Dnc/rnc 2012

[Ele'ill]

http://protestdnc.org/


http://www.marchonthernc.com/

[ellipsis]

You should edit in dates and cities. I can't make either.

[marl]

http://www.resistrnc.org/

here's another site.

[marl]

Just a note to my fellow Occupy-ers (for those who don't know me, I've been with Occupy St Pete FL from day one) who are planning on being in Tampa for the Republican National Convention in August, mostly regarding the situation on the ground here that everyone should take into account. I hope we get as many people as possible here during convention week, but I want everyone to be clear about what the situation will be here and make appropriate preparations.



Tampa's Ordinance: The city of Tampa is in the process of passing a "Clean Zone" ordinance (later renamed to a nicer-sounding "Event Zone") that applies specifically to the RNC. Among its provisions:
1. Areas of the city (a rather large area, actually) located near the convention site are designated as "clean zones". These extend far beyond the zone established by the Secret Service in the immediate vicinity of the convention forum--the clean zones extend throughout downtown Tampa, across the channel to the other side, parts of several nearby islands, and for some distance out into the city. Even boats are banned from entering the Clean Zone.
2. Within these clean zones, protest groups of more than 50 must have a permit, must stick to designated parade routes and areas, and cannot protest for longer than 90 minutes (the length of time the Tampa police can tolerate the heat in their heavy riot gear). The city tried to impose a permit fee, but has now backed away from that.
3. A wide variety of things are banned within the "clean zone", including wooden sticks (for signs, etc), metal-tipped umbrellas, masks of any sort including gas masks (and presumably V for Vendetta masks), and water pistols (real guns are OK, though--if you have a legal permit to carry, you can pack your loaded 45 with no problem).
4. No camping. I think we all know who that is aimed at.
5. You can protest all day long in city parks outside the Clean Zone. Nobody will see you anyway.
Tampa is importing cops from all over the country for this. Current estimates conclude that there will be at least one cop for every four protesters. In preparation for the convention, the Tampa and St Pete police have both obtained armored vehicles. Yes, you read that right--armored vehicles. They give every indication that they are just itching to break some heads and pepper-spray some faces. And keep in mind that the Feds are really the ones calling the shots--Homeland Security will be heavy on the ground at the convention site, and they are a whole different league than the local cops.
To be blunt, Tampa Bay will be a police state for the entire week. Plan accordingly.
Some words about logistics:
Think about where you are going to stay. For those unfamiliar with Florida geography, the cities of Tampa and St Petersburg lie on opposite sides of Tampa Bay, connected by three 15-mile bridges. The convention itself is being held in downtown Tampa; most of the delegates will be in hotels in St Pete.
If you are planning to stay in a hotel; most of the hotels will be chewed up by the convention. Get a room early. For those without cars, Tampa is by far your best bet--the local bus service will be able to get you to the convention pretty easily. St Pete is not a good option for the car-less; there is only one bus line that runs between St Pete and Tampa, and it only runs three times in the morning (once an hour) and three times in the early evening--rush hours, essentially. If you do not have a car, there is simply no good way to get from St Pete to the convention.
Both Occupy Tampa and Occupy St Pete have discussed the possibility of obtaining shelter for protesters by either camping in parks or camping at foreclosed homes--sadly we have concluded that neither is a viable option. Both Occupy Tampa and Occupy St Pete are very small, with less than 20 active members each. Occupy Tampa has been beaten down by a series of arrests--as a result of the subsequent legal troubles, Occupy Tampa will not be participating in any RNC actions. Occupy St Pete will be having an anti-military-spending action near MacDill Air Base (the headquarters for US Central Command in charge of both Iraq and Afghanistan), a few miles away from the actual convention site, on the Wednesday of convention week. That is being planned as an entirely legal event without civil disobedience, mostly as a place for people who want to get away from the convention for a while. As far as holding a park or occupying foreclosed homes for people to camp in, the local Occupy here simply does not have the people or the resources to do that.
If your group plans to camp in a park: Tampa and St Petersburg both have VERY stringent anti-homeless laws, and you can expect all of them to be aimed at protesters. It is illegal to spend the night in any public park in either St Pete or Tampa. St Pete takes that one step further---it is illegal to "recline" in any public park even during the day (so technically you are breaking the law if you spread out a blanket and sunbathe in the park). In St Pete, an ordinance specifies that gatherings in a park of more than 50 people require insurance and a permit (that ordinance has never been enforced to my knowledge, but it remains as a potential weapon to be used against protesters). In other words, if you plan to occupy a park and camp overnight, be prepared to defend it--the police will absolutely without doubt evict you once curfew is reached. Avoid all the parks along the waterfronts in Tampa and St Pete--it will be too easy for the cops to trap you against the water and round you all up.
Legal help: If you plan on risking arrest, please be aware that there is no local presence of the National Lawyers Guild in Tampa Bay. The local ACLU has done nothing here as far as representing local Occupiers who have been arrested for sleeping in the parks. Occupyers here are basically on their own as far as obtaining legal help. ACLU and National Lawyers Guild may have representatives here for the convention; they may not. Plan accordingly--chances are good that if you are arrested, you will be on your own. Also, the local Occupy groups do not have enough people or resources to serve as outside contacts for people who are arrested. Your group should plan on arranging its own contacts for those who are arrested. And please note that Tampa police have in past actions arrested even clearly identified legal observers at actions. Assume everyone will be liable for arrest.
That's what i have off the top of my head. If anyone has any questions regarding RNC-related logistics, please ask and I will find the answer.



Daily Kos (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/13/1091360/-Tampa-RNC-A-View-from-the-Ground-Here)

[Ele'ill]

Sounds like road congestion, delays and interrupted itineraries might become a huge issue...

[ellipsis]

Bump.

I talked to a Food not Bombs comrade who said he will be helping with the kitchen in tampa during the RNC.

[Ele'ill]

I know the local street medics here are looking to go out there.

[eyeheartlenin]

Wow! The blog at protestdnc.org is impressive; it talks about "the two corporate parties," both of which "serve the interests of the banks" and the 1%.

* * *

It will be interesting to see what the US "left," which overwhelmingly backed Obama in 2008, does this year. I am sure most US "leftists," invoking the myth of the Democrats as the lesser evil (even though the current administration's poverty figures are worse than those under GW Bush), will compliantly vote for Obama again, and that's one big reason there is no fundamental change in this country, not even a mass party of labor, since what "left" exists here, is the obedient servant of the Democrats, every election year.

[bcbm]

Wow! The blog at protestdnc.org is impressive; it talks about "the two corporate parties," both of which "serve the interests of the banks" and the 1%.

the problem is capitalism and class society not 'corporate parties,' 'the interests of the banks' or 'the 1%' though

[Leftsolidarity]

http://wallstsouth.org/

Here's a page for the march on the DNC. I will be leaving in about a week to go to NC to help organize for it so I'll try to keep updates on here.

Hope some of you can make it.

[Ele'ill]

24FnMMlISd0

[JPSartre12]

I'm very interested in seeing how the media will portray the DNC / RNC protests (if at all)!

Am I the only one that thinks that is offended by the Democratic Party's audacious naming of the 2012 DNC as "the People's Convention"? That's rather bold and insulting of them.

[Leftsolidarity]

We're trying to raise funds to get a meeting space for the protest against the DNC and all the activities surrounding it. We don't have any space at the moment to properly fulfill the needs of the coalition.

https://www.wepay.com/ppls-convergence

[Leftsolidarity]

If you/your organization want to endorse the March on Wall Street South (which is the protests against the DNC) you can gt involved and join the coalition here: http://wallstsouth.org/join-the-coalition/

[Ele'ill]

We're trying to raise funds to get a meeting space for the protest against the DNC and all the activities surrounding it. We don't have any space at the moment to properly fulfill the needs of the coalition.

https://www.wepay.com/ppls-convergence

I don't see a massive coalition being able to plan anything worth while all together in one space like that especially knowing that most of the discussion will be about what speakers to have speak at what locations at certain times etc... I think affinity planning is what's needed.

[Leftsolidarity]

I don't see a massive coalition being able to plan anything worth while all together in one space like that especially knowing that most of the discussion will be about what speakers to have speak at what locations at certain times etc... I think affinity planning is what's needed.

The space will be used basically as a massive workshop along with space for different groups in the coalition that are from out of town to utilize while they are here. They space we are looking to get is actually is the same building as the office we are renting also, just much bigger. It will be for big coalition meetings which are already crowding this room basically to full and most groups aren't even here yet.

There is affinity planning going on as well.

[bcbm]

i think it is time we stop reacting to the major political parties and started pursuing our own agenda. summit protests have been done for over a decade, i didnt find the last dnc/rnc that inspiring and i am worried to see a lot of the same tactics being pursued this time.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I'm very interested in seeing how the media will portray the DNC / RNC protests (if at all)!

probably with some minor blurb about property destruction and violence. Arrests and maybe some trumped-up charges related to terrorism or something prior to the event which will later be dropped, but only after a lot of money is spent on legal costs.

That's my prediction, anyway, based on what happened at the NATO summit (which was the last summit protest, to the best of my knowledge) and the RNC 08.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I don't really know whether or not these sorts of protests are a good idea anymore. The last ones of real significance that I can recall were WTO in Seattle, and the G8 or G20 or whatever-the-fuck-it-was in Genoa, the defendants involved in which recently got shitcanned by the Italian justice system, incidentally. There may have been some other ones, I dunno, I was kind of too young to participate in the golden age of summit hopping. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. It just seems like activist circuses nowadays, though.

[Leftsolidarity]

Well idk about the RNC but were using the DNC to try to finally organize southern workers. There's 3 major things that we are organizing as a coalition. There's the festival of liberation on September 1st, march on the DNC on the 2nd, and the southern workers' assembly on the 3rd. Honestly, we're putting a lot of our effort into the southern worker's assembly because we don't want to randomly show up downtown for a day to protest and then leave without actually trying to build a movement with the workers.

[L.A.P.]

I don't really know whether or not these sorts of protests are a good idea anymore. The last ones of real significance that I can recall were WTO in Seattle, and the G8 or G20 or whatever-the-fuck-it-was in Genoa, the defendants involved in which recently got shitcanned by the Italian justice system, incidentally. There may have been some other ones, I dunno, I was kind of too young to participate in the golden age of summit hopping. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. It just seems like activist circuses nowadays, though.

I want to understand this, was there a distinct method to way activists organized for the WTO protests and the G8?

[Ele'ill]

I want to understand this, was there a distinct method to way activists organized for the WTO protests and the G8?

Shutting down a city for five days filled with gas throwing and smash is fantastic but I think the issue becomes the waiting around for these events and viewing them as some shining opportunity rather than creating or identifying all the opportunities in between.

[bcbm]

especially in the wake of occupy i think it is imperative to stop being reactive

[L.A.P.]

Shutting down a city for five days filled with gas throwing and smash is fantastic but I think the issue becomes the waiting around for these events and viewing them as some shining opportunity rather than creating or identifying all the opportunities in between.

okay, so basically it's about the fact they're always protesting bourgeois events during the course of the event while neglecting occupation and disruption of public space during a regular work-day. cmoney said something similiar to this in his Situationist-esque analysis of occupy wallstreet in that one thread where he was saying they shouldn't just occupy hang-out parks for stockborkers but occupy the highways, ports, etc. it would be more revolutionary to occupy a major highway on an average workday than to try to camp out in front of the stock exchange when the financiers are having a dinner party.

[Leftsolidarity]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/10/us/politics/charlottes-plans-for-democratic-convention-security-draw-criticism.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

Fairly interesting article about some of the security stuff going on down here

[Leftsolidarity]

Request for Medical volunteers for the March on Wall Street South

https://www.facebook.com/notes/imani-henry/urgent-request-for-medical-volunteers-for-the-march-on-wall-street-south-wellnes/10151387448269968?ref=notif&notif_t=note_tag

[Leftsolidarity]

Had the grand opening of the Solidarity Center for the March on Wall Street South!

http://charlotte.news14.com/content/top_stories/662533/-solidarity-center--allows-activists-to-gather-during-dnc

[Ele'ill]

26WEtACkgJU

"We are smarter, highly trained, and better equipped than these law breakers"

nice video


:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Prometeo liberado]

I'm very interested in seeing how the media will portray the DNC / RNC protests (if at all)!

Am I the only one that thinks that is offended by the Democratic Party's audacious naming of the 2012 DNC as "the People's Convention"? That's rather bold and insulting of them.

Am I to assume that you do not find their very existence insulting? If in fact you do why would you be so repulsed by any of their behavior?

[Ele'ill]

http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/08/26/hurricane-isaac-delays-the-republican-national-convention/_jcr_content/body/inlineimage.img.503.jpg/1345949114413.cached.jpg

[Prometeo liberado]

http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/08/26/hurricane-isaac-delays-the-republican-national-convention/_jcr_content/body/inlineimage.img.503.jpg/1345949114413.cached.jpg

Is this an overhead view of Ismail changing his mind?

[Ele'ill]

what?

[Prometeo liberado]

what?
Ismail, prolific poster here. Huge mind, like a storm. Forget it grumpers.

[Ele'ill]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article/270464/8/3-protesters-arrested-using-black-block-tactics


3 arrested in "Black Bloc" tactic used by protesters during RNC march


Tampa, Florida -- There's no doubt that the police presence is at an all-time high in downtown Tampa. They are everywhere, every corner, every street and every stoplight. They have barricades set up and checkpoints. It is visibly clear that security is being taken very seriously.

LIKE: Follow us on Facebook for the latest updates on the 2012 RNC

You'll especially notice the bike patrols, men and women dressed in khaki uniforms riding around en masse on bicycles. They're quick, they're mobile and they're busy. The bike patrols are keeping the peace on the downtown city streets when it comes to protesters.

Today, they tell us they met up with "trouble."

Deputies say anarchists using a tactic called the, "Black Bloc," got out of hand during the Coalition to March on the RNC. The black block is not so much a group, but rather a movement. As the name indicates, protesters dress in black--everything from black pants, to masks, to shirts--and infiltrate marches and demonstrations.

"They're here to cause trouble," said Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee. "We will not tolerate it. Other peaceful protesters are welcome, but not people causing inciting a riot, and that's what they tried to do."

Law enforcement sources tell 10 News that they heard rumors that the "Black Bloc" would be used to storm the Bank of America or a parking garage as protesters demonstrated during the march.

"They definitely attempted to cause a riot," said Sheriff Gee.

Five groups of demonstrators comprised of 10 people split up, sources say, and took off down city streets. They were quickly met with bike patrol units that came from everywhere to shut down the movement.

Protesters say three people were arrested. One of them was taken into custody for wearing a black mask out of the event zone, which is prohibited.

"'The 'Black Bloc' is not a group. It is a defensive tactic to protect ourselves. We are about peace," said Anthony Robledo, a member of the Occupy Wall Street movement who traveled to Tampa from New York City.

Members of the Occupy movement say the "Black Bloc" is not about violence, but rather sticking together in one group with one uniform look and cause.

"A lot of people are uninformed. They don't understand us. They need to stop watching reality television and pick up a book," said Robledo. "We are not about causing problems. We just came to protest the RNC."

Sheriff Gee reiterated the fact that peaceful protesters are welcomed on the city streets, but tactics like "Black Bloc" would be shut down immediately.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Gee was part of the bike patrols today and assisted in keeping the peace. He wanted to be "part of the action," he says. He patrolled the streets, alongside his deputies and handed out water to those who needed it.

"I am so proud of them," said the Sheriff of his deputies. "They are working hard."

[Zostrianos]

A racist incident at the RNC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19414600

Two attendees were ejected from Republican National Convention on Tuesday for throwing nuts at a black CNN camerawoman.
The individuals told her "this is how we feed animals" as they threw the nuts, multiple witness said.
Convention security and police removed the two from the convention centre shortly after the incident.
In a statement, convention officials said the attendees had "exhibited deplorable behaviour".
"Their conduct was inexcusable and unacceptable. This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated."
The incident reportedly occurred shortly after 20:00 local time. The identities of the two ejected was unclear. News broadcaster CNN confirmed the incident but had no additional comment.
The incident happened on Tuesday in the Tampa Bay Times Forum, where delegates officially nominated Mitt Romney as the Republican candidate to face President Barack Obama in the November presidential election.
Former Bush White House press secretary and CNN commentator Ari Fleischer told the BBC: "If it's what has been reported to have been their motive it's reprehensible. They have no place being at this convention."
Among Tuesday's night speakers was Mia Love, who is aiming to become the first black Republican woman to be elected to Congress.

[Igor]

A racist incident at the RNC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19414600

Two attendees were ejected from Republican National Convention on Tuesday for throwing nuts at a black CNN camerawoman.
The individuals told her "this is how we feed animals" as they threw the nuts, multiple witness said.
Convention security and police removed the two from the convention centre shortly after the incident.
In a statement, convention officials said the attendees had "exhibited deplorable behaviour".
"Their conduct was inexcusable and unacceptable. This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated."
The incident reportedly occurred shortly after 20:00 local time. The identities of the two ejected was unclear. News broadcaster CNN confirmed the incident but had no additional comment.
The incident happened on Tuesday in the Tampa Bay Times Forum, where delegates officially nominated Mitt Romney as the Republican candidate to face President Barack Obama in the November presidential election.
Former Bush White House press secretary and CNN commentator Ari Fleischer told the BBC: "If it's what has been reported to have been their motive it's reprehensible. They have no place being at this convention."
Among Tuesday's night speakers was Mia Love, who is aiming to become the first black Republican woman to be elected to Congress.

fuck them. fuck

fuck them so bad