent years. There was considerable talk of having a clear strategy, and indeed, a clear call to “shut down” the RNC²³ was issued and an overall strategic framework was adopted to facilitate this. Like the best of the post-Seattle protests, people expressed a willingness to learn and be self-critical of previous protests, and the plan for the RNC builds off of recent successes at the G8 in Germany²⁴.

Moreover, there was a strong sense that the protests cannot simply be about the RNC, but rather, that they must look forward to the future. In other words, organizing in the Twin Cities and around the country must focus not only on the RNC but using the protests as a tool to involve more people and build a stronger movement. This is perhaps the most exciting aspect of the meeting, that there was a willingness to look beyond street protests and look at how we can build hundreds of decentralized and autonomous groups around the country that are capable of acting locally to achieve clear victories.

RNC Welcoming Committee Call Feb 14, 2007

Every four years, in two very lucky cities, big money gets thrown around while look-alikes from opposite ends of a closed circle step up to their podiums and spout nonsense. RNC. DNC. Whatever. The point is that once the conventions are over, once November is come and gone, once the inauguration is only an unpleasant memory, people across this stolen land find themselves in pretty much the same place as before: a bad one.
And we’d like to offer up a movement- some real, tangible change. Unfortunately, the reality is that we’re rundown at best, hopeless at worst, and though we see liberation shining off in the distance, we don’t know how to get there.

But we want justice, and we want freedom, for life everywhere. And we’re tired of spinning our wheels in this rut.

From September 1st through 4th , 2008, the Republican National Convention will be held in St. Paul, MN. You can expect the usual: sign-holding, protest marches, rhythm-less chants, false raid scares at the convergence space.

But damned if the resistance stops there.

As residents of the Twin Cities, as anti-authoritarians and anarchists, we, the RNC Welcoming Committee invite folks from all over the country to show up and make something happen. Pull this movement out of its rut, or start something new. Let the up-tops know that we could give a shit about their suits, their speeches, their money. Bring your (A)-game, cause 2008 is ours.

We’re calling for:

1. Whatever skills you’ve got: medical, food-prep, legal, soapboxing,
circus tricks. You name it, we wanna see it.
2. Intelligence gathering. Seriously.
3. Big numbers: your presence makes a difference, even if you aren’t
doing anything but sending good vibes our way and bad vibes to the
RNC.
4. Decentralized actions: both coordinated and independent; these
cities are a playground, and you wouldn’t want to miss all the fun.
5. Surprises: Republicans, cops, starry-eyed youth- everyone likes a
surprise.

These are the rules:

1. Know the area. Come early, come often. Or if you can’t do that, study up from home (Al Gore invented the Internet for a reason).
2. Respect local communities, develop your knowledge of local background, and remember that, good or bad, the effects of your actions endure long after you’ve left town.
3. Strategize: Be smart. Be creative. Get a sense of what other organizing is going on.
4. Take initiative.
5. Keep your privilege in check. Recognize socialized systems of domination, and work to undermine them.
6. Respect. Respect. Respect. Where it’s due. But no capitulation, and do what you have to do.
7. Keep the bullshit to a minimum. Elitism is not security culture.
No vanguardism, no unnecessary infighting, no loose lips.

REPORTBACK

pReNC 2007: Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

http://www.nornc.org

rnc08@riseup.net

FRIDAY, 31 AUGUST 2007

After the months we spent interwebbing, building bikes, sitting through endless meetings and fundraising, the pReNC was finally here. The main meeting space, the Jack Pine Community Center, on Lake Street in South Minneapolis, was buzzing with excitement as folks checked-in, borrowed bikes from our stockpile, and grabbed literature. The kick-off to our weekend gathering was going swimmingly and we hadn’t even had dinner yet. At 5:30pm a group of attendees left to ride in the monthly Critical Mass bikes ride, usually a low key affair in the Cities, begrudgingly tolerated by the PoPo and even ridden in by liberal politicians.

Not this month.

Accounts vary but, basically, over 50 cops from multiple agencies showed up and arrested 16 Adults and three minors- most were held on PC Riot, though a couple adults were tap-charged with disorderly conduct, instead. They used mace, pepper spray and Tasers on dozens of people. And they just happened to have a State Patrol helicopter patrolling in the sky from almost the very beginning of the ride. Many of us feel that the police, knowing that the Critical Mass was being promoted as a kick-off to the pReNC weekend, attacked the ride in order to smear the Welcoming Committee’s image in the larger Twin Cities community, disrupt our conference, and practice for next year. The police of course deny this, and it didn’t work anyway. We recovered instantly- when the first calls of arrests and mace came in to the crew back at the Jack Pine, everyone got on their (A)-game. We found great support in the community (that the cops maced, Tasered and arrested non-pReNC participants and even bystanders didn’t help their cause), and learned some valuable lessons for 2008. Much has been written and analyzed about the August 31^st Critical Mass, and we’d encourage people to see our website, TC Indymedia, and rev up the ol’ Google engine for more info.

SATURDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2007

Welcoming Brunch

An amazing pancake breakfast was served to a small horde of bleary-eyed anarchists, while the welcoming presentation began. The presentation was an informational session to orient the participants for the strategizing session on Sunday. It included info on the pReNC and the registration process for the strategizing session, a rundown of the local RNC protest scene, and some basic convention numbers (i.e., delegates, members of the media and other participants, statistics on economic impact and costs, police expectations). Maps were pored over, detailing points of interest in downtown St. Paul, downtown Minneapolis and everywhere in between, and visuals of specific “weak spots” between downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis were utilized (thanks UA!). The RNC-WC then went on to describe what they have been doing for the past nine months: outreach, fundraising, information gathering, coalition building, planning the pReNC, organizing events and trainings, legal organizing and a little more. After Q&A, registration for the strategy session began.

The Afternoon

After breakfast finished, we broke up and scurried off to workshops such as Protest 101, Security Culture, Shutting Things Down to Open Things Up, Street Art, Street Medics, and Off the Sidewalks and Into the Streets. Workshops, of which only four fell through, were generally well-attended. There was also a much-lauded, guided bus-tour of the Twin Cities, highlighting points of interest for the 2008 RNC, occurring twice during the afternoon.

After cramming our skulls with ludicrous amounts of activist knowledge, we crammed our stomachs with a delicious spaghetti dinner. With our heads and bellies filled to the brim we scampered around town playing night games and practicing our new strategies and skills.

SUNDAY, 2 SEPTEMBER 2007

Strategizing Session

The strategizing session began a little after 11:30 am on Sunday with approximately 75 individuals in attendance. It began with report backs from several consultas, and presentations from groups planning around the RNC.

Folks from Unconventional Action talked about the Carolinas Consulta and their ideas on how to take advantage of certain geographic vulnerabilities. Information from this consulta, can be found online at: http://www.unconventionalaction.org/downloads/carolinas_report_back_for_reading.pdf

Next, a man out of Idaho representing the Beard Theater Troupe, discussed his group’s zany musical production of their play “Nobody for President” which they will be performing at both the DNC and the RNC in 2008. He added the specific message his group is attempting to get across with the play: “The feeling we are trying to generate is that each of us, actors and audience alike, are independent, self-reliant individuals capable of governing ourselves. We are promoting nonviolence and nonparticipation as tactics in the struggle against the state.”

The Seeds of Peace Collective reported on their intentions to help provide food and medical support for the RNC protesters. Some of the collective members will likely move to Minneapolis several months prior to the RNC so they can help lead street medic training.

A representative from the local IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) chapter told us about the potential for the annual GA (general assembly) to be held in the TC as a lead-up to the protests. This would mean around 1,000 folks from “one big fighting union” here and ready to stand strong in resistance to the convention.

Representatives from Students for Democratic Society (SDS) shared their plans to hold strategizing convergences in both Ohio and Connecticut to prepare for the party conventions in Denver and the Twin Cities.

The Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) briefly discussed their main goals for the weekend of protests at the RNC. They want to put their focus on disruption of the convention, hitting the hardest on the first day of the convention when the largest group of protesters will be in attendance. That being said, POG maintains that it is essential to operate under a radical anti-authoritarian framework and not fall under the predominant liberal umbrella of the more mainstream groups.

The RNC Welcoming Committee reiterated its commitment to providing infrastructural support to facilitate successful actions. The RNC-WC is organizing direct action training in late July 2008 with ex-Ruckus Collective folks. One Welcoming Committee member expressed her intentions to coordinate a family-friendly area for radical parents, kids, and people who are unable to be arrested.

Lastly, a contingent of folks from Madison, WI talked about the People’s Convention that they’re going to be holding in early August 2008. Following on the heels of this, they’re planning a two-week bicycle ride from Madison to Minneapolis, visiting different communities along the way and building up momentum before the protest.

It was very inspiring to hear the groups share their ideas with the larger session, many of which were concrete and well on their way to taking form for next year. In working towards these goals, the Welcoming Committee presented some tactics which might help facilitate these outcomes including: forming a temporary autonomous zone (or free state) in the vicinity of convention headquarters; hosting a counter convention; targeting unexpected places; working in a larger allied connection with other left groups both locally and nationally; and communicating the idea that we are an ungovernable mass.

The floor was again opened to discussion from all parties with the “ungovernable mass” slinging ideas at the facilitators faster than they could be written down. In all, the goals from the larger group materialized and seem to fit into four different categories: 1) action-oriented, 2) building allies, 3) post-convention movement-building, and 4) how are we getting our message out. After a break-out of smaller groups, much discussion on specific wording, and deep breathing, the session consensed (with 15 stand asides) on the goals…so here they are: We will eclipse/crash/disrupt/rout/shutdown the RNC, allowing for maximum participation with different zones of safety and encouraging a diversity of tactics. We will get our message out and be the ones to tell our own stories. We are building alliances and networking with local communities. We might not operate under the same set of assumptions, but we have to breathe the same air, and get f#@*ed by the same bureaucrats. It’s time we sat down and talked. We are coordinating with the folks in Denver and stand in solidarity with them. We understand that in a system that offers just two, identically foul, options, shit is bound to hit the fan sooner or later. Let’s turn it on full blast. And…we will create something fresh and lasting. When the last out-of-towners hop that train away from the convention cities, there will be a lingering effect greater than the pepper spray. This is our chance to build truly radical infrastructure, and a movement that offers new and innovative ways of being and doing that inspire even the most disillusioned among us.

Having collectively reached a decision about the goals for the RNC resistance, the strategy session concluded and transitioned into breakout sessions scattered throughout south Minneapolis. These break-out sessions included Action prep, Media, Outreach, Fundraising, Communications and Medical.

Action Breakout

The action breakout focused much of its energy on deciding key targets for the RNC. People all agreed that the first day of the convention should be the largest coordinated day of action. In broad terms, three potential targets were identified: road blockades in St. Paul, the public transportation infrastructure, and bridges over the Mississippi. To this end, a lot of information must be gathered and mapped out. This includes but is not limited to dimensions of roads; physical layout – lanes, poles, railings, etc.; entrance and exits for action scenarios; bathrooms; skyway access; surveillance cameras; proximity to police; etc. In addition to these considerations, it was agreed upon by the breakout that information regarding access to resources (thrift stores, junkyards, construction sites, dumpsters), financial targets and businesses that support the RNC, as well as information about the holding pen/detention facilities, would all be made available by the RNC Welcoming Committee.

Communication Breakout

The communications breakout recognized quickly that there were two distinct needs for communicating: keeping folks at the pReNC in touch, and doing outreach to those not familiar with the Welcoming Committee. In regards to the first goal, several ideas were tossed around including on-line message boards on the Unconventional Action and Welcoming Committee websites and monthly conference calls. It was generally agreed also, that more pReNCesque consultas need to happen before the big show next September. Therefore, there will be a call for regional consultas as well as a sort of pReNC II in May 08 to coincide with the large May Day celebration in Minneapolis. In terms of outreach, the idea of putting together a roadshow was very popular. This would serve as a way for radicals to connect regionally, and for the vision of the Welcoming Committee to reach people outside the Twin Cities. The roadshow is envisioned as a multi-media presentation with maps and ideas that could orient people and engage them in the convention resistance. It might be fun and reach a wider audience if the show was to travel with a multi-genre group of bands. The roadshow is going to be planned over winter, with a tour tentatively set for the spring.

Media Breakout

The media breakout discussed different options for conveying our story. With the ease of access to the internet and the ubiquitous nature of the web, most of the media envisioned could be digital. Building off of the success of G8 TV, it was suggested there be a website devoted to live streaming audio and video. This could have different resolution options and watermark with indymedia. A separate site might feature a picture walk-through of the buildup and protests. It was agreed that our text be translated both for printed documents and the websites. Some sort of creative anti-branding campaign might be useful for promotion. Another idea was a DVD or CD fundraiser involving the CrimethInc. Collective. As with the Welcoming Committee’s media agreement, it was reiterated that whenever dealing with the mass media you need to state that you only represent yourself and not a group. When this is tricky, defer to the Welcoming Committee. The WC’s media statement is available online at www.nornc.org.

Food and Medical Breakouts

The medical and food breakout was facilitated by Seeds of Peace, a group that provides medical aid and food for large demonstrations. They can be reached at seeds_of_peace_collective.org or seedsofpeace@riseup.net. Seeds representatives shared that they would like to send at least one person to live in Minneapolis around March 1^st to establish the group on the ground and begin planning medic trainings in the area. More Seeds of Peace members would likely follow 6-8 weeks before the RNC. Seeds is prepared to coordinate a number of different medic trainings in the two months preceding the RNC, including trainings for healthcare professionals, street medic 101, and a wilderness first responder-esque course with an activist bent. As far as food is concerned, local food activists said that they would focus the next year on building their capacity, finding spaces to cook, and coordinating with other groups nationally to help with food. Seeds of Peace folks shared that they know how to build a temporary outdoor kitchen with the capacity to serve thousands for less than one thousand dollars. Seeds also assured that while they don’t explicitly plan on bottom-lining food, much of their energy will go towards coordinating cooking efforts.

Outreach Breakout

The outreach breakout session focused on community organizing and building broad coalitions between radicals and other community groups. The group brainstormed different ways to communicate and coordinate with other groups as well as which communities to work with. Goals for the outreach efforts are: building long lasting connections based on dialogue and cooperation, involving a diversity of communities, being able to ask for and accept help from other groups without compromising our own missions, and creating an inclusive coalition for people with common interests. Some ways to reach out might be going door to door, supplying liaisons to other groups, holding large open town hall meetings, creating issue-oriented forums to encourage discussion between groups, collaborating with other groups on events, and asking what we can do to help (and mean it). Overall, there was an emphasis on understanding that all people are in different places politically, and these differences have been exploited and used to cultivate division in the past. It is in the best interest of all groups organizing against the RNC to communicate and build relationships to make this sort of division impossible.

The Evening

After a delicious dinner, Roadblock Earth First! out of Bloomington, IN gave an excellent presentation on I-69 (the NAFTA Superhighway) and radical, grassroots resistance to it. More info at: http://i69news.bee-town.com/

MONDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 2007

L(A)bor Day Picnic

To round out a great weekend, we went to St. Paul’s Rice Park for a picnic. Rice Park is conveniently located across from the Saint Paul Hotel, sure to house some VIPs during the RNC, and right behind the Xcel Energy Center. We enjoyed grilled corn and apples, delicious leftover FNB fare blended to resemble a dip, park games, and walking tours of Downtown St. Paul. Some enterprising soul even slipped into the St. Paul Hotel and dropped a banner reading“Bloc by Bloc-Taking it back in 2008” from the roof!

A good time was had by all, even Commander David J. Korus of the SPPD’s Special Investigations Unit- he was nice enough to come out, introduce himself, and see if we needed anything. At mention of the Critical Mass affair, he assured us that in St. Paul the coppers do things a little bit different than their buddies across the river; asked if the sketchy creepers taking pictures of us picnicking were part of his department, he said, “Yes.” He even posed for our cameras! Golly, thanks, David! Your pretty face is held up on our fridge with a heart-shaped magnet.

STREET AND LEGAL SUPPORT

As stated previously, folks not swept up by the pigs rocked the jail support throughout the weekend. A lot of people jumped into street medic mode as soon as the cops started macing, pepper spraying and Tasering people, and others hopped on their cell phones to get info to the folks waiting at the Jack Pine, who were ready and waiting for an influx of stunned and scared Massers.

All three minors and two of the adults arrested were out by early Saturday morning. Though we initially feared that the rest would be held till their court appearances the following Wednesday (word to the wise: don’t get arrested Friday night on a holiday weekend), all except one were bonded out before then, most in time to participate in the Strategizing session. At this point, some charges have been dropped and we’re still waiting for the City to decide whether it wants to go forward with others.

In addition to the invaluable work of a few folks within the Welcoming Committee, we owe a lot of thanks to Communities United Against Police Brutality and some awesome local NLGers for jumping on this instantly and continuing to work for a just resolution to a totally unjust situation. A lot of local groups like the Anti-War Committee also came out in support of us, and a few residents from around the site of the fiasco rescued bikes that would have been lost to us otherwise, all of which we’re grateful for.

The biggest lesson learned for next year was the importance of sharing information, accepting help, and delegating tasks, in crisis situations- this is difficult, but something we’ll all be working on for the RNC.

NOTE: If you witnessed the Critical Mass shit go down and didn’t provide a statement to that effect, please consider doing so; it could help immensely with whatever charges end up sticking. If you’re in town, lost your bike at Critical Mass, and still need a way to get around, contact the RNC-WC- we still have bikes that we’re lending out.

SECURITY

After much fanfare, the pReNC’s Joyful Sunshine Security Team feels that the weekend went pretty smoothly. Acknowledging that we probably didn’t catch everything, the vouching/registration system we came up with for the Strat and Breakout sessions seems to have worked well- people were understanding and eager to help us develop stronger security culture practices, and yet the protocol we adopted doesn’t seem to have hindered the productivity of the weekend. We did discover one local police cooperator and expel him from all activities; with only a few other exceptions, the vast majority of guests were able to participate fully.

Lessons learned are: we need to think about and develop a process for dealing with sexual perpetrators who seek to enter our communities- based on past experiences and common sense, we can reasonably expect that this will be a much bigger issue at the RNC than it was at the pReNC; we need to work on spreading out responsibilities more widely, acknowledging security as a full-time commitment for events like this; we need to anticipate and prepare for police attacks more seriously, even in “low-risk” activities like riding your damn bike with some friends on a beautiful Friday evening.

WRAP-UP

In conclusion, we here in Minneapolis-St. Paul feel that the pReNC was a roaring success. It left the Welcoming Committee with a greater feeling of unity and mutual confidence, and gave us all an opportunity to meet new comrades in person and touch-base with old friends. Most importantly, we collectively developed an exciting framework for anarchist resistance to the 2008 RNC and people from all over the country left with information to distribute at home and utilize for organizing next year’s extravaganza. Watch for a Call to (A)ction coming soon, as well as details about the next convergence (what should we call it?! pReNC II? Almost TheReNC?). In the meantime, check out info about the MKEtoRNC Consulta (http://mkeanarchy.bravehost.com/), Unconventional Action’s new website (http://www.unconventionalaction.org/), and please send us feedback on the pReNC, updates on what y’all are up to now, and anything we can do to assist you over the coming months.

With Tides of Revolutionary Goodwill,

Your Welcoming Committee

The WC has put out the first edition of a zine chronicling radical moments in Minnesota’s past. If you’re in town, copies of The Struggle Is Our Inheritance: A Radical History of Minnesota are available at Arise!, the Jack Pine, and by contacting any member of the WC. Suggested donation $5. If you’re not in the TC: Email mnhistory (a) riseup.net to request copies, or download and print it yourself using the links below.

Here’s the cover:

And here’re the innards.

Print the .pdf double-sided, copy the cover onto the blank page at the beginning, and fold!

Anarchists prepare to protest RNC

by Jessica Mador, Minnesota Public Radio

September 3, 2007

This week marks exactly one year until the 2008 Republican National Convention comes to St. Paul. One group of activists spent Labor Day weekend planning its protest strategy. But some convention-watchers are not happy with what they see as the group’s violent plans.

St. Paul, Minn. — Members of a self-described anarchist group, the “RNC Welcoming Committee”, worked over Labor Day weekend outlining protest plans. At a news conference following the weekend of meetings, RNC Welcoming Committee spokesperson Sandra Brown-Rivers read a brief statement.

“This Labor Day weekend, anarchists and anti-authoritarians from every city, every town, every hamlet, every last Hooverville of this great nation convened a grand congress,” said Brown-Rivers.

Brown-Rivers wouldn’t describe the weekend’s activities in detail, since the group maintains a strict policy of not answering questions from the media.

But in the past the group has said it will not seek permits to demonstrate during the 2008 Republican National Convention.

And last week, a group spokesperson told the Associated Press that efforts to restrict protesters through permits constitute repression and a “violent threat.” So it’s unclear what the group’s plans actually are, but its website features a video that offers some hints.

Dressed in head-to-toe black and wearing masks showing only their eyes, the protesters train by practicing hand-to-hand combat. One throws a bottle rocket over a wall. It looks menacing, until the bottle rocket lands safely in a barbeque grill, where a smiling protester is cooking up a barbeque. There’s no sound other than a little music.

“There has to be a good faith effort on the part of the peaceful protest community to help meet the city and the police and all of us dirty rotten Republicans halfway.”

- Conservative Minnesota blogger Mitch Berg

The video is clearly tongue-in-cheek and aside from their wannabe militant get-ups, the protesters look pretty friendly.

But some Republicans say videos like this one are no laughing matter.

Mitch Berg is a conservative Minnesota blogger and radio talk show host. He said the video and website of the RNC Welcoming Committee show a clear potential, if not an intention, to commit violence during the convention.

“It’s a sign that there are some people who want to plan things and who are trying to plan things and if this leads to something real big and real serious and people blocking I-94 and all this stuff they said they’d have to do, I think it’s a sign that someone wants to do something,” said Berg. “Whether it will happen, time will tell.”

Berg said he believes in the right to free speech for all groups planning to protest. But he said he worries that the so-called welcoming committee’s tactics will prevent peaceful protesters and convention-goers from enjoying their own free speech rights.

“I’m a talk show host so I’m keenly sensitive to everybody’s civil rights and free speech,” Berg said. “But I think that there has to be a good faith effort on the part of the peaceful protest community to help meet the city and the police and all of us dirty rotten Republicans halfway.”

An estimated 45,000 people are expected to attend next year’s convention. This number does not include protesters. But organizers with the Anti-War Committee, one of the main permitted groups planning demonstrations at the convention, say they are expecting upwards of 50,000 protesters.

If these estimates are correct, the 2008 Republican National Convention could be one of the largest protest demonstrations in Twin Cities history.

The Secret Service is in charge of convention security, but the St. Paul Police Department has ultimate authority over protest marches. St. Paul Police Department spokesman Tom Walsh dismisses the idea that the crowds will be too much for the city to handle.

“Obviously it’s been done successfully in the past. There is no reason to expect it won’t be done successfully again,” said Walsh. “So the excitement out there is premature.”

Walsh said the department is prepared to handle any situation that could arise during the convention.

And he said the department supports protesters’ right to express their dissent, as long as they are law-abiding and peaceful.

“That’s been our policy from the day we learned that it was coming here,” Walsh said. “I mean, one of the things that makes this country the fascinating place that it is to live in is the fact that you are allowed to have a varying viewpoint and you are allowed to express it. So we know that people are going to express their dissatisfaction and that is their right. We certainly wouldn’t stand in the way of that.”

Next year’s Republican National Convention is set for Sept. 1-4 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul.

The pReNC was a convergence over Labor Day Weekend 2007, intended to bring together anarchists from all over the country in order to network and strategize for the 2008 RNC in Minnesota. Below you’ll find reportbacks from the event:

1. Click here for the RNC Welcoming Committee’s reportback.
2. From Unconventional Action in North Carolina: “the Strategy”
3. From Media Mouse: Organizing for the 2008 RNC Protests

posted to Infoshop in early October:

In support of the call to action issued by the RNC Welcoming Committee, Unconventional Action is seeking endorsements for the strategy consensed upon at the “pReNC,” a national planning consulta a year in advance of the Republican National Convention.

If your group endorses this strategy, contact us at unconventional_action@mountainrebel.net. Groups that respond by mid-October will be listed in the print version of the call to action, which will be circulated nationwide; all endorsements will be listed at www.UnconventionalAction.org as they come in. Specify whether you desire contact information to appear with your endorsement.

It is important for a strategy like this to be publicly endorsed by groups that hope to see it succeed. This gives the strategy visibility and shows that many people are invested in it, which in turn enables others to invest themselves in its success.

Send endorsements, questions, and requests for further information to:
Unconventional_action@mountainrebel.net

RNC Welcoming Committee Call to Action: http://www.rncwelcomingcommittee.org/2007/09/30/crash-the-convention-2008-call-to-action/

pReNC Reportback:
http://www.rncwelcomingcommittee.org/2007/09/30/prenc-report-back/#more-163

THE STRATEGY
On the penultimate day of the “pReNC,” a national planning consulta a year in advance of the Republican National Convention, over a hundred anti-authoritarians from around the country gathered to distill a formal strategy for disrupting the convention. Smaller working groups focused on nationwide communications, food/medical/legal infrastructure, media, coalition building, and action planning. Pouring over maps, timetables, and photographs of the city, the action working group hammered out this plan.On the first day of the convention, participants will employ a three-tiered direct action strategy to disrupt the RNC. The tiers are organized in order of priority according to the number of participants; if a small number of participants show up, only the first tier will be carried out, but if the numbers are on hand, all three tiers will be in effect. 

Tier One: Establish 15-20 blockades, utilizing a diversity of tactics, creating an inner and outer ring around St. Paul’s Excel Center, where the RNC is to take place.

Tier Two: Immobilize the delegates’ transportation infrastructure, including the busses that are to convey them.

Tier Three: Block the five western bridges connecting the Twin Cities.

Those plugging into this strategy will be free to shape their actions as they see fit, using the tactics they consider appropriate. As the specific blockade sites are established, there may be a system of delegating some sites as “red zones” (prepared for self-defense), “yellow zones” (peaceful but assertive), and “green zones” (aiming to avoid any risk of arrest) so as to accommodate a wide variety of creative tactics and involve individuals with differing needs and talents.

Over the coming months, locals will identify the most strategic blockade sites and will be available to answer questions about the terrain. If you want to participate, get your comrades together, discuss your capabilities, look over maps, and start thinking about which sites you might cover. It will soon be time for groups to adopt specific intersections, streets, on-ramps, and bridges as their own.

The nationwide communications working group is calling for local and regional groups to organize their own planning consultas over the next months, so as to be ready to reconvene in Minneapolis in summer 2008. They are also calling for a series of local actions against oppression and electoral politics leading up to and building momentum and experience for the RNC and DNC.

CRASH THE CONVENTIONS!

###

excerpted from a post to Infoshop in late September:

A pReNC Reportback: the Strategy

by Unconventional Action - central North Carolina

One sunny day in late August we found ourselves standing on the highway. As the sun beat down mercilessly we looked at each other doing our best to keep our good hitchhiking clothes smelling sweet for just one more ride. Fifteen hundred miles later, we arrived in Minneapolis/St. Paul several days early for the PreNC, a gathering of anarchists hosted by the RNC Welcoming Committee with the purpose of developing a large-scale direct action strategy to shut down next year’s Republican National Convention. As delegates from the North Carolina faction of the growing Unconventional Action network, this gathering was the culmination of six months of networking, propagandizing, and strategizing in our own region.

Why organize early for the conventions? Why organize for them at all?

Many would point out that political party conventions are largely symbolic gatherings, where most of the major decision-making has already happened. Shouldn’t we focus on disrupting something more tangible? There is wisdom in this critique, but it could be applied to just about any single protest or event. The point of any single, coordinated day of action is to prove to the broader public, as well as ourselves, that we do in fact have the power to interfere with the rich and powerful on our own terms. There are several factors that make the party conventions an excellent choice for such interference. In 2008 disillusionment with the endless war and the party system that refuses to end that war will reach a peak, just as the public visibility of anarchists in this part of the world is bottoming out. Many issues that anarchists work on locally will intersect with the diverse struggles of non-anarchist folks at these protests, and more of these people will be drawn to direct action than in many years past. We believe it is crucial that anarchists organize early on to set the tone for this direct action, in order to avoid being eclipsed by the authoritarian politicking and liberal marches of the last few years. Moreover, Denver (DNC) and St. Paul (RNC) have promising strategic vulnerabilities unsurpassed in recent years of mass mobilizations.

…[updated strategy write-up above]…

The pReNC is calling for local and regional groups to organize their own planning consultas over the next few months, to be ready to reconvene in Minneapolis in summer 2008. They are also calling for a series of local actions against oppression and electoral politics leading up to and building momentum and experience for the RNC and DNC.More information on calls for local actions are in the works.

Eye to the horizon, ear to the ground

On October 5-7, radicals converging in Denver for the annual anti-Columbus Day marches will hold their own Unconventional Consulta to develop the strategy of direct action for the Democratic National Convention. More information about this gathering can be found by emailing unconventionaldenver@riseup.net. The finalized strategies for both conventions will be published in a newspaper to be distributed throughout the country, and Unconventional Action groups will be doing road shows to publicize both strategies and facilitate direct action training. The website www.unconventionalaction.org will serve as an info point, networking tool, and research hub for folks around the country. While planning what roles you wish to play in these actions, be sure to start fundraising; the RNC Welcoming Committee estimates that it will need as much as 50,000 dollars for a two-month-long convergence center, legal costs, and other necessary expenses, and undoubtedly similar funds will be needed in Denver.

We have one year to prepare for the most extravagant theatre in this war on exploitation. That means one year to study maps, prepare blockades, run our sprints, climb fences, craft disguises, find press credentials, procure bolt-cutters, and most importantly, gather those close to us and devise our own plans. The political parties hope to rally their support with all the bells, whistles, lights and confetti that can be expected from a class that cares more about appearances than human life. But we envision a different outcome. We will be here to ensure that when the CNN cameras pan the Xcel center on the first night of the RNC, not one seat in the entire stadium is filled. Our actions will eclipse the RNC. We are going to shut the convention down.Get ready – a year goes faster than a root beer float in August-

Local

old Snap Legal Collective : your local radical legal collective. email these folks or check out their site if you have legal questions or want to get involved in legal and jail support efforts, coldsnap(a)riseup.net

Our MySpace page : even though it’s owned by Rupert Murdoch, down with all corporations, etc.

A31 Critical Mass Support Site : info on the support campaign for those still facing charges, ways to get involved, news

Sisters’ Camelot : a mobile, organic foodshelf

TC Indymedia : be the media.

Arise! Bookstore: an all-volunteer bookstore selling progressive and radical material

Communities United Against Police Brutality : a group that deals with the ongoing problem of police brutality, both through direct assistance and advocacy

Protest RNC 2008 : a coalition of folks organizing 2008 RNC protests

Twin Cities Eco-Prisoner Support Committee : a group that organizes events and prisoner support activities in the TC.

National

MKEtoRNC : The folks in Milwaukee organizing an RNC consulta come November.

Unconventional Action : "…an emerging network aiming to complement the work of local organizers in Denver and the Twin Cities with regional organizing throughout the rest of the country."

Caucus of the Future : info site for the Counter-Caucus in Iowa

Midwest Action Network : a networking hub for midwest/great lakes anti-authoritarians

Northeast Anarchist Network : a regional, horizontal, organizing network in the NorthEast

Seeds of Peace : A collective that provides food, first aid, and logistical support to "activists on the front lines."

Recreate ‘68 : Denver organizing against the 2008 DNC.

DNCDisruption08

PNC : info site for the People’s Networking Convention in Madison.

PNC2RNC : Grassroots bike caravan from the PNC in Madison to the RNC.

Unconventional Contacts : convention-related email contacts all over the place.

Critical Mass chaos may be a preview of the Republican National Convention

Vicious Cycle

By Matt Snyders

As Sgt. Ed Nelson of the Minneapolis Police Department approached his officers on La Salle Avenue, the looming 25-year veteran of the force appeared calm and unruffled, though there was no mistaking the urgency in his hurried gait.

Nearly 50 patrol units from multiple agencies had responded to an MPD officer’s call for help earlier on that August 31 evening, and a group of police now stood near the corner of 15th and La Salle awaiting Nelson’s orders. His composed demeanor did little to mask the zeal in his voice.

“Drive down Nicollet,” Nelson barked sternly, his hands on his hips. “Herd the assholes down this way. Any blocking of traffic, any blocking of anything, arrest them.”

Paula Hare, a transgender veterans’ activist who lives nearby, caught this exchange on tape. The “assholes” Nelson referred to were participating in Critical Mass, a monthly event in which bicyclists take to the road en masse to assert their “right to the road” and discourage reliance on gas-dependent vehicles. Previous rallies had unfolded peacefully.

Not this time. The MPD maintains that rogue cyclists attacked officers. Spokesmen within the department have refused to provide details, and police involved in the tussle have snubbed inquiries as to exactly what happened.

According to the official police report, a few cyclists near the rear of the group put hoods over their heads and “began to make aggressive moves” in front of trailing cop cars. Officers tried to arrest one of the troublemakers, but he escaped into the crowd. Soon after, a second male put a handkerchief over his face and tauntingly darted in front of the tailing squad cars.

This time, officers succeeded in catching the suspect, but were soon surrounded by a frenzied crowd chanting, “Let him go! Let him go!” A third cyclist tried to interfere, according to the report, and was arrested.

That only agitated the stunned cyclists. “What’s the charge? What’s the charge?” they chanted.

Police responded with aggression. Video footage captures police unleashing pepper spray into the faces of baffled bystanders. Witnesses say nonresistant cyclists were continually Tasered and Maced even after they were pinned to the pavement.

As Donny Lessard stood by watching the surreal fracas unfold, he was overcome by a noxious, burning odor. “It was like an habanero pepper times one thousand,” he says. Maced from nearly 15 feet away, his eyes poured tears and his nose streamed mucus.

As police began herding the crowd southbound down La Salle, Lessard walked with a female companion. When an officer told her to “keep moving, sweetheart,” Lessard—still suffering from the aftereffects of the pepper spray—fired back, “Don’t call her ’sweetheart.’”

At that point, he says, he was grabbed from behind and tackled to the pavement by two officers, who simultaneously Maced him again, this time at point blank.

“A cop told me to ‘Quit crying like a pussy,’” he says. He was arrested on suspicion of rioting and held in custody until the following night, after a friend posted his $3,000 bail.

Witnesses—both local residents and cyclists—recount similar stories. For many, the issue at stake has less to do with whether or not Critical Mass members broke the law—participants themselves admit a few cyclists almost certainly committed traffic violations and blocked traffic—and more to do with law enforcement’s heavy-handed response.

“The videos and the 20 written witness accounts I’ve read corroborate what the cyclists say,” says Jordan Kushner, a Minneapolis attorney who is part of a group representing the bulk of those arrested. “It’s pretty simple. The MPD aggresively attacked a group of bicyclists. They provide no specifics as to how they were provoked other than that one or two cyclists crossed the yellow line. If that’s sufficient provocation for what happened, we’re in big trouble.”

In a September 4 press release, Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan admitted that some of the actions reported to him “give [him] some concern” and announced that an internal review will be conducted by three of his units and the City Civil Rights Department.

“The Minneapolis Police Department strongly supports citizens’ rights to free speech and assembly,” he said, “and I will ensure that this incident and every complaint are fairly reviewed.”

Matt Laible, a spokesman for the city of Minneapolis, said the city attorney’s office is currently reviewing the charges against the 16 alleged rioters. He expects the city attorney to make decisions on the charges by the end of the month.

In the wake of the incident, some observers are asking whether the confrontation was designed to undermine the growing Republican National Convention protest movement.

“It works on two levels,” says lawyer Kushner, “Not only does it intimidate potential protesters to stay silent, but it’s also an attempt to poison the well for RNC protesters in terms of the public’s perception of them.”

The ride featured an unprecedented police surveillance team keeping tabs on the cyclists. In addition to the MPD, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department and Minnesota State Patrol trailed the riders. Perhaps the most striking presence was that of a state patrol helicopter hovering overhead.

The extra police presence may have been due to the participation of the RNC Welcoming Committee—a group organizing a mass protest at the 2008 Republican Convention in St. Paul—which held a weekend event marking the one-year lead-up to the convention. While Critical Mass riders stress that they are in no way affiliated with the group, the ride did have sizeable representation from the Welcoming Committee.

Officials dismiss the Committee in their explanation, attributing the heightened surveillance to increased complaints they had received in the wake of previous Critical Mass rides. Asked about the helicopter, MPD spokeswoman Tammy Diedrich claims that it was intended to help the cyclists.

“The police department has never been able to help facilitate their ride because they’re always in the back of the riders,” Diedrich says, “so they decided to provide an aerial view to make it a better ride.”

But that explanation doesn’t wash with Michelle Gross, a registered nurse who treated many of the cyclists’ injuries and acts as vice president for Communities United Against Police Brutality.

“They had this planned and were ready,” Gross says of the police. “They’ve been doing this for months with no problems and all of sudden they need a helicopter? This was political.”

Individuals in the group recently attended the pReNC in Minneapolis, hosted by the Jack Pine Community Center and organized by the RNC Welcoming Committee. At the pReNC anarchists and anti-authoritarians hung out, informally networked, and formally networked, had meetings, workshops, and skillshares, shared information, food and a passion to carry on resistance against the spectacle of a false choice imposed on everyones lives in the form of the elections, for a world of our own determination. A false opposition (the DNC) may deserve even more actual opposition, but the RNC has excited a certain frustration and tension in people that we would like to take advantage of in order to push for a collective break from this miserable circus.There will be a report back from the pReNC for those who are interested on september 23rd at 7pm at the Cream City Collectives (732 e Clarke St.). People will be sharing information they learned at the pReNC and offering space and time for discussion about the enormous adventure opposing the RNC could entail.

There will also be a Midwest Regional Consulta organized by MKEtoRNC on November 9th through the 11th hosted by the Cream City Collectives. People with interest in building and participating in anti-authoritarian resistance to the RNC are welcome to come from all over the midwest and beyond to conspire and enjoy each others company. More exact details will to be announced when they are determined.

It’s fucking on!

http://mkeanarchy.bravehost.com/

From the Welcoming Committee:

We Will Not Be Intimidated, 9/03/07
On Friday, August 31, nineteen people were arrested after police brutally attacked cyclists with Tasers, pepper spray, and excessive physical force. The cyclists were part of the monthly Critical Mass bike ride.

This month’s Critical Mass was a kick-off for the pReNC, a weekend of organizing against the Republican National Convention to be held in St. Paul in 2008. The RNC Welcoming Committee (RNC-WC), a group hosting the pReNC, gave a public speech before the ride exhorting riders to avoid confrontation throughout the weekend. While the police as a whole use excessive and brutal force in our communities on a daily basis, we feel that yesterday’s police response was highly inconsistent with their usual behavior.

The bikers did not provoke this incident, as they committed no violent or destructive acts. Unmarked cars filmed and targeted specific people. A State Patrol helicopter accompanied the entire event. Three police cars followed throughout the ride, attempting to intimidate the riders by sounding their sirens regularly and driving into the crowd, but issued no official dispersal orders.

Two cruisers- #993 and #998- drove into the back of the Mass at the corner of LaSalle and Grand. Witnesses report that at least one bicyclist was hit by a squad car. At this point, the police began to arrest and pepper spray those who had gathered at the site of the accident. They pointed Tasers at a nonviolent crowd, as if to create a sense of panic. Nearly twenty squad cars arrived on the scene. Over forty police created a line formation in which they advanced on bikers, arresting, and brutalizing those who fell behind.

One cyclist was pepper sprayed when she attempted to obey dispersal orders. She was then handcuffed and held to the ground as a third officer Tasered her in the neck. Witnesses were also pepper sprayed and Tasered and one bystander was amongst those arrested. Most of the nineteen arrestees were held on “Probable Cause” for Riot charges and their bail was set at $3000 each.

We believe that the police aggression experienced last night was a pre-meditated attempt to intimidate anti-RNC organizers. Although members of the RNC-WC were the intended recipients of police violence, the officers present exercised no discretion in their brutality. All Critical Mass riders were subject to the police’s use of unrestrained force. This was, with no question, a police practice run for next year’s RNC. When the RNC-WC says that the State brings violence to the streets and leaves people, pacifist or otherwise, with no peaceful option for resistance, these acts of brutal force are what we speak of. We do not expect the police to be held accountable by a system that necessitates their violence; however, we remain committed to confronting this repression wherever it exists and with whatever means available.

We will not be intimidated.

_______________________________________________

From Indymedia:

19 people were attacked and then arrested by Minneapolis police Friday the 31st while participating in a Critical Mass during the pReNC. Tasers, pepperspray and mace were used. As well as severe violence and several attempts to run over cyclists.

A strong critical mass of around 400 or more cyclists were attacked by the police at the corners of LaSalle and Grant as the tail end of the Mass went under the bridge.

“They just drove into the crowd and nearly hit me, it was totally unprovoked” proclaimed a cyclist who was in the last 5 bikes.

After arresting one biker for allegedly “driving straight towards cars,” Massers turned back and swarmed the cops, chanting “let him go.” Unsurprisingly, since they were outnumbered 2 to 500ish, the cops let him go.

Half an hour later, another few bikers are arrested by cops (now following the Mass at the back). After bikers turn back to get legal information and collect badge numbers, suddenly a dozen or so squad cars show up. Unprovoked, the police start attacking the crowd, first with excessively violent arrests, then mace, pepper spray, brandishing batons and using tasers on bikers. They arrested at least one utterly uninvolved bystander just for taking pictures as well as several minors. The cops created a riot style line of police that arrested a cyclist who made the mistake of falling behind the others. According to an eyewitness as she attempted to move from behind the police line to join her friends she was told “Get of your bike and get on the ground.”

Around 20 people were arrested as the police force of Minneapolis flexes its brutality in the midsts of the PreNC anarchist and anti-authoritarian planning happening during this weekend.

‘RNC Welcoming Committee’ promises no warm welcome for GOP convention

BY RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER
Pioneer Press

Article Last Updated: 08/27/2007 12:58:14 PM CDT

The RNC Welcoming Committee doesn’t really want to welcome the Republican National Convention to the Twin Cities.

And they’re organizing this weekend - a year before the Republican heavyweights arrive - to make their un-welcome heard.

A few hundred “anarchists and anti-authoritarians” will gather for a pre-convention convention this Saturday and Sunday, to give shape and strategy to their 2008 RNC convention plans, according to a woman who identified herself as Bea Bridges. Bridges read a statement at a news conference this morning about this weekend’s gathering but did not take any questions from invited reporters.

In her statement, she said the group doesn’t plan any mayhem for this weekend. But she didn’t preclude alternative, illegal action when the Republicans come to down.

“Some among us may choose to resist state violence using pacifist tactics, while others use whatever methods they deem necessary and appropriate,” she said in a brief appearance at the run-down Jack Pine Community Center in Minneapolis.

The anarchist group is just one of a host of groups getting ready to voice their protest during the convention next year.

A group of DFL activists plan to mount Jumbotron screens in downtown St. Paul near the Xcel Energy Center to share their opinions.

“We just think shouting obscenities at the police in the street is so 20th Century,” Martha Ballou, an attorney and organizer behind the Jumbotron effort, said earlier this year.

Another group, calling itself Unconventional Action, is already recruiting for volunteers to act as everything from street medics to intelligence gatherers during the Republican convention in the Twin Cities and the Democratic Convention in Denver.

Chuck Samuelson, of the Minnesota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, believes that about 100,000 protesters will demonstrate in one way or another during the early September 2008 convention. That’s about 400,000 fewer protesters than showed up during the Republican convention in New York in 2004.

“That’s because of our location, geographically, and there is basically no place for these guys to stay,” said Samuelson.

His group is working with the Twin Cities governments and law enforcement to assure that demonstrators can have their say while the convention is in town. Already, the MCLU has recruited litigators from the top law firms in Minnesota to make sure the cities are prepared to let that happen.

During the convention, he hopes to have an on-call cohort of about 300 lawyers ready to help defend people who are arrested.

“In the best of all possible worlds no one who doesn’t want to be arrested is going to be arrested,” he said.

Rachel E. Stassen-Berger can be reached at rstassen-berger@pioneerpress.com.

Anarchists to hold planning meeting

‘Anarchists and anti-authoritarians’ map plans for next summer’s Republican National Convention in St. Paul

By Randy Furst, Star Tribune

Last update: August 27, 2007 – 2:25 PM

A group of activists who describe themselves as “anarchists and anti-authoritarians” will hold a private strategy session over the Labor Day weekend to discuss plans to protest at the Republican National Convention to be held in St. Paul Sept. 1-4, 2008.The group, called the RNC Welcoming Committee, held a news conference on Monday at the Jack Pine Community Center on Lake Street in Minneapolis, where Bea Bridges, speaking for the commitee, showed a video that hinted at confrontational tactics, read a statement and walked out, taking no questions.

The group had sent out an announcement last week, saying questions had to be submitted by e-mail a week in advance.

Bridges said the group favors “ending capitalism, imperialism, patriarchy and all other forms of hierarchy” to be replaced with “direct, participatory democracy.”

She said the group would not seek permits to demonstrate, and said efforts to restrict protesters in that way constituted repression and a “violent threat.”

In discussing future tactics, she said, “Some may choose to resist state violence using pacifist tactics, while others use whatever methods they deem necessary and appropriate.”

She said they are expecting “a few hundred people” to attend this weekend’s gathering, of which about half are expected to come from out-of-town.

According to an earlier statement on its website, RNCwelcomingcommittee.org, the group plans workshops and a bus tour of the Twin Cities on Saturday and a private strategy session at the Jack Pine on Sunday that is closed to the media. It plans to hold a news conference next Monday.

Darrin Blackford, a spokesman for the Secret Service in Washington, D.C., and Tom Walsh, a spokesman for the St. Paul police department, each said they had no comment.

A separate coalition of antiwar groups, which includes Women Against Military Madness, the Anti-War Committee and the Iraq Peace Action Coalition has already announced plans for a mass march to protest the war in Iraq on Sept. 1, 2008 near Xcel Center in St. Paul where the convention will take place. They say their march will be a peaceful, legal demonstration.

Randy Furst • 612-673-7382

Randy Furst • rfurst@startribune.com

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

Here’s a Google Map of the Jack Pine.

From the Airport-If you are coming in via plane, get on the Light Rail going Northbound. Get off at the Lake Street Station and walk east about 6 blocks. The Jack Pine will be on your right just past the Library.

From the South-Take I-35W and get off at the 31st Street/Lake Street Exit. At Lake St., take a right (east) and go down about 2 1/2 miles. You’ll cross under the light rail. We are up on the right side (south) across from the US Bank.

From the North-Take I-35W and follow the detours to 280. Take 280 south to I-94 and follow the directions below for folks coming from the East.

From the East-Take I-94 West and get off at the Cedar Ave Exit. Go left (south), and follow that to Lake Street. Take a left (east) on Lake Street and go down about 1 mile. we are on the right (south) just past the Library and across from the US Bank.

From the west-Take I-94 East and get off at Highway 55/Hiawatha. Go south to Lake Street. Get off at Lake St and turn left(east). Go down about 1/4 mile and we are on the right (south) side of the street.

Minneapolis considers restricting demonstrations

By Katrina Plotz , Special to the TC Daily Planet

Proposed ordinance would make arrests easier, require more permits.

On March 18, 2007, 4,000 people marched down Hennepin Avenue and rallied in Loring Park to demonstrate their opposition to the war in Iraq. Minneapolis City Council member Cam Gordon spoke at the event. Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak also attended the demonstration and complimented the engaged citizens who took part, adding that “There should be even more people out here.”

However, all 4,000 protesters would have been arrested for demonstrating without a permit if the Ordinance for Public Rallies currently being considered by city officials were signed into law. A self-titled Free Speech Work Group that includes Mayor Rybak and City Councilman Cam Gordon has been meeting to discuss the new ordinance, which came at the request of the City Attorney’s office. The stated purpose of the Free Speech Work group is “to protect the right of freedom of expression, and to protect public safety and access to public spaces.” Yet the proposed ordinance would place new restrictions on political rallies in Minneapolis.

The group had met several times behind closed doors until Teresa Nelson, Free Speech Work Group member and American Civil Liberties Union representative, alerted community activists about the proposed ordinance. On Wednesday, August 9, 20 activists packed a City Hall conference room to observe the Free Speech Work group and to voice their opposition to the ordinance.

“Despite their name, this group has taken no action to protect our right to free speech,” said Jess Sundin of the Anti-War Committee. “Instead they have been considering a new permit ordinance that is a direct attack on activism in Minneapolis.”

If passed, the new ordinance would require a permit for groups of 25 people or more who have gathered to express views or opinions. Attending a non-permitted public rally would be a misdemeanor offense. A police officer would be able to revoke a permit on the spot if he or she determined that the conditions of the permit had been violated. Anyone continuing to engage in the demonstration would be subject to arrest. Permit holders would also be responsible for any property damage that occurred during the public rally.

At Wednesday’s meeting, city officials distributed a revised version of the ordinance. The original draft would have required a permit for 20 or more people, and imposed a bond or insurance certificate requirement on the permit holder, a provision that has been dropped. However, additional language expressly prohibits demonstrations in downtown Minneapolis from 7-9 a.m. or 4-6 p.m.

The City Attorney staff person who drafted the ordinance admitted that, “The RNC (2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul) is the reason this came up. Other host cities have done this.” An activist was quick to point out that other host cities have not been good models for protecting free speech, and that New York City is currently involved in a multi-million dollar lawsuit for its treatment of protesters during the 2004 RNC.

Gordon apologized to community activists “for not doing a better job of keeping you informed about what we are doing.” He suggested that the ordinance would help protesters ensure that they have a space reserved, and that city officials and activists could work together to determine appropriate times and locations for protests.

Police Chief Tim Dolan asserted that a permit requirement would assist officers with directing traffic and monitoring protest activities.

Councilman Paul Ostrow thanked the activists for their concerns and reminded them that “the purpose of the ordinance is to protect freedom of speech during the RNC.”

However, many activists find the proposed ordinance unnecessary and problematic. Attorney Bruce Nestor sent a letter to the Free Speech Work Group on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild which read, in part, “We are not aware of any past problems which would create a need for a new ordinance. Any permit scheme would become a legal, financial, and bureaucratic obstacle to the exercise of free speech in Minneapolis. Ordinances already exist for marches and parades on public streets, so there simply is no need for this proposed ordinance.”

Nestor also warned that it is unconstitutional to require a permit for groups engaging in political expression, but not for other groups of a similar size or similar burden on public resources.

“If there are 25 people gathered in a park or sidewalk associating with each other without needing a permit, why should they need a permit only because they want to express political opinions?” he asked. “For example, in our view, this ordinance would have to be applied so that in September 2008, any state delegation attending the RNC would have to obtain a permit before using the public sidewalks to go outside in a group of 25 or more for drinks and dinner.”

Other groups are concerned that the proposed ordinance would negatively affect their ability to organize demonstrations that include civil disobedience. In the past, such demonstrations have included protesters who do not break the law, but remain present to support those who do. If passed, the ordinance would put everyone in the vicinity at risk for arrest.

“Civil disobedience is an effective and important way to make change,” wrote Sundin in a letter. “This ordinance would empower police to revoke a permit for the entire demonstration whenever such actions take place, subjecting everyone present to a misdemeanor offense. This is unacceptable.”

Activist groups are also concerned about the time required to obtain a permit. Large rallies are typically planned one or two months in advance, but groups also organize emergency demonstrations to immediately respond to world or community events.

“If a county is bombed or the president announces a visit to our city, we need to respond quickly,” said Sundin.

Immigrant rights advocates and anti-police brutality activists frequently organize protests immediately following an immigration raid or an incident of police violence. The permit requirement would make it nearly impossible for them to gain approval in time for a rally within 24 hours.

During the Free Speech Work Group meeting, three of the activists gathered had the opportunity to speak. Marie Braun of Women Against Military Madness, Deb Konechne of the Welfare Rights Committee, and Sundin all denounced the proposed ordinance and urged the Free Speech Work Group to abandon it entirely.

Council Member Ralph Remington, who chaired the meeting, agreed that he “didn’t see the need for a new ordinance.”

The ordinance is currently in the early stages of consideration. To move forward, a City Council committee would need to approve it. Then it would have to be voted into law by a majority of City Council members.

A coalition of community activists has already met to discuss next steps for opposing the ordinance. “Our goal is to keep it from being considered at all,” said Braun.

Posted: Mon, 08/13/2007 - 23:03

www.tcdailyplanet.org

‘Pinstripe brigade’ is hard at work planning to defend protesters in 2008

Hoping for a “robust,” peaceful dialogue, corporate lawyers hope to negotiate parade routes and defend arrested demonstrators.

By Randy Furst, Star Tribune

Last update: August 05, 2007 – 8:16 PM

In decades past, Twin Cities protesters were largely represented by a handful of dedicated lawyers in rumpled suits at odds with the establishment.Next year, thanks to the 2008 Republican National Convention coming to St. Paul, things could be different.

A small armada of corporate attorneys, many of them partners in the area’s most prestigious law firms, have begun meeting and strategizing ways to defend thousands of protesters expected to flock to the Twin Cities next September. And not for $500 an hour, but for free.

“In days gone by it’s been Ken Tilsen, Larry Leventhal, Doug Hall, me,” says Peter Thompson, a retired attorney. “Now, we’ve got Dorsey & Whitney, Faegre & Benson, Briggs and Morgan, Fredrikson & Byron. I think it’s wonderful.”

Pro bono, or volunteer, work is common for attorneys, but observers are impressed by this effort, which was mobilized by the Minnesota affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.

“This is the first time you have the pinstripe brigade on the protesters’ side” during a major party convention, said Craig Sautter, a DePaul University professor, a consultant to Democratic candidates in Illinois and the author of three books on presidential convention history. “This is probably the most sophisticated legal effort ever on behalf of protesters to make sure their rights are adequately protected.”

The lawyers can be expected to collaborate with members of the local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild such as Bruce Nestor and Jordan Kushner. The guild is an activist-minded group of local attorneys who traditionally advocate for demonstrators. As many as 50 of them may get involved next year.

Republican leaders hope that the focus at the convention will be on the presidential nomination, not the protesters, and that the convention will be free of disruption.

“America is a great democracy,” said Matt Burns, a spokesman for the Republican Convention, “and we are confident everyone will have ample opportunity to exercise their constitutional rights — including the right to assemble peacefully.”

Crash course in protesting

At Hamline University Law School this month, some 50 lawyers and law students got a crash course on convention protest issues, where speakers included Art Eisenberg, legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The Minnesota ACLU’s decision to jump into the fray so early was partly driven by the problems faced by protesters in 2004 at the Republican Convention in New York and the Democratic Convention in Boston.

Some 1,800 protesters were arrested in New York, including onlookers. In Boston, say local attorneys, authorities set up a penned area for protesters, discouraging demonstrations. They say that by the time Boston attorneys got details of the demonstration site and took the case to federal court, a judge ruled there was too little time to litigate.

The local lawyers say they want to avoid as many of those problems as possible. Jeffrey Keyes, a partner in Briggs and Morgan, has assembled the lawyers to research city ordinances, demonstration permits and march routes.

Bill Pentelovitch, a partner at Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand, and two other attorneys met with a reporter last week to discuss their strategy.

“We think we are probably going to ask the city to designate a portion of Kellogg Boulevard, probably stretching from John Ireland Boulevard, all the way to the Wabasha Bridge as a free speech zone where people will be able to congregate and protest,” Pentelovitch said.

He said protesters will need to be near the Xcel Energy Center, the convention site, so delegates can see and hear them, and go talk to them if they wish.

Based on the experiences in New York and Boston, demonstrators might not learn their march route until shortly before the convention.

“That’s why you have judges, and that’s why you have some of the best trial lawyers sitting in this room,” said Pentelovitch. “We’re not experts on protest demonstrations. We’re experts on civil litigation in the Twin Cities. We know this town, and we know the judges.”

Dealing with mayor, chief

Pentelovitch said he hopes St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Police Chief John Harrington “are going to be willing participants in a meaningful negotiation.”

Neither was available for comment, but Bob Hume, Coleman’s spokesman, said, “The mayor has been very clear that a priority in the planning process has to be protection of the First Amendment rights of those who come to the convention.”

Just what makes corporate lawyers get involved in defending protesters?

“We would do this if this were a Democratic convention in town,” said David Potter, managing partner at Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, noting a similar legal effort is underway in Denver, where the Democrats will meet in 2008.

Potter says he wants “robust dialogue” that protects protesters’ rights, whether they support or oppose the Republican Party.

“The ACLU has a client here,” says Keyes. “It’s the Bill of Rights.”

Thompson, the retired activist attorney, thinks there is another reason why corporate lawyers are involved. “Hopefully, it’s an awakening of the moral sensibility of the bar,” he said.

Staff librarian Sandy Date contributed to this report. Randy Furst • 612-673-7382 • rfurst@startribune.com

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

St. Paul puts out a police call for help at 2008 convention

From Moorhead to Mankato, law enforcement agencies weigh whether they can
free up officers for a planned force of about 4,000.

By Myron P. Medcalf and Howie Padilla, Star Tribune

The Mankato Public Safety director opened a letter from St. Paul Police
Chief John Harrington this week and began wondering how — or if — he
could help him.

Harrington is trying to get a grip on how many officers he can borrow for
security at the Republican National Convention next year.

In Mankato, Jerry Huettl isn’t sure that he can part with even a few of
his 50 officers.

“It’s going to take a little bit of thought,” he said. “We have a
community we have to deal with first.”

During the 2004 GOP convention in New York City, about a quarter of the
city’s 40,000 officers were used for convention security. With little more
than 600 sworn officers, Harrington’s department can’t go it alone.

Early estimates in St. Paul call for 4,000 officers above what is needed
for normal patrols and police calls in the city.

In addition to being concerned about policing their own communities, some
law enforcement officials said this week that they are wondering about
communication among multiple agencies and how their officers will get
paid.

Harrington isn’t asking for commitments yet for the 2008 convention, which
is expected to draw 35,000 delegates, media members and high-level
politicians to the Twin Cities area from Sept. 1-4. Tens of thousands of
protesters also could be coming.

The St. Paul survey, sent to police agencies across the state, asked
departments to estimate how many officers, first line supervisors or
command officers might be available and what their pay rates are. It also
asked about the availability of officers with special skills, such as SWAT
team members, canine handlers or mounted police.

Some of the questions that law enforcement leaders raised will be
addressed by a Joint Powers Agreement that will detail how St. Paul will
reimburse agencies for personnel costs and provide liability insurance
related to the convention.

Harrington’s letter indicates that officials expect to finalize and
distribute the agreement in the next two months.

The considerations

Rochester Police Chief Roger Peterson already has had preliminary
conversations with other staff members about what the department can
afford to dedicate. With Rochester being home to the prestigious Mayo
Clinic, often visited by dignitaries, Peterson said his 121 officers have
crowd control training that will be helpful at the convention.

But he is waiting on financial details and would like to clear up his main
concern: How will everyone communicate? For instance, will his officers’
800-megahertz radios work smoothly with every other officer and supervisor
working the convention?

Mankato’s Huettl said he understands the value of assisting other
departments. During a 2003 riot on the campus of Minnesota State
University, Mankato, authorities collaborated with more than 150 officers
from 41 agencies in northern Iowa and throughout the Twin Cities area.

But, Huettl said, he wants details about convention security plans before
he commits his officers.

Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger said he is prepared to send canine
officers and motorcade help, if needed.

He knows he could call on Fargo and other nearby cities while his officers
helped with the convention.

“I certainly wouldn’t want to get us to where we would have to depend on
those,” he said.

St. Cloud Police Chief Dennis Ballantine said that although his department
is nearly twice the size of Moorhead’s and Mankato’s police force, he is
not sure he can send significant numbers to the convention. He plans on
meeting with St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis to talk about possibilities.

According to the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training,
as of October, there were 9,829 full-time peace officers in the state with
active licenses. They included local, county, state and tribal officers.
There were an additional 320 part-time officers with active licenses.

More than half of those officers work in the seven-county Twin Cities
metro area, according to POST Board Executive Director Neil Melton.
Retired officers could be reactivated as long as their training is up to
date, he said.

Dakota County Chief Deputy Sheriff Dave Bellows said it makes sense that
communities immediately surrounding St. Paul be intricately involved.

“St. Paul abuts right up to our county, so we’ll be more than willing to
provide human resources to help fill their needs,” Bellows said.

Officials there are already preparing to have a countywide SWAT team ready.

“Any impact that happens at RNC in St. Paul could potentially have an
impact on our county, too,” Bellows said. “We’re more than willing to help
out in any way we can.”

Protester presence at Republican convention could overwhelm

The Associated Press

Article Last Updated: 06/25/2007 10:21:21 AM CDT

ST. PAUL—Anti-war activists suspect Republicans chose the Twin Cities for their 2008 convention in part to reduce the number of expected protesters.

The protesters say that won’t matter.

“We’re thinking 50,000 to 100,000,” said Jess Sundin, of the Minneapolis-based Anti-War Committee.

That would at least double the 45,000 delegates, volunteers and media members expected at the convention scheduled for Sept. 1-4 of next year at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

Many activists met over the weekend at United for Peace and Justice’s Third National Assembly, held near Chicago. Another set of left-leaning groups meets this week in Atlanta, with planning for convention protests on the program for both meetings.

“We’re going to do a workshop on the RNC” at the Atlanta meeting, Sundin said. “It should be a good opportunity to meet people and get them to Minnesota next year.”

United for Peace and Justice is the nation’s largest anti-war coalition, and since its 2002 founding has demonstrated an ability to turn out hundreds of thousands of people. That included half a million protesters on the eve of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, and 300,000 in January for an anti-war rally in Washington, D.C.

Leslie Cagan, co-founder of the group, said the political conventions afford a prime-time opportunity.

“We want to get in on the media attention,” she said. “We want to put our agenda out, also. It’s an opportunity
Advertisement
to put pressure on the people who want to be the leadership of this country. I can’t predict numbers, but we’re going to do our best to turn out large numbers of people.”

It’s all adding up to an unprecedented weekend in St. Paul—tens of thousands of convention attendees, possibly even more protesters and the tail end of the Minnesota State Fair, which drew 160,000 people on its final day in 2006.

It could strain St. Paul’s resources, which will be bolstered by a $50 million federal grant earmarked for convention security.

Dave Titus, head of St. Paul’s police union, said he’s concerned about staffing that weekend as officers try to keep peace at the convention while continuing to patrol the rest of the city. He’s meeting this week with officials from New York City’s police union to research their response to the 2004 Republican National Convention.

“Tens of thousands of peaceful protesters, that’s fine. They’re not going to cause major issues,” Titus said. “St. Paul cops are going to treat people fairly and professionally.”

But, he added, “How many are going to show up that want to cause chaos and commit crimes just to make a statement?”

Related: “Read between the Lines”

Web chatter vows GOP convention protests

Some groups have given a glimpse of plans for the GOP convention in St. Paul. But authorities are circumspect about their veracity.

By Howie Padilla and Myron P. Medcalf, Star Tribune

Last update: June 25, 2007 – 10:56 PM

Anarchists and antiwar organizations preparing for the Republican National Convention are planning dozens of traffic blockades, are targeting perceived vulnerable spots in the Twin Cities metro area and are readying to spring from Internet promises to real-world action.

An online posting by a group called Unconventional Action notes “the narrow on and off ramps” of Interstate Hwy. 94 and that Minneapolis and St. Paul are “12 miles apart, separated by a wide river spanned by 5 bridges and connected primarily” by I-94.

“For these and other reasons, many believe that the RNC presents strategic vulnerabilities unique to any trade summit or party convention of recent years,” the posting said.

It also urges anarchists from across the country to gather in Minneapolis over Labor Day weekend this year to learn about the Twin Cities and prepare for protests at the 2008 convention.

The agenda for that weekend meeting — dubbed the pReNC — calls for workshops, a discussion on how not to get arrested and “Strategizing Sessions.” It is sponsored by the so-called RNC Welcoming Committee in Minneapolis, a protest group.

While law enforcement officials are watching such online postings, the leader of the Minnesota American Civil Liberties Union questioned whether groups discussing plans online are really the ones to worry about.

Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the Minnesota American Civil Liberties Union, estimated that no more than 750 active antiwar protesters live in the Twin Cities area. He questioned whether groups such as the RNC Welcoming Committee have momentum or whether they’re just a few locals trying to alarm police.

“I don’t know how real it is,” Samuelson said of the Internet posts. “Frankly, the ones to worry about are the ones that aren’t saying anything.”

It’s the protesters who make sudden moves during conventions who are worthy of concern, he said.

The Welcoming Committee doesn’t allow media into its meetings. Organizers of pReNC are also calling for a Labor Day intelligence gathering march through St. Paul.

“NO CHANTS ALLOWED,” the instructions read. “March through St. Paul and gather information, take measurements, check drain covers, etc.”

Secret Service spokesman Darrin Blackford said that similar Internet communications showed up during preparations for past national events, so their appearance more than a year before the Republican Convention doesn’t surprise him.

“Anything perceived to be a threat will be investigated thoroughly,” Blackford said.

Dave Titus, president of the St. Paul police union, said that such examples of Internet chatter are proof of what he and Minneapolis police union president John Delmonico have been trying to drive home.

While law enforcers have to dedicate resources to peaceful protests, the other protests that don’t involve permits will demand more, Titus said. “I just hope we have all the resources we need.”

St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh declined to comment on the postings, but said that authorities are not relying solely on them for security plans.

The Minnesota ACLU estimates that 100,000 protesters will visit the Twin Cities during the convention next year. But most of the protesters will be affiliated with national groups, Samuelson said.

Matt Burns, spokesman for the Republican National Convention’s Committee on Arrangements, which is planning the convention, said he expects a safe event. Burns also worked on transportation plans for delegates during the 2004 GOP convention in New York City, where dedicated traffic lanes were created for the 200-plus buses that transported them.

He said it’s too early to discuss a transportation plan for the 2008 convention.

“We have every confidence in federal and local law enforcement that we’ll have a safe and successful convention,” he said.

hpadilla@startribune.com mmedcalf@startribune.com

Former FBI agent to lead Minnesota convention security

Associated Press

Last update: January 12, 2007 – 12:37 PM

A retired FBI agent will lead state security planning efforts for the 2008 Republican National Convention, which will take place in the Twin Cities that September.Deborah Pierce, a 27-year veteran of the FBI, was named to the position Friday by state Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion.

Tens of thousands of Republicans, reporters and protesters are expected to congregate in Minnesota during the convention, where the main order of business is nominating a GOP presidential candidate.

“We will do everything possible to make sure this global event reflects well on Minnesota,” Pierce said.

Campion said he wanted to find a coordinator familiar with Minnesota law enforcement agencies and who has counterterrorism experience.

Pierce spent three years in charge of the Minneapolis FBI office and has also worked in Cleveland and Washington, D.C. When she retired in 2006, she was deputy assistant director of the Criminal Investigation Division.

© 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Bush loyalist tapped to manage 2008 GOP convention

Maria Cino, a veteran Republican operative who last week left the No. 2 post at the U.S. Department of Transportation, will oversee the GOP’s planning for its 2008 national convention in the Twin Cities.

The Associated Press

Last update: March 05, 2007 – 12:10 PM

Maria Cino, a veteran Republican operative who last week left the No. 2 post at the U.S. Department of Transportation, will oversee the GOP’s planning for its 2008 national convention in the Twin Cities. Cino’s selection puts a longtime ally of President Bush in charge of producing the nominating convention for his possible successor.

Neither Cino nor Republican National Committee representatives returned repeated phone calls and e-mails about her new role. But Cino visited the Twin Cities two weeks ago to meet with local leaders, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and his convention point person Erin Dady said.

The Twin Cities were selected last year to host to the Sept. 1-4, 2008, convention. Democrats decided in January to hold their nominating convention in Denver.

Dady said Cino will lead planning of the convention program and be a key point of contact with the presidential campaigns. A local host committee and officials in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington are working on raising money and handling other logistical preparations.

Cino’s Republican Party connections are extensive.

She held the title of deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee and served as that body’s top political strategist during the 2004 election. In 2000, Cino was Bush’s national political director in the early stages of his first presidential campaign.

During Bush’s two terms, Cino has held various roles, including a brief stint as acting Department of Transportation secretary between the resignation of one agency leader and the hiring of the new boss.

As deputy secretary, Cino had significant influence over a department with a $61.1 billion budget and 60,000 employees.

Cino is a native of Buffalo, N.Y. and a graduate of St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y.

Meanwhile, St. Paul leaders held the first of three public meetings Monday to field citizen questions.

Attendees peppered a panel of law enforcement and city organizers with questions about disruptions from the convention itself and the related protests.

Assistant St. Paul Police Chief Matt Bostrom assured people in the solidly Democratic city that their right to protest would be protected. He said the goal is to minimize arrests.

“There’s going to be people who come here who really want to get arrested,” Bostrom said.

For now, there hasn’t been a decision on how wide the security perimeter will be around the convention epicenter, the Xcel Energy Center.

© 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

‘Massive’ war protest could land at GOP convention’s doorstep

Groups say the march could draw at least 50,000 to St. Paul, but police say they won’t comment because permits can’t yet be issued.

By Randy Furst, Star Tribune

Last update: June 07, 2007 – 9:04 PM

Twin Cities antiwar leaders on Thursday announced the route for a march that they said will be a “massive demonstration” at next year’s Republican National Convention in St. Paul.Whether St. Paul police and the Secret Service will permit such a route remains to be seen.

“Permits are not granted until about six months before the event,” said Tom Walsh, a St. Paul police spokesman. “So they can make any plan they choose, but we have no comment on it.”

The Secret Service is expected to establish a perimeter around the convention, which will be held at the Xcel Energy Center, so it is unclear how close protesters will be allowed. At previous conventions, delays in issuing permits have sparked lawsuits. The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota has said it is exploring that possibility here.

Protest groups say the march will occur on Sept. 1, 2008, which will be Labor Day and the first day of the convention. It would begin with a rally at the State Capitol, proceed down Kellogg Boulevard, circle Xcel Center and return to the Capitol.

Jess Sundin, of the Anti-War Committee, and Marie Braun, of Women Against Military Madness and the Twin Cities Peace Campaign, predicted the march would draw at least 50,000 participants and perhaps more than 100,000. They said protesters will come from across the country.

An antiwar march at the GOP convention in New York City in 2004 drew between 120,000 and a half-million people, according to various estimates, although a common figure was 400,000. The demonstration was peaceful, but there were about 200 arrests, including those of a handful of people who blocked an intersection.

Former Minneapolis Police Chief Tony Bouza, who has testified on behalf of protesters in past lawsuits on issues of police abuse, said courts have consistently held that protests groups have to be close enough to be heard and seen, but not so close that they will endanger the organization they are protesting.

Still, he predicted that protesters would be barred from circling Xcel Center.

“I wouldn’t allow that myself,” Bouza said. “It would make [the Republicans] captives. This is not Fort Apache.”

Randy Furst • 612-673-7382 • rfurst@startribune.com

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

Governor and mayors conduct pep talk about GOP convention

They say fundraising is a little slow so far, but predict that they will reach the goal

By Randy Furst, Star Tribune

Last update: June 16, 2007 – 12:19 AM

Message to CEOs and senior vice presidents of major Minnesota corporations:A prominent politician could be calling on you soon, asking for big bucks for next year’s Republican National Convention.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity to showcase our state,” said Gov. Tim Pawlenty at a news conference Friday that was short on news.

He conceded that “there is a little bit of a slow start to cash in the door,” but he and others expressed confidence that the private money needed to cover costs of the convention, estimated at about $59 million, will be raised.

Pawlenty presided at Friday’s event, held in the governor’s reception room at the State Capitol in St. Paul.

Beside him were U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Bloomington Mayor Gene Winstead.

The media briefing followed a 90-minute closed-door meeting, where the officials discussed who could best make private fundraising pitches to corporate leaders.

The news conference, several said, was designed to let those leaders know they can expect to be approached.

Fundraising efforts are considered critical to the local host committee for the convention, to be held Sept. 1-4, 2008.

Pawlenty said that about half the $59 million will be raised nationally. The $59 million will cover such costs as temporary construction to reconfigure parts of the Xcel Energy Center for the convention — a job estimated to cost several million — and staff, housing, insurance, transportation and communications systems.

As a result of congressional action, contributions to the host committee can be listed as a charity donation.

Reports from Denver, where the Democratic National Convention will be held next year, are that its host committee fell $2 million short of meeting its initial goal two weeks ago of $7.5 million.

The Twin Cities host committee has declined to disclose how much it has raised, although Jeff Larson, a deputy chairman, acknowledged that contributions have “been a little slow.” He predicted that the committee will meet its first deadline of $3.9 million raised by July 15.

“We’re not going to get into a numbers game about exactly how much has been raised at this particular point,” said Larson. “We may at some point, but right now we are focused on how do we get the most amount of money from somebody.”

He said that some contributions are coming in the form of cash and that some are in-kind contributions.

“As we negotiate what the in-kind contributions are, some corporations and some entities and individuals may have a different value of what that is than we do. So we’re in negotiations with a lot of that right now,” he said.

Sen. Coleman said there will be “some key folks and key companies in the state who step up.”

He added, “I think it is in our interest to kind of present it as a package at the appropriate time, because that also sets a standard for some others … At an appropriate time I think it will make sense to say, here’s what we’ve got. And I also think that will then bring some others into the fold.”

About 15,000 media representatives are expected at the convention. Larson said fundraisers, in approaching executives, will emphasize that convention publicity will be very beneficial to the community and corporate donors.

St. Paul and Denver each are expected to receive $50 million from Congress to cover security costs.

Randy Furst • 612-673-7382 • rfurst@startribune.com

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

Republicans get ready for a real convention

With back-to-back primaries and earlier delegate selection dates, there may be no candidate who has an early majority of convention delegate votes.

By Randy Furst and Pat Doyle, Star Tribune

Last update: August 02, 2007 – 9:24 PM

For the first time in more than five decades, when Republican delegates arrive in St. Paul next summer, they face the possibility of a brokered national convention with no presidential candidate able to muster a majority of the votes.Several GOP leaders who are attending sessions of the Republican National Committee in Minneapolis this week say it could happen, although most say it’s more likely the party will have settled on one candidate by then.

Nonetheless, some political analysts are salivating over the idea of an actual convention contest in 2008, rather than a coronation, as has happened in more recent years.

Two key factors are cited:

• There is no incumbent president or vice president running, thus no presumptive favorite.

• There are many early primaries, moved up by states wanting to play a larger role in the nomination process, and as a result, several presidential candidates could assemble a bloc of delegates before a consensus emerges.

That would set the stage for a convention in which no candidate has a majority going in.

“This year has the potential,” said Jack Meeks, a former Republican national committeeman from Minnesota. “There are going to be so many delegates elected on First Tuesday [in February], everybody will come out with a bunch of delegates , and they will fight away for the rest of delegates.”I could easily envision it,” said R. Craig Sautter, who has written three books on presidential convention history and has been a Democratic Party consultant. Both parties have strong fields, he says.

Mike Duncan, Republican National Committee chairman, said last Friday that he must prepare for a scenario in which no candidate shows up at the Xcel Energy Center on Sept. 1, 2008, with the nomination sewn up.

“I certainly think it’s possible, when you look at the numbers. We’ve got 53 percent, roughly, of the delegates who will be selected on or before February 5th,” he said. “You have three, perhaps four candidates who have the ability to get their message out because of being able to raise money, be organized, or they have a national forum or platform of some sort. And I think I have to prepare the convention as if it’s going to be a real old-fashioned convention.”

James Quinn, executive director of the Louisiana Republican Party, concurs. “I think the opportunity for it to happen is greater than for the last few decades,” he said.

However, Minnesota GOP chairman Ron Carey says he thinks the party will know who its nominee is when delegates meet in St. Paul.

“Personally, I find it highly doubtful that we won’t have some candidate pick up the momentum in the primaries and become the presumptive nominee,” he said.

Brian Sullivan, Minnesota’s Republican committeeman, also doubts he’ll see a brokered convention. “It’s hard to imagine that you have three strong candidates, equally divided after a couple of these contests,” he said. “That’s the scenario that would have to occur.”

But if the nomination is undecided by the convention’s outset, Sullivan said, the result could depend on which candidate is the second pick of most delegates.

James Bopp Jr., a Republican committeeman from Indiana, has endorsed Mitt Romney and believes Republicans could be coalescing around him after Super Tuesday.

He believes that Sen. John McCain’s campaign has collapsed but that support for Fred Thompson might grow if he can overcome early organizational problems, creating the possibility of a convention with no clear majority.

Duncan, the Republican committee chairman, said he has told state parties that he will enforce the penalty rule on when primaries will be held.

“If states go outside our window between February 5th and July 28th,” he said, “… they will lose at least half, and in some instances lose as much as 90 percent, of their delegate votes.”

One of those states is Florida, which has moved its primary to Jan. 29, making it the fifth state contest, along with South Carolina, after Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and Wyoming.

Florida will lose half of its delegates under the GOP penalty, but Jim Greer, state party chairman, said it’s OK with him “because Florida will play a dominant role in choosing the nominee.” He predicts that the candidate who wins Florida will develop the momentum for decisive wins on Feb. 5 and become the nominee.

Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., wrote in a recent article that both parties could have brokered conventions. “It would be electrifying and exciting,” said Ornstein in an interview. He put the odds of it happening at 30 percent or less.

The compressed primary timetable “creates a real possibility that no one runs the table and the real possibility of ambiguous results,” he said.

California has a lot of delegates up for grabs on Feb. 5, but the results could be murky because it does not have a “winner take all” system, where a majority of state votes will determine who gets all the delegates, Ornstein said. In effect, there is a separate delegate primary in each of the state’s 52 congressional districts.

Steven Smith, a political science professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said a GOP convention without a presumptive nominee is a “real possibility” and there could be trouble resolving a stalemate.

Party bosses from key states used to be able to deliver their delegations to one candidate. “Now we’re in a situation where virtually all of the delegates are dedicated to one candidate or the other,” Smith says. “They will end up going to the national convention, very impatient with the other candidates, wanting their candidate to stick to their guns and not throw in the towel. This is a process that is not geared toward brokerage.”

Stephen Roberts, a national committeeman from Iowa, believes that a GOP convention without a sure winner beforehand could be a big plus for the party, drawing more public attention than have recent more scripted conventions.

“The conventions have been, let’s face it, very boring,” Roberts said. “Perish the thought that somebody would have an original idea or raise a question on the floor.”

Randy Furst • 612-673-7382 Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

St. Paul is one step closer to getting convention aid

Last update: July 30, 2007 – 9:59 PM

WASHINGTON - St. Paul moved a step closer to securing $50 million in federal grant money for security at next year’s Republican National Convention, officials said Monday.The money is part of a homeland security bill the Senate passed 89 to 4 on Thursday. It also provides $50 million to Denver for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

But obstacles remain because no provision for convention “first responders” money was included in a House bill. The two bills are now headed for a conference committee. Minnesota Sens. Norm Coleman, a Republican, and Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, vowed Monday to keep it in the final bill.

VETERANS CARE

The House required the Veterans Affairs Department to provide outreach and mental health services to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. It also waived co-payment for veterans receiving hospice care, and passed a bill allowing disabled veterans living temporarily with a relative to become eligible for adaptive housing assistance.

MEDICARE

House Democrats want changes to Medicare, plan to scale back federal subsidies to HMOs and add funds for the poor. Republicans say the measure would destroy the private Medicare plans that insure 8 million seniors.

JAPAN SEX SLAVES

The House approved a resolution urging Japan to apologize for coercing thousands of women to work as sex slaves for its World War II military.

KEVIN DIAZ, AP

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

Accord shields St. Paul from costs linked to GOP convention

St. Paul officials reached an agreement with the host committee to offer services for the 2008 Republican National Convention.

By Myron P. Medcalf, Star Tribune

Last update: January 08, 2007 – 10:30 PM

St. Paul taxpayers won’t have to foot any of the bill to host the 2008 Republican National Convention, according to a city service agreement formalized between the city and the event’s host committee.The St. Paul City Council will vote on the agreement at its meeting Wednesday.

The federal government dished out $50 million to New York City and Boston when those cities hosted the political conventions in 2004, and officials here expect the same.

But if the federal funding doesn’t arrive, the host committee — the local nonprofit group serving as the liaison between the Republican National Committee (RNC) and local officials — has agreed to reimburse the city for security costs and up to $300,000 for non-security-related expenses incurred during the convention.

“We don’t have to make a general fund appropriation for this event,” said City Attorney John Choi.

Past host cities have had to rely on local tax dollars, Choi said.

However, St. Paul will use its own resources to promote the convention that opens on Sept. 1, said Anne Mulholland, chief of staff for Mayor Chris Coleman.

“We would be remiss if we didn’t put our effort into taking full advantage of this [event] in our own back yard,” she said.

The host committee has agreed to purchase multimillion-dollar liability insurance to protect St. Paul from the kind of police brutality lawsuits filed against cities after past conventions, Choi said.

The city will provide 24-hour security and medical and fire services for delegates and convention officials, according to the city service agreement.

But once the convention is declared a National Security Special Event, the U.S. Secret Service will play the major role in setting up security standards.

The service agreement includes a promise to provide space around the Xcel Energy Center for more than 300 buses, and to reimburse private parking operators who lose revenue because of security restrictions or convention business.

Officials from the RNC were in town last week to meet with the host committee and city officials before the city service agreement was reached Friday. The host committee expects to reach similar agreements with Minneapolis and Bloomington before completing a contract with the RNC.

With more than 19 Fortune 500 companies in the metro area, the host committee hopes to meet its fundraising goal — between $50 million and $60 million — by tapping into local resources and then looking elsewhere, said Jeff Larson, the host committee’s acting executive director.

Coleman will go to Washington on Jan. 18 to complete the agreement to host the convention in St. Paul.

Myron P. Medcalf • 651-298-1546 • mmedcalf@startribune.com

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

Police to put cameras on St. Paul’s Central Corridor

City Council approval will mean $1.2 million to place 60 cameras along University Avenue and in downtown.

By Myron P. Medcalf, Star Tribune

Last update: August 03, 2007 – 9:32 PM

With funding help from the federal government and Target Corp., St. Paul police are on track to place approximately 60 cameras along University Avenue and throughout downtown.If the City Council members say yes at a meeting Wednesday, the Police Department will accept a $1.2 million federal grant for the cameras, which will be placed along the proposed Central Corridor light-rail line between St. Paul and Minneapolis.

A matching grant for $300,000 from Target Corp. will also go toward the project, which could be completed by the end of the year, although a number of details have not been finalized, Assistant Chief Matt Bostrom said on Friday.

“We’d like to have something up and tested by December,” Bostrom said. “We’d love to have them all done.”

St. Paul police also hope to attain a $2 million Homeland Security grant to place cameras along and around the Mississippi River. Doug Holtz, commander for the department’s Homeland Security Division, said Minneapolis already has funding to place cameras along its portion of the river, but St. Paul needs matching funds to secure federal funding for their side of the Mississippi.

“We will get that money,” Holtz said Friday night.

Minneapolis police use cameras to catch criminals and deter crime in its downtown and in some neighborhoods.

The Central Corridor cameras would first be placed in the Midway shopping area and gradually spread out to the Minneapolis border and Union Depot in downtown St. Paul, said Tom Walsh, spokesman for St. Paul police. The new light-rail line is expected to begin operating in 2014.

Walsh said details about camera placement and quantity haven’t been finalized.

Holtz said the public will be able to view footage from the various cameras at two computer kiosks in the department’s headquarters and new Western District office.

City-owned light poles will be used to mount the cameras that will be placed at major intersections along University Avenue. All of the cameras will be connected through a “wireless mesh,” that will allow the system to operate even if multiple cameras are down, Holtz said.

The American Civil Liberties Union has raised concerns of voyeurism, racial profiling and invasion of privacy over such cameras elsewhere.

Holtz suggested people shouldn’t be fearful of being observed because the cameras will be used to deter crime and make communities safer.

“They’re there to let people know that they’re there,” he said.

Holtz said St. Paul police want Metro Transit police to help monitor the surveillance from the cameras, which will be built to handle the Minnesota cold.

Chief John Harrington said recently that he hoped to imitate Minneapolis’ downtown camera system in St. Paul’s downtown.

Minneapolis has used downtown cameras to capture serious and violent crimes on film.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has said that the cameras have caused a dramatic reduction in assaults, robberies and other serious crimes in the area.

Holtz said St. Paul police hope their cameras have a similar impact on crime.

“It’s bigger than just a bunch of cameras on University Avenue,” he said.

Myron P. Medcalf • 651-298-1546 • mmedcalf@startribune.com

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

…The latest…

About the WC

Are Police Ready for Anarchy During the RNC? (answer:no) - the worst yet from WCCO, quoting from secret documents obtained by police such as our Why Blockade? statement

Interview on Our World in Depth community TV (selectively quoted from above)

Grateful young revolutionary anarchist motherfuckers seeking RNC accomodations - MN Independent 7/30

How real are anarchists’ rumblings? It’s unclear - "Is the Welcoming Committee real?" - Pioneer Press 7/19

Fox: Anarchists planning to crash RNC convention - 7/7. Video from FOX NEWS via Raw Story. Fox tried to ambush us while doing our radio show , but failed, so they mostly just quoted from the show instead!

"Anarchist Grou’s RNC Welcoming Committee Website Crashes - very important to the great headline writers at KMSP FOX 9 news, 7/7

RNC-WC and the GOP Express - 7/4. We caused a minor media storm by publishing the GOP Express guide - who knew ?

About other important stuff

MN Independent coverage of convention cops - discrepancies in numbers from SPPD

Cops in MPLS plan to boot would-be RNC campers from city parks - MN Independent 7/30

St. Paul provides soap box for convention protesters - about free speech zone by Xcel, Star Tribune 7/30

The world will be watching; the cops will have close-ups - 40 new cameras in downtown STP - Pioneer Press 7/29

Coalition prepares to march - latest Sept. 1 march route info - TC Daily Planet 7/29

Restricting protest, de-regulating police behavior - TC Daily Planet 7/14
====

Radical history

From the Star Tribune

11/01/07: RNC protesters try new tack to get permit

08/27/07: Anarchists to hold planning meeting

08/05/07: ‘Pinstripe brigade’ is hard at work planning to defend protesters in 2008

08/03/07: Police to put cameras on St. Paul’s Central Corridor
08/03/07: Republicans get ready for a real convention

07/30/07: St. Paul is one step closer to getting convention aid

07/02/07: St. Paul puts out a police call for help at 2008 convention

06/25/07: STAFF PICK! Web chatter vows GOP convention protests

06/16/07: Governor and mayors conduct pep talk about GOP convention

06/07/07: ‘Massive’ war protest could land at GOP convention’s doorstep

01/08/07: Accord shields St. Paul from costs linked to GOP convention

****************************

From the Pioneer Press

08/27/07: ‘RNC Welcoming Committee’ promises no warm welcome for GOP convention

****************************

From the TC Daily Planet

08/13/07: Minneapolis considers restricting demonstrations
****************************

From the Associated Press

11/13/07: RNC protest plans already under way

06/25/07: Protester presence at Republican convention could overwhelm

03/05/07: Bush loyalist tapped to manage 2008 GOP convention

01/12/07: Former FBI agent to lead Minnesota convention security

****************************

From the City Pages

09/12/07: Vicious Cycle

****************************

From NPR and MPR

09/03/07: Anarchists prepare to protest RNC

****************************

From Other Sources

11.26/07: Anarchy and the RNC: Protesters Won’t Rule Out 2008 Violence

11/15/07: 2008 Republican National Convention Finalizes Official Convention Hotel Block

11/06/07: Twin Cities’ Mayors Prepare For GOP Convention

10/26/07: Twin Cities Prepare For GOP Convention - Uncertainty Abounds In Activist Community

10/24/07: RNC Security and Free Speech: St. Paul Police Aim for Both

****************************

On the TV

09/03/07: Bike Rally Turned Ugly Could Be Just the Beginning

Diversity of Tactics: A tactic is a practice intended to achieve a goal. There may be many ways to ’skin a cat,’ and this principle insists that while we may choose to identify or practice only one type of tactic, we leave the policing of tactics to the police. We will not attack our sisters and brothers for using tactics that are not our own. Having a diversity of tactics means we are stronger overall.

Systems of Oppression: Any of the numerous systems that take their strength from the domination and subjugation of others.

Solidarity: The support we lend to others in fighting for a better world, whether our support is material, political, or emotional. Solidarity is occasionally summed up in the slogan, “An injury to one is an injury to all.”

Prison-Industrial Complex: A modern partnership between the State and Capital. Prisons punish rather than heal. The Prison-Industrial Complex imprisons the most rebellious and oppressed communities in our country, and then holds them in for-profit prisons, both public and private, that taxpayers are forced to financially support. The prisoners are then forced to labor (for free or literally pennies an hour) to create commodities for sale by the capitalists. See also, “Prison Blues” Jeans.

Police: A group of working class people who have sold their loyalty to the state. They are paid to enforce existing power structures through the use of violence. The police as a class are enemies of any movement for liberation.

Homophobia: Hatred of or discomfort with anything aside from prescribed heterosexual norms. Rooted in sexism, a fear of difference, and a cultural aversion to sexuality.

Class: A term referring to the position of economic groups in society. Your power in society and over your own life is directly related to your economic situation.

Race: There is no scientific basis for the concept of race, but it dominates our interactions, even when all the people in a single room are of ‘one race.’ Race and skin color help to determine your power in society.

Patriarchy: The ‘rule of the fathers,’ a social habit in which only certain men have authority, and where masculine qualities are valued over feminine ones. People are punished for failing to live within assigned gender roles. We often find patriarchy even in oppositional movements, for instance whenever a movement is dominated by a few well-meaning, educated, white, men.

Mutual Aid: One of the oldest principles of anarchist organizing, mutual aid is the principle that we are most effective, autonomous, and sustainable when we help each other achieve our aims without dominating each other. The famous anarchist scientist Peter Kropotkin wrote a famous and still influential book in which he pointed out that Mutual Aid is a “factor in evolution.” Not all of life is reducible to the principle of the ’survival of the fittest,’ and a ‘war of each against all.’

Sustainability: The principle that our societies must live in the world without destroying it. Our practices must be able to be continued forever, not only for the next thirty years (before we asphyxiate ourselves or our children).

Autonomy: The principle that our lives are most just, and most enjoyable, when we are able to live by the laws we give ourselves. The word comes from ancient Greek, and means ‘the law of the self.’

Decentralization: The principle that we are happiest, healthiest, and most free, when we control our own local institutions. The principle of decentralization means that no one in Washington D.C. should be controlling folks in Saint Paul, or be controlled by them.

Commodification: What happens when those things we share in common, like air, land, water, experience, emotions, and love, are appropriated by business and sold back to us. For example, the water from the Great Lakes which is being taken by Nestle and sold at a profit to consumers in their bottled water (Ice Mountain, Perrier, Poland Springs, Calistoga).

The State: A political organization that exists to support the ruling class by managing and policing people. The state is considered by most, though not by us, as the only modern institution that may legitimately use violence to achieve its goals, via the military and the police. The relationship between capitalism and the state can be clearly seen in the recent Enron and Halliburton scandals.

Imperialism: When one nation, state, or economic system dominates another. Imperialism is at the heart of the current Bush administration’s policies.

Capitalism: A Capitalist system values profit and material greed above everything else. The bosses own the machines and coerce profits out of the workers.  They use their monopoly on wealth and control over institutions of force (the police) to pay the lowest possible ‘wages’.  Capitalism is a distortion of the market to provide privileges to one class at everyone elses’ expense.  This is the current economic system in almost the entire world.

Links and Resources to help make your visit in 2008 memorable and safe.

What We Know So Far - What is says-all the Intel we have thus far.

Fight The Man - A guide to holding space

Ruckus Society Direct Action Manuals - The folks at Ruckus pulled their Direct Action guides a few year ago, but thanks to the Wayback Machine we can still access them. Definitely invaluable resources for those planning actions. The Scouting Manual kicks ass!
Surveillance Cameras in Minneapolis - A project documenting the CCTV system in Downtown Minneapolis

Possible Security Zones- Maps of projected security fences in St. Paul during the RNC.

BodyHammer-is a booklet detailing means by which protesters can reclaim the freedom of movement and assembly through self-defense and protection. Its not something promoting or endorsing street violence, for all you journalist hacks that might wander to this site. It’s for information purposes only.

An Activist’s Guide To Basic First Aid - Is a printable booklet put out by the lovely street medics and EMTs of Black Cross.

Fight The Man and Get Away Safely

Code of Nonviolence

“We are fighting to dismantle the system of violence that is being inflicted upon the earth and its inhabitants by political and corporate powers that be; the

violence which leads to the destruction of earth’s biodiversity and integrity, the torture and extinction of its species, and the oppression and genocide of its peoples, in the interests of capital profit. With compassion and respect for all life we will fight, by any means necessary, to end this violence of injustice.” – Wild and Free

The intention of this guide is not to show you how to incite or conduct a riot. It does not promote violence or try to make moral judgments on the efficacy of certain tactics over others. Nor does it want to dwell on the various definitions of ‘violence’ and non-violence’ and partake in those arguments which plague and hinder the activist community. It is merely a compilation of suggestions on how to safely survive situations created by police violence and confrontation, once such a situation has occurred. Trainings which consider throwing and running as acts of violence and advise you against those actions have not prepared us for police overreaction of recent protests. This guide tries to fill in, where typical non-violence trainings may leave out, practical advice on how to get out of such situations without going to jail or the hospital, and without compromising your body or your voice.

Yes, we live in a police state. Martial law is a reality. The cops are capable of and overly willing to use excessive force to squelch the messages of protesters and disperse any crowds gathered for the purpose of interfering with business as usual. Going into a demo or a street party, keep in mind that they are much better equipped and trained for close combat than you. They are confident that the law is behind them and against you. So beating the police is about outwitting them, not necessarily hitting them over the head.

Know Thy Enemy -The objectives of the police are:
1) To break the spirit of the crowd by intimidating and breaking up the crowd into ‘manageable’ portions.
2) To provoke violence to justify their own actions and identify ‘leaders’.
3) Stop the trouble spreading by surrounding the crowd.
4) Gather evidence for later.

The aims of the protester are not to ‘win’, but to be unhurt & free.
1) March or demonstrating in public view.
2) Cause embarrassment and economic damage to political targets.
3) To not be diverted or split into smaller groups by the police.

Come Prepared: Bring banners made of thick plastic or canvas material. Banners should be framed with pvc piping (if you can get away with it) or heavy duty cardboard tubes. Banners should be carried along the front and sides of the demonstration. People in the march should link arms and stay close together. A good size flag on a tall pole is a good way to rally a group together. Don’t bring phone or address books to demonstrations. Bring only a list of the numbers you may need during the protest, like the legal number and cell phone numbers of those you may need to coordinate with during the demo.

Affinity Groups: Affinity groups are small groups of people know each other well and have similar goals and comfort levels. Affinity groups work together as a unit and when part of a cluster of other affinity groups make it possible to coordinate large groups of people quickly in a non-hierarchical fashion. Affinity groups work best when there size is between 4-8 people. People may want to buddy up within affinity groups so that no one is separated and left alone. Also be aware that if arrested the police will separate you into male and female, so you might want to make sure no one will be alone.

Dress for success: Not that you want to be in full armor at a street party, but you want to be discrete and adaptable, in clothing that is easy to apply or discard. Things to consider:
1) Surveillance: Masks make it difficult to identify individuals and if everyone wears masks none will stand out. Hoods will cover most of your face and baseball caps protect you from most cameras mounted above. Some of the best masks are t-shirts. Put your head in a shirt, use the neck hole for the eyeholes and tie the sleeves around the back of your head
2) Rubber bullets/Bean bag pellets: Placards and banners make good shields, and light strips of plastic under clothing (especially on the forearms) may help. The best protection, however, may be a good pair of running shoes.
3) Gasses (pepper spray, tear gas, CS gas, etc.): Lots of water to rinse out your eyes and face. Baking soda in water or diluted vinegar helps as a wash. Whatever you do, don’t rub it in or take a hot shower. Get away, let the wind blow it off your skin and clothing. Of course gas masks or goggles would be most effective, but we have seen that Martial Law may make the possession of such masks illegal and therefore another excuse to hassle you.
4) Baton charges: Banners can be used as a barrier for police line charges. Use plastic tarps rather than sheets for banners. Wrap the ends in around themselves so the police can’t easily grab it.
5) Bags can not only be a liability but a convenient hand hold for police so if you need a bag consider one that is small and worn on the side, or that you can wear under your coat. Try not to have anything in it that you can’t ditch if need be.
6) Black bloc is a tactic in which everybody dresses similarly, wearing masks and black clothing. There is much more to be said about this, which we won’t go into here. If you do wear all black bring a separate change of clothes so as not to be singled out when you’re not with others doing the same.

When Marching: Don’t let yourself be intimidated onto the sidewalk. Police will push marches onto sidewalks in order to thin them out and divide them into smaller groups. Once the police force a march onto the sidewalk they can much more easily direct its movements and single out troublemakers. Street crossings can be used to move into the roadway though groups may have to turn. In instances like this people walking bicycles can help form barriers, which will slow down police trying to push into the march.

Become familiar with the area before you demonstrate. Know which streets are one-way, where the alleys, parks and targets are. Parks can be good places to retreat to or to regroup in. The police would prefer if you stayed there.

Police move slow, so move quickly and in a large tight group. Occasionally running in a coordinated manner will help to keep the police always behind you. Countdowns will not only intimidate the police but they get you all charged up before running. Moving the wrong way down one-way streets my thin out the demonstration (as people have to make room for stopped cars) but it makes it very difficult for large groups of police to follow.
1) Look outwards from the crowd. If someone is being administered first aid, face away from them.
2) Form cordons around anything the police want. (buildings, sound equipment, etc.)
3) Sitting down is good for dissuading police charging but only in large numbers. Sometimes sitting is not really worth it. Horses are unpredictable. Particularly violent cops, especially those employing gases or rubber bullets, may be dangerous to sit in front of.
4) Throwing is a defensive act. It may not be wise to throw stuff at the best of times – that will only provoke them and make them want to hit you harder. If you want to throw, do it defensively, strategically, and en masse – a constant hail of debris will create a ‘sterile area’ where the police will not want to go. Remember: don’t throw to attack or cause injury. Throw from the front and then disappear into the crowd. Only jerks throw from the back. –Gas canisters can be thrown or kicked away from the crowd before they explode. Be careful! Don’t pick up with your bare hands, as they can be very hot. They will explode.
5) Barricades can be more hassle than they are worth. Impassable blockades may be an inconvenience to you when you need to run. The best barricades are random material like newspaper boxes, dumpsters turned on the side, and road or construction material, strewn all over. One or two affinity groups can lift small parked cars and place them in the street with out damaging them.
6) The best defense is chaos. If situations change constantly they cannot keep up. Keep moving. Change your appearance. Open new directions and possibilities. Be unpredictable.
7) Watch out for provocateurs including but not limited to “peace police”. These self appointed enforcers of “peace” infiltrate demonstrations and try to prevent people from walking in the street or engaging in many forms of protest. They sometimes wear armbands (usually white) and will report people to the police or attempt to apprehend them personally. Also watch out for individuals trying to instigate violence against obvious non-targets. These people are often police or employed by them to discredit us.

Basic police choreography
With any rowdy crowd, the police will be trying to break it up. They will try to intimidate and disperse crowds using baton line charges, horse charges, vehicles, gases, rubber/wooden bullets and a few violent arrests. The dance steps will include one or more of these:
1) Cops in lines will surround you.
2) Either from the middle or one side, the cop lines will force everyone onto the sidewalk trying to create ‘spectators’ & ‘actors’ out of the crowd.
3) Baton/horse/gas attack to lower morale.
4) Loud speakers, and concussion grenades, to disorient and breakup the crowd.
5) Line charges will slowly push the crowd down the street to where they want you (rush of cops à fall back à strengthen line à repeat).
6) The police cannot arrest large groups of people unless they have lots of little plastic handcuffs.
7) The police won’t use tear gas unless they have their own gas masks on.

Stop the lines from forming!

Surrounding you, preventing you from going where you want to go, and pushing you down the street to where they want you to go, all require the police to be in a tight line. It is important to prevent the first lines from forming. If the crowd seems volatile, they will hold back and form their lines a distance away. But if the crowd is hanging around looking confused and passive they will sneak in and form the lines amongst you.
- don’t stand and watch them. Always stay moving
- don’t look like you’ll let them anywhere near you.
- spot gaps in the crowd and fill them. stick together.
- figure out where they want to go and get there first.
- protect your escape routes by standing in front of them.
- get those people who turned into ‘spectators’ back into the crowd and moving around.

Now they may just charge and start arresting. At least you are in a stronger position to deal and your escape routes are secured. Whatever happens next, don’t stand there waiting for it. Keep moving and acting defensively.

If they have blocked your only exit try…
- counter advancing: this involves moving your lines into theirs thus gaining more space and opening up more exits. Use the front line as a solid wall, linking arms and moving slowly forward. Try a countdown for a faster advance. Use the banner as a plow (this prevents them from breaking your line). Dumpsters on wheels, saw horses and fencing also work.
-reforming: always look for ways to increase your number, by joining up with other groups and absorbing stragglers. Everyone has to get out and you’ll stand a better chance of getting out unharmed, with all your belongings and equipment if you leave together at the same time.

Snatch squads the police will often want to isolate and arrest individuals out of a crowd. Groups of cops will surround a person, and some to make the arrest and others to keep an open corridor between themselves and police lines. Once they have the person, he/she will be taken away behind police lines, and put in a vehicle, which will probably leave the area as fast as possible.

1. Keep the crowd moving together
2. Always be aware of what the police are doing. They are slow and will bunch up often in a straight line perpendicular to the demonstration before moving in.
3. If there is a target person, quickly get him/her out of the area.
4. Hold the banners tight and link arms in an impenetrable wall in the squads’ path.
5. Surround individual officers once in the crowd and they will back off.
6. If you do get grabbed and pressure pointed, keep your head and arms moving. If you fight them you may be charged with assault.
7. If you are being arrested and choose not to struggle go limp. Going limp is a non-violent form of protest that discourages police from making future arrests.

When it takes multiple officers to arrest or detain each person it puts us in a much better position. Also it slows down the process and gives others a chance to defend you.

De-arresting:The best time to do this is as soon as the snatch has happened. You need a group of people to break the police’s grip and some people to act as blocks. An important and low risk role in the de-arrest involves simply placing your body between the police and there target. This is sometimes called the pick or pick and roll. Once you have your person back, all should link arms and disappear into the crowd. The police may try to snatch back or arrest one of the de-arresters. Bear in mind that the de-arrester may end up with heavier charges than the original arrestee if caught. Surrounding police vehicles containing arrestees and preventing them from moving has in the past led to them being released. Cars don’t move very well when they have flat tires, but keep in mind that when tires are punctured they can be loud.

These are a few of the most probable situations and suggestions of possible tactics to deal with them. Keep in mind that although the police are trained to fight and deal with you, they are just doing their job and following orders. Watch for their weak points and times that they are vulnerable, like while they are waiting for orders. The best preparation before going into possible situations is discussion and communication with your peers. Don’t get preoccupied fighting the cops and remember your original target. Don’t let the stress level lead to infighting; that’s exactly what they want to see. Maintain solidarity with your fellow protesters and recognizing your common goal to keep yourselves from getting arrested or getting hurt.

Bike Scouts:
Bike scouts are essential to a good communications team. They’re good for relaying information like ambushes and other police movement such as vulnerabilities in their lines. Scouts can also help unite small groups of demonstrators into lager and more effective groups.

For detailed information on computer security, security culture, and resisting state repression visit: security.tao.ca

Contact the mutual support network to order paper copies of this publication or if you want to see anything added.

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STOP!!

The documents contained herein are HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL. They are meant for anarchist eyes, only.

Are you a member of the Media? Are you a Cop? A Fed? A Partisan?

If so, then please exit this page immediately.

Comr(a)des proceed.

The following are press releases, solidarity statements and letters from the RNC Welcoming Committee:

1. RNC WC Orders Tasers for Every Protester, a press release from March 13th, 2008.
2. Valentine’s Day Thank You, in response to the actions taken in Olympia, WA.
3. Statement of Solidarity with the Everglades Earth First Action, a statement of solidarity with the actions taken on February 18th, 2008.
4. Townhall Meeting Press Statement, a statement read by Sue Damain at a press conference about an upcoming Townhall Organizing Meeting.
5. The Wedge is Older than the Wheel, a letter in response to Doug Grow’s misguided article which tried to highlight fictional divides between locals.
6. Dear Guests of the MAP Annual Meeting, a letter about MAP’s choice of the Chief of SPPD as keynote speaker.
7. October 22, 2007, a statement endorsing the national day of action against police brutality.
8. Statement of Solidarity with AFSCME, during their September 2007 strike at the UofM.
9. We Will Not Be Intimidated, a statement in response to the MPD attack on the August 2007 Critical Mass Bike Ride.
10. poStNC Press Statement, a statement read by Sandra Brown-Rivers at a press conference the Monday after the pReNC.
11. pReNC Press Statement, a statement read by Bea Bridges at a press conference the Monday before the pReNC.

12. No RNC, No DNC- down with all politicians! A resolution of support for those organizing against the DNC.

13. Read Between the Lines, a press release from July 2, 2007, in response to a Star Tribune article, “Web chatter vows GOP convention protests.”

14. An Open Letter to Labor Organizations in the Twin Cities, a statement issued in Spring 2007 calling for solidarity with and from the local labor movement.
15. Statement on the ICE Raids of May 19, 2007, a condemnation of said raids and statement of solidarity with affected communities.

Less than 2 weeks to go!

Click here for important logistical info.

Click here for important info on security and registration.

!!BEAT THE REPUBLICANS TO THE PUNCH!!

In case you haven’t heard, the stage is already being set for the Republican’s visit in 2008. August 31st through September 3rd of 2007 (that’s L@bor day weekend for all of you making big BBQ plans) will be the Twin Cities pReNC. We want you to come, have fun, learn, plan, and share with us. You can get to know our cities, see all the great stuff we have going on, and take part in planning for the main event in 2008.

In the Twin Cities, and want to help out? Click here.

Coming from out of town? Rides and housing can be found here.

Don’t wait for the pReNC, however. Start thinking about what you want to see NOW and come with ideas to work with.

Below is an agenda. Note that we have many locations listed as “TBA.” We already have all of our spaces reserved/confirmed for the weekend, but won’t be releasing that information until people come to the Jack Pine to register for the pReNC on Friday afternoon, to minimize negative attention towards spaces we love.

!!THIS TIME THE REVOLUTION’S GETTING AN EARLY START!!

All events are free unless otherwise noted, including meals. We are committed to providing child care to the best of our ability. Please RSVP to pReNC@riseup.net to let us know how many children, their ages, and any special requirements. Here is what we have planned so far:

=====FRIDAY AUGUST 31=====

Noon to 5:00pm at the Jack Pine Community Center: Registration/Check-in

Pick up a “welcoming guide” with the weekend’s plans. There will be snacks and nice people. Stop by when you get into town so we can get an idea of numbers and you can have updated information. There will be some bikes to borrow, and bike parts and tools to build more. Bring your own lock.

5:00 pm at Loring Park: Critical Mass Discussion

A pre-Critical Mass discussion on safe and effective Critical Massing. We don’t want anyone in jail for this super fun weekend so let’s figure out how to look out for each other.

5:30 pm at Loring Park: Critical Mass

7:30 pm at the Jack Pine: Dinner

Dinner! FREE! Yeah, everyone loves free food.

8:30 pm location TBA: Talent Show!! Ice cream social!!

Everyone’s got a talent- this is your chance to show it off to anarchists from all over the country, and reward yourself with a delicious ice cream treat. This is a fundraiser, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

=====SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 1=====

10:00 am location TBA: Welcome Presentation over Brunch

Welcoming presentation over brunch. You must attend this event in order to register for/attend Sunday’s Strategizing and Breakout sessions. Childcare available on site.

Noon to 7:00 pm several locations TBA: Workshops

Workshops! Schedule and more info here.

2:30 pm and 5:00 pm leaving from the Jack Pine: Tour of the Cities

Free bus tour of the Twin Cities! Comes with maps. Cool. Leave from the Jack Pine.

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Jack Pine: Dinner

Free dinner cooked by Food Not Bombs.

9:00 pm at the Jack Pine: Poker

9:00 pm and on EVERYWHERE: Night games!

=====SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 2=====

9:00 am to 10:30 am at the Jack Pine: Breakfast

Most important meal of the day.

11:00 am to 3:00 pm location TBA: Strategizing Session

Strategize for the 2008 RNC. Only those preregistered will be admitted. If you were unable to make the Saturday brunch to register, please see a member of the Security Team before Sunday morning. There is a special event planned for kids during this time- please let us know on Friday when you register, or as early as possible otherwise, if you need childcare so that you can participate. This strategizing session is the point of the entire weekend, and we would like to include as many parents as we can in making decisions about our activities at the RNC.

4:00 pm to 6:00 pm location TBA: Breakout sessions

Childcare at the Jack Pine.

7:00 pm at the Jack Pine: Dinner

Tasty.

8:30 pm at the Jack Pine

Stop I-69! presentation by Roadblock Earth First!

=====MONDAY SEPTEMBER 3=====

Noon location TBA: Picnic

3:30 pm all around town

RNC ‘Welcoming’ Committee members begin the hunt for the ultimate prey: any dirtball punk who isn’t out of our town.

We can be reached via…

Snail Mail (new address as of March 2008):

RNC Welcoming Committee
P.O. Box 4514
St. Paul, MN 55104

Email: rnc08(a)riseup.net

MySpace: MySpace

To be added to our announcements list, email rnc08-subscribe(a)lists.riseup.net.

Legal: If you have legal questions or want to get involved in legal and jail support efforts, email Cold Snap Legal Collective, coldsnap(a)riseup.net

Updated July 2008

1. What is your media policy?

Currently, the policy we have consensed on is one of “limited real-time engagement with the media.” This means that we

may send out press releases and update this FAQ;

may do real-time engagement with independently owned and operated media (e.g., Indymedia, community-based radio programs, newspapers that serve local communities). Even so, each request will be reviewed individually on a case-case basis.

will consider answering further questions submitted to rncwcmedia@riseup.net or rnc08media@riseup.net. These questions/possible answers will be brought to the full Welcoming Committee for discussion and approval at the first meeting following their submission.

DO NOT do on-the-spot interviews;

DO NOT answer new questions, give new answers, or agree to interviews without the approval of the full Welcoming Committee;

DO NOT allow members of the media, acting in that capacity, to sit in on our meetings.

Our group is in constant flux, and we expect our media policy to evolve with us and the context in which we are working.

2. Why the media policy?

Well, we’re very busy and frankly don’t have time to entertain every interview request - even if we wanted to. Since the capitalist press has historically been used as the mouthpiece for corporations and the state, we have decided to focus our efforts on “friendly” media such as Indymedia and community-based media. As anarchists and anti-authoritarians, we operate on group consensus which prohibits one person from talking for or on behalf of the larger group without expressed approval.

THE NCs…

3. Why the RNC? What are your goals? Is there a broader purpose to what you’re doing?

Because it’s coming here. Oh, and because as a political party which controls an enormous portion of state power, the Republicans are responsible for an enormous amount of the horror and devastation currently experienced by the world and its peoples. As for a broader purpose, we want not only to ‘protest’ something, but also to continue to build a culture of liberation, where all people can be free. Most people are appalled with what the government is doing, but their dissent stops with voting for the other guy, or with cynical disengagement from the political system. Our resistance is justified, and we want our resistance to be constructive and creative.

4.Why specifically would anarchists protest a largely symbolic convention?

The RNC is a dog-and-pony show designed to put a flashy veneer on this farce of democracy and promote their candidate over the other guy. It is important for us to smash away this facade and present alternative ways of organizing based on honest and fair participation in decision making, not just the symbolism of a once-every-two-years ballot.

5. Why this strategy? Why blockade?

At the first pReNC in August of 2007 groups and individuals from all over the country met to come up with an approach to the RNC. The RNC-WC is committed to helping make their dreams come true. Many liked the idea of blockading for different reasons.

The most “direct” way to oppose a dog-and-pony show is just to stop it. It’s worth recognizing that the RNC is a symbolic event- we all know who the nominee is, and the convention is just a chance for his party to gather and toast themselves at our expense. We will not allow any ruling party in this country to have a celebration after centuries of brutality and exploitation both here and abroad. We wish to both break the spell of the normative politic and demonstrate our rage over the brutality our world has faced.

6. What about the DNC?

We resist the politics of representation and support a vision of life where we run our own affairs, directly and without political parties. Therefore, we are also opposed to the DNC. But, the RNC happens to be coming to the Twin Cities. (See our anti-DNC Support Statement.)

7.Is there an overarching message you are trying to get out?

As an informational clearinghouse the RNC-WC is not arranging to put out a particular message. Rather, we are working to facilitate the diversity of messages that will be present. There are a lot of reasons not to like the RNC and we are doing our best to make sure the people behind those reasons have the resources they need.

8. What was the pReNC?

The pReNC, or Pre-RNC, was a national event that the Welcoming Committee held in September 2007, exactly one year in advance of the 2008 RNC. It was a weekend of workshops and skill shares culminating in a decentralized strategy session to help prepare for the 2008 RNC. We want people to know, and respect, our local culture and our cities the way we do. For people from other parts of the country, the pReNC served as a way of getting to know our cities. You can read more in the pReNC Report Back.

9. What was the pReNC 5.3?

The pReNC 5.3 was a one day, non-hierarchical spokes-council meeting at the beginning of May. Representatives of organized affinity groups from various parts of the nation met to share strategies for resistance to the RNC in September.

WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE BELIEVE…

10. What is meant by “Crash the Convention”?

Crash the convention is one half of the Welcoming Committee’s call to action - quite literally the action component of what we as a logistical organization are facilitating. Crashing the convention is open to interpretation - By crashing, we can set realistic goals that are incremental rather than setting up a dichotomous failure/success scenario by a call to “shut down” the convention. We refuse to confine our potential by imposing a single vision of what success will look like. Blockading is crashing the convention, as is radical street theater performed outside the Xcel. Carefully orchestrated acts of civil disobedience could easily constitute crashing the convention as could spontaneous acts of direct action.

11. What is “3S”?

Swarm, seize, stay is an updated description of our blockading strategy as consensed upon by those attending pReNC 5.3. While not qualitatively different than the original call to blockade, swarm, seize, stay is a helpful way to talk about this strategy and helps to envision what this might look like in the streets. People will move into/around Downtown St. Paul via *swarms* of varying sizes, from multiple directions, and with diverse tactical intentions. They will then *Seize*space through both hard (e.g., lockboxes) and soft (e.g. congestion), fixed and mobile, blockading methods. With different goals in mind and with different tactics being employed, folks will *Stay* engaged with the situation in downtown St. Paul as long as necessary.

12. Who are you? How do you operate? What do you do?

We are a group of Twin Cities residents facilitating resistance to the 2008 Republican National Convention. Fed up with our dysfunctional and oppressive social system, we are organizing for a world of justice, equality, and direct democracy. We all agree on our Points of Unity. We operate by consensus, and our activities are planned and executed collectively. As anarchists and anti-authoritarians, we’re very diverse. We’re often portrayed as mindlessly destructive but, in contrast to our critics, we recognize that the power for positive change lies directly in our hands, and not in the hands of an elite few.

13. By August of 2008, how many do you hope will have joined your cause?

We are not a cause, nor are we looking to recruit people purely for

spectacle. We are not a membership driven organization. Our goal is not to

pull people to a cause, but rather to support and coordinate a diversity

of causes. That being said, our networks reach thousands.

14. What is consensus?

It’s a collective decision-making process for groups of diverse or like-minded people. There are many different ways to practice consensus, but the main principle is always to avoid subjecting any member of the group to a collective decision they find repellent. If one blocks (or does not support the decision being made), it should be the responsibility of all group members to come to a collective compromise that respects all opinions voiced on the issue.

15. What is anarchism?

Short answer: Democracy without government.

Longer answer: The radical notion that people ought to be allowed to control their own lives, and not each other’s. There are lots of different varieties of anarchism, but all share this basic principle that people are the best masters of their lives. We believe that the notion that we must be protected from each other is an idea intended to keep people within our society divided and living in fear of one another so we will be easier to control.

One group’s vision of what anarchism really stands for can be found at the Anarchist FAQ, a useful tool for any journalist who wishes to appear to have a basic understanding of what he or she writes.

16. How would anarchism work on a large scale?

Generally, the point of anarchism is to reduce the scale of operations. Communities should have the resources and power to manage themselves, but not enough to control others. We don’t imagine one utopia replacing the current system (which isn’t working on a large scale, either) but, rather, innumerable communities adapting to their unique environments.

17. But that’s just chaos, isn’t it?

Only in the sense physics gives to the word: generative, creative, the basis of all life, a ‘hidden order.’

18. What would you do without, and don’t people need, cops and prisons?

The fact that a society needs to coerce its members into behaving and following the rules is a sign that things aren’t going so well. Real problem solving in communities doesn’t and can’t occur through authoritarian intervention. On the other hand, there are effective models of restorative justice that have been in practice for thousands of years.

19. Don’t people need money to motivate them?

We are all flawed, and we live in a system that exploits our imperfections and pits us against each other, making money necessary to motivate us towards action. Anarchism is about creating a world in which it is easier for people to be and do good. History and personal life-experience have demonstrated time and time again that people have a deep capacity for caring and empathy, and a strong tendency towards mutual aid. An historical example of mutual aid is the reaction to the crisis for the people of the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, during which ordinary people went out of their way to help others. Organizations such as FEMA and the Red Cross, with paid staff supposedly trained to respond to such a crisis, failed the residents of the gulf coast, while unpaid community groups, such as Common Ground, provided substantial relief.

20. How to you plan to work with other groups?

The Welcoming Committee is a coalitional group, with participant individuals rooted and working in a variety of communities. For us, our Points of Unity are our bottom line, however, to the extent that we can do so without compromising our core values, we’re willing to work with groups that don’t compleately share our Points of Unity.

There are several other anarchist/anti-authoritarian groups with which we are aligned and who we have collaborated with to create the Crash the Convention (link) and Swarm Seize Stay (link) calls. Many can be found here (link to endorsements).

We are also members of the “Protest RNC 2008” coalition and have endorsed the large Sept 1st march.

A recent result of our coalition work produced the “St. Paul Principles”, tactical and strategic principles which have been agreed to by a broad spectrum of groups planning to resist the 2008 RNC. The principles are:

1. Our solidarity will be based on respect for a diversity of tactics and the plans of other groups.

2. The actions and tactics used will be organized to maintain a separation of time or space.

3. Any debates or criticisms will stay internal to the movement, avoiding any public or media denunciations of fellow activists and events.

4. We oppose any state repression of dissent, including surveillance, infiltration, disruption and violence. We agree not to assist law enforcement actions against activists and others.

You can read more about the St. Paul Principles here (http://www.nornc.org/st-paul-principles/).

The Welcoming Committee expects to contribute to a broad base of resistance, but we don’t feel the need to control or direct everything that goes on in the lead up to, during, or after the RNC.

21. Do you intend to apply for a permit to protest?

The Welcoming Committee is NOT planning specific actions. The WC’s role is to serve as a clearinghouse for groups that have action plans. That said, we do not intend to allow the state to dictate the form of our resistance. Requiring permits simply to exercise one’s freedom of speech is a tactic used by the state in an attempt to create divisions by labeling some protesters “good” and others “bad.” The Welcoming Committee is in solidarity with all groups preparing to resist the RNC, whether they seek to obtain a permit or not.

22. How did you get the GOP Express plans?

The document in question, a scanned PDF of a print-out of a PowerPoint presentation called “GOP Express,” is one of many documents produced by the City of St. Paul in a lawsuit brought against them by groups planning an anti-war march for the first day of the Republican National Convention. The Welcoming Committee, an anarchist organizing body preparing for RNC protests, has positioned itself as a clearinghouse for convention-related information, and provides any and all relevant material through its website.

Why do you want to Recreate 68? What is your relationship to the 68 protests? What is your relationship to the WTO in Seattle?

We are not Chicago in 68 or Seattle in 99. While we may draw inspiration from actions of the past, it is important that we not hold them up to be unattainable “high water marks”. Rather they are battles with some elements of victory meant to be built on and surpassed.

23. How do you keep a reporter busy for hours?

See frequently asked question #39.

24. What about the Republicans right to free speech?

Rights imply a legitimate authority that grants them and can take them away. We believe social life needs to be cooperatively determined by its participants. The question is not what someone’s “right” is, but rather what is the socially responsible course.

Secondly, the Republicans aren’t just getting together to speak. They are hijacking resources from our local communities to further their irresponsible behaviors of murderous war and environmental devastation. That is not okay with us.

25. Wouldn’t you achieve more working within the system? How do you feel about Obama?

We would be the first to admit that Barak Obama is highly charismatic and very handsome. However, not even his remarkable good looks and devilish charm are enough to compensate for all the problems of our two party system. We do not have a preferred candidate. We do not believe that one man, woman or child should hold the lives of millions in his or her hand. We prefer to think that all of us should have a part in making decisions that affect our lives, not just one person, no matter how good looking they may be.

Time and again we have watched those around us invest tremendous energy in reforming and changing our bankrupt political system from the inside only to receive little or no return on the investment of their time and energy. The 2004 Kerry campaign is an excellent example. Millions of dollars and endless volunteer hours were put into an effort that eventually yielded nothing but bitter tears. Consequently, we are skeptical that efforts to change the system from within are worthwhile or effective. We choose to spend our time and energy attempting to affect change by building alternative systems that protect and sustain our communities, instead of modifying or placating a system that attempts to destroy them.

26. Won’t your actions backfire and drum up sympathy for the Republicans? Won’t your tactics drive people away?

For every person turned off by the site of mass actions in the street, for every individual frustrated by the blockades, there is at least one who is saying ‘it’s about time.’ Most people are unhappy with the current state of the world. Many of us are just trying to figure out what we can do to makes things better. The Crash the Convention efforts and Swarm, Seize, Stay strategy are examples of such attempts and we think the spirit of dissent and participation will actually resonate strongly with many people.

Moreover, we strongly believe that if a true movement is ever going to emerge, it will only emerge if all of us are honest in word and action about what we believe. Our actions in St. Paul are a reflection of the politics that we believe in. We deeply believe in systems of decision making that offer everyone a voice, work towards a livable and loving world and defend that world from those who would destroy it. It is not enough to believe these things, it is only by acting on them that we give our hopes any chance to take hold and multiply.

We acknowledge that not everyone will be on board for this. As radicals we understand that there are real and meaningful differences in what everyone believes and we do not downplay those differences or attempt to hide them behind a smokescreen suggesting we are all on the same page. Some people really do value property and order over justice and participation. Some people really do think that we should not have a say in our own lives. We believe something different. We believe in justice, autonomy and participation. And we believe that most people out there hold similar ideas deep inside. We think that everyone wants a say in how their lives are governed and we hope our example will give people inspiration to stand up for themselves.

27. Are you the vanguard? Will you lead us to revolution?

We are not acting as leaders but rather are acting as the dictates of our conscience compels. We do not desire to be silently revered. Rather we hope that you may become your own leader and act as your heart compels.

28. What are you gonna do after the revolution?

Grow a garden along a stream and make love until harvest…

THE QUESTIONS WE’RE TIRED OF ANSWERING

29. Isn’t anarchist organizing a contradiction in terms?

Nope. We’re not against organization. Few anarchist theories disallow organization. Many use the term “voluntary association” to describe an individual’s agency to determine their willingness and ability to work with any particular social contract (which they are also a part of creating/changing/adapting). We’re against hierarchy and coercion. We’re anarchists, we’re organizing, and you can’t prove we don’t exist. Deal with it.

30. (Insert question about rock throwing/smashing windows)

As the Welcoming Committee, we refuse to condemn the defense of individuals, communities, and the Earth. Most violence comes from the state. When you come to St. Paul in September, look around: we won’t be the ones with nightsticks, guns, and Tasers.

31. What’s your stance on violence and property destruction?

Destruction bad. Property bad. The concept of property is used to deprive people of the basic necessities of life. We live here, and want to live in beautiful, clean environments, just like you. We also believe we have a right to defend ourselves, and if the tools used to attack us include the tools of property, it’s not exempt.

32. But haven’t all of society’s gains been made by “non-violent” action?

First, while we support oppressed peoples defending themselves with whatever means appropriate, our blockading strategy does not call for violence.

Power will use whatever means are most effective to maintain control. The primary tool of state control is violence whether physical, economic, or psychological. The state will use violence when needed to put down dissent. The only check on state violence is the risk of losing sovereignty and with that facing greater dissent. When “non-violent” action has seemed to be successful it is not because the appeals of the masses tugged at the hearts of the men in power. Rather, it becomes clear to those in power that if they don’t deal with the more moderate protests the protesters will all become “extremists”, and more voices will rise in protest. So, ultimately those who are behaving in a more moderate fashion receive a space at the table in order to keep the “radicals” out and to prevent the radicalization of the moderates. So, even the moderates have the state’s fear of radical action backing up their arguments.

33. Are you planning confrontation with the police?

The RNC-Welcoming Committee is not planning actions let alone confrontations with the police. In the twin cities’ history of protest, it has always been the police that have instigated violent confrontation; we have no reason to believe the RNC will be any different. Unfortunately, this is the logical outcome when the police are given millions of tax dollars to upgrade their arsenals specifically for the RNC. To be sure, it is the police and not the protesters who will be armed with water cannons, tasers, percussion grenades, rubber bullets, helicopters, and tear gas this September.

34. Will Black Bloc, Inc. be at the RNC?

Black blocking is a tactic, not a group, association, or corporation. Black blockers dress alike in order to minimize the targeting of individuals. Insofar as they further our struggles for autonomy, peace, and liberation, we stand for black bloc tactics.

35. Why black?

Black ain’t the absence of color, it’s the combination of all of them. Also, it matches everything and doesn’t show dirt and grime.

36. Why do you try to hide your identities? What are you afraid of?

There are at least two good reasons for people to be wearing masks at the RNC actions. First, the presence of the mask allows people witnessing the action live or seeing it after through media to focus on what happened rather than on the identity of the people involved. We are not Stopping the RNC in order to score good karma points, or advance our activist credentials. We are here taking actions that present an alternative to a heartless, destructive system that we oppose. We want people to focus on those actions and what they mean rather than our names.

Second, the presence of masks helps all of us become a group and helps lower the risk or police violence targeting any one person at the protest or in the time following it. We are not so naïve as to believe that our actions will be without consequences. Masks present us with an opportunity to act on our politics and continue our work without having to constantly look over our shoulders for police reprisals.

37. Sure your tactics seem to make sense, but aren’t you worried about the way the media will spin it?

It is true that the media has been historically unfriendly to anarchist/anti-authoritarian causes. However, we are not basing our actions on possible media perspective. If we spent our time worrying that a few giant media conglomerates would think poorly of us we would never do anything to resist. We have attempted to maintain some control over our interactions with the media by consistently refusing requests by corporate media for interviews and explaining our actions through highly informative and extremely educational press releases. Also, all media outlets have equal access to our FAQs which have been reviewed and agreed upon in welcoming committee meetings. However, we understand that a large scale movement will not be built thanks to the support of major media outlets. There is even an outside chance that the revolution will not be televised. At the end of the day we are doing what we believe in. We will crash the Republican National Convention and the media can spin that however they want.

38. So you’re all white kids, from middle and upper-middle class backgrounds, right?

Nope. There is a mixture of class backgrounds in the RNC-WC; some of us are quite proud of our working-class families. Similarly, we’re not all kids — some of us have been active anarchists for more than 30 years.

We support and share a movement with the anti-authoritarian struggles of people of color around the world, and we learn from them. The Zapatistas in Chiapas; African-Americans trying to reclaim New Orleans against the wealthy interests who would steal it away from them; Argentinean workers who occupy and reopen abandoned factories as worker-run enterprises; striking teachers and their supporters in Oaxaca; the on-going struggle of MOVE members in Philadelphia – all inspire us and give us a lot to think about. While not always anarchist in name, these movements and others throughout history, across racial and geographic boundaries, manifest the principles we strive to enact. Like others, we work for a world in which ordinary people have more say in their own lives; where wealth is distributed equally; where democracy is not reduced to voting for the lesser of two evils every four years; where people are not bombed and robbed by their own governments; and where no one thinks that skin color says anything about the inherent worth of a person. Anti-racism is very much within our core philosophy.

At this time, the group consists primarily of people with white-skin privilege. We believe that we can, and certainly want to be, a strongly anti-racist group nonetheless. We intend to interact with communities of color in the same way that we intend to interact with all communities devastated by capitalism, imperialism and the state - with respect, empathy and solidarity. We have all been socialized into a racist system; racism exists everywhere in this society, even within radical circles, and we realize that claiming the title of “anarchist” doesn’t automatically change that. To be genuinely anti-authoritarian means to resist domination and subjugation through race as much as through class, gender, sexuality, or any of the identities and intersections thereof exploited by our oppressors as a means to divide our movement.

39. What’s the best way to occupy a reporter for hours on end?

See frequently asked question #23.

40. Are you all (angry young men from the suburbs/dirty dreadlocked hippies/college kids)?

No. (See: Points of Unity and #22)

41. Do you hate America?

If by America you mean the land that we share and the diversity of beings who inhabit the land, then we love America. If you mean the United States government, currently waging yet another murderous and unethical war, or American corporations, perpetuating worker and environmental exploitation, class divisions and poverty both here and abroad, then, yes.

42. Are you terrorists?

No. If terrorism is the use of fear and violence to compel obedience, then we are opposed to terrorism, since it is obviously the dominant tactic of the State. Police brutality, State warfare, the prison industrial complex, and the militarization of the world are all attempts to control us through the use of violence and the fear it creates. We’re against all of that.

Aren’t you just a front for… (Al-Qaida, the Democratic party, the Communist party, the Devil)?

No, we are not a sub-sect of any other organization. We are Twin Cities residents acting with one another in the way our hearts and minds compel us.

43. We know what you’re against, but what are you for?

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A world and relationships that support the health of all creatures and acknowledges the interdependence of all living things. (See FAQ #7, What is Anarchism?)

(en español)

The RNC Welcoming Committee is an anarchist/anti-authoritarian organizing body formed to prepare for the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. The RNC-WC, composed primarily of Twin Cities-based anarchists and anti-authoritarians, will function as an informational clearinghouse and organize a spokescouncil for RNC resistance. We will coordinate logistics (food, housing, transportation), and engage in education and outreach.
Without falling prey to the centralized, hierarchical tendencies that have dominated such convergences in the past, we hope that the RNC-WC will maintain a unified, anti-authoritarian presence at the 2008 RNC. Our numbers are huge, and it’s time that our actions reflected that.

Following are our points of unity. We invite all individuals and groups committed to these ideas to participate in the Welcoming Committee.

Those who work with the RNC Welcoming Committee must agree to:

1. A rejection of Capitalism, Imperialism, and the State;

2. Resist the commodification of our shared and living Earth;

3. Organize on the principles of decentralization, autonomy, sustainability, and mutual aid;

4. Work to end all relationships of domination and subjugation, including but not limited to those rooted in patriarchy, race, class, and homophobia;

5. Oppose the police and prison-industrial complex, and maintain solidarity with all targets of state repression;

6. Directly confront systems of oppression, and respect the need for a diversity of tactics.

Though the RNC-WC is focused on a specific event, we hope that our work transcends the convention by contributing to the development of anti-authoritarian movements and mutual aid networks both locally and globally. We are no more opposed to the Republican Party than we are to the Democratic Party. Affiliations and labels aside, we invite all who share our vision to join us in resistance.

To see how we organize with other local groups, please read the St. Paul Principles.

CRASH THE CONVENTION

2008 Call to Action

On September 1-4 of 2008, the Republican Party is coming to Minnesota to celebrate their latest conquests in global domination and exploitation. We of the RNC Welcoming Committee want to make sure that this time the fear-mongers will be met with their own biggest fear: people mobilized, organized, and taking the future back into their own hands.

For those of you who abhor the rapid growth of racist militarized borders across stolen lands, the raids and deportations, destruction and commodification of our shared and living earth, police brutality and prison industry, fear propaganda and subjugation, exploitation and robbery of peoples worldwide, and all forms of injustice and oppression - we ask you to be prepared for 2008. This will require new alliances, strong networks, the awakening of those who’ve given up, as well as the mobilization of those who’ve never before taken action. Let’s use this opportunity to make the changes we thirst for manifest and take root before us, making the Republicans/Democrats (whatever you want to call them) obsolete.

Labor Day weekend of 2007, anarchists and anti-authoritarians from across the country gathered in the Twin Cities to develop goals and plans for the RNC 2008. This is what we’ve come up with:

What we want (the goals):
1. Build Our Capacity – A new reality will not emerge by simply stopping the 4 day spectacle of the RNC. We need folks with an alternative vision to come to the Twin Cities and turn their dreams into reality. Start something new, be creative, and come ready to build sustainable alternatives worth fighting for and defending. The new skills that we teach, learn, and put into practice here will allow us to return to our communities stronger, smarter, and more empowered.

2. Crash the Convention – We didn’t get an invitation, but we’re showing up anyway. This party will be what we make of it. We don’t want to confine our potential by imposing a single vision of what success will look like. We recognize that there will be a lot of people coming with their own agendas and carefully laid plans and want to be open to the diverse tactics that will be necessary to accomplish our many goals. Together, we can derail the purely ceremonial show of this repressive system and remake it with our own hands and according to our own visions.

How we get there (the strategy):
1. Start Strong – Throw all of our energy into the first day. We’ll kick this off right and stretch the militarized police state out so far that it can no longer contain and suppress our voices and desires.

2. Transportation Troubles – This includes blockades downtown (at key intersections), on bridges (10 bridges over the Mississippi River in the metro area), and other sporadic and strategic targets (busses, hotel and airport shuttles etc).

3. Respect, defend, and be prepared for autonomous self-sustaining alternatives – Lasting projects and spaces will be born out of our actions and will need to be protected. We also won’t knowingly bring the hammer down on existing long-term community projects. It doesn’t matter if we win the RNC battle, if the war for our lives is lost.

4. Be inclusive of local communities and respect alliances – We are all on the same side of the barricades and are trying to build lasting bonds for future mutual aid. We may not agree with each other on all of our tactics, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t venues for us to work together and build on the trust and community that already exists.

What the Welcoming Committee is doing:
1. Logistical support – We will organize legal support, housing, food, transportation, and a convergence space as well as anything else you may need to make our collective actions successful.

2. Framework coordinating – We will map out key points and layouts and gather intelligence to help you plug into the bigger picture. Let us know your needs, desires, and capacities.

3. Local outreach – We are building alliances with local groups and communities to help build our collective support. We encourage you to do the same.

4. Networking – We’re hooking y’all up with each-other so that you can work with people you might not already know, strategize, and share a glass of some good old mutual aid.

What we are calling for:
1. Get it together – Have regional consultas, organize in your communities, and form your affinity groups. We are expecting people to come with concrete plans for action that they have devised and the capacity to carry them through.

2. Lead up actions – Practice makes perfect. Use this entire year leading up to the RNC to develop and practice your own tactics and strategies that step things up a notch and build true alternatives. Resistance doesn’t start and end at ‘the next big protest’; it is a way of life.

3. Fundraising – We’re not saying to let your community projects flounder, but we’re going to need some serious cash to help arrange legal support (we’re still looking for a lawyer dumpster), a convergence space, and a thousand other logistical puzzles. Pass the hat at every regional consulta and meeting you attend, hold fundraisers, and send a chunk of it in our direction!

4. Communicate – Maintain strong security-culture values, but let us know your capacities and what you will need. If you want a single point person to communicate with, we can arrange it. What you say you can do and will need shapes the course that we take.

5. Come to the Twin Cities – Come early and come often! Take advantage of that “Minnesota Nice” and come long before the convention to help make things happen. Also, put May Day weekend (May 1st - 4th 2008) on your calendars to send a representative or two from your group to the Twin Cities for our next networking and strategizing event (more info TBA).

September 1st, 2008, we, the RNC Welcoming Committee, invite all anarchists and anti-authoritarians, all radicals and rabble-rousers, all those who are fed up with government lies and spectacles to show up ready for action and ensure that we leave no place for these expired politicians. What we create here will send the convention crashing off course into insignificance.

From the occupied territories of Minnesota,
The RNC Welcoming Committee
nornc.org

Strategy endorsed by:

ACTIVATE (Grand Rapids, MI Students for a Democratic Society - SDS)
Anarchist Black Cross Para-Legal Services (twitchon@hotmail.com)
Animas SDS (Colorado)
Anti-Authoritarians Anonymous (Milwaukee)
Asheville Rising Tide
Athens, OH SDS
Attentat Collective
Bash Back!
Brainerd Anarchists (georgewchrist@hushmail.com)
Campus Anti-war Network
Chicago Anarchist Black Cross (PO Box 1544, Chicago, IL 60690)
CrimethInc. Far East
Delaware SDS
End to Apathy
Frederick Progressive Action Coalition
HammerHard MediaWorks
Industrial Workers of the World - NYC GMB Branch
International Solidarity Movement - Chicago Chapter
Iowa Organizing Against the RNC
MKE to RNC
Milwaukee Anarchist Black Cross
Milwaukee Anti-Racist Action
NC State SDS
Northeast Anarchist Network
Northwest Indiana Anarchist Black Cross (PO Box 1511, Portage, IN 46368)
People’s Networking Convention Organizing Committee
Potomac Earth First!
Queer Action Network
Rising Tide North America
RNC Welcoming Committee
Rolling Thunder magazine
Sabot Infosquat
Shepherdstown Progressive Action Committee
Tacoma SDS - UPS Chapter
Talking Tree Infoshop
Tuscarora High SDS
UA Central NC
UA in the Bay
UCLA SDS
Unconventional Denver

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Other Calls:

RNC Welcoming Committee Call Feb 14, 2007