The Republican convention has already earned a place in history for another reason, its time and location: New York City, right before the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

“The original plan was to have the convention end on September 11, when Bush would be nominated again,” said Cherrune Horazuk, a former New Yorker who will attend the rallies there.

Horazuk believes New Yorkers are more likely to support the demonstrators than the Republicans, since she said New Yorkers felt the impact of Republican policies on September 11.

“If we continue (with Bush’s policies), there will be more retaliation and attacks,” she said. “It will not be the military, but the people that will be hurt.”

Erika Zurawski of the Anti-War Committee said a convention around Sept. 11 would give Bush a political boost.

“It would remind people that the U.S is in supposed constant danger,” she said. “The only way Bush is able to forward his policies on terror is making the American public believe they are in constant danger of another terrorist attack,” she said.

Union teacher Zeno Wood of Brooklyn said the administration wants to hold the convention on September 11 in order to give the impression that Republicans are “honoring” firefighters and police officers. The reality, according to Wood, is that officers and firefighters are trying to get a contract with the city to get a pay raise, benefits, pensions and healthcare.

“Most fire fighters and cops don’t make enough to live in New York City,” Wood said. “They have been negotiating for two years, and the city is trying to throw out these benefits that have been in effect for the last 106 years.”

“They are shutting down firehouses because there is not enough money to keep them open,” Wood said. “Yet the cost to the city for the RNC is going to be outrageous. The Bush administration promised money to the city of New York for prevention of terrorist attacks. But the city is not getting more money, while we are more likely to get another attack.”

He adds that New Yorkers are looking forward to the protests, not to the convention.

“[The convention] will be a huge inconvenience to deal with traffic, checkpoints, searches, and a slower commute,” Wood said. “More and more streets will be shut down, S.W.A.T. teams will be in the subways, and it will make it harder and harder for people to use public transportation.”

Minnesotans, like New Yorkers, fear that increased police repression could create an atmosphere of fear and chaos in the city. New York Police have already issued warnings about an “Anarchy Threat to the City,” according to a police memo quoted in the Daily News.

“In fact, we don’t know what the New York officials have planned,” states Jared Cruz, another member of the Anti-War Committee. “We do know what our rights are and that we are not going to be scared away from protesting. That being said, we don’t expect anything like mass arrests or large-scale police abuse in New York. In general, to this point, we have seen that the government has not engaged in those kinds of tactics against the large anti-war demonstrations. However, scare tactics are being used. Control tactics are being used. They just won’t succeed.”

“The whole raising of the terror alert is ridiculous,” Horazuk said. “It is raising a scenario for the more police repression.” He adds that the boosted terror alert gave local police an excuse to not grant protesters a permit.
The National Council of Arab Americans (NCA) and other groups are filing a major lawsuit in Federal District Court in New York City to support the right of assembly in Central Park for all those who are expressing political opposition in the days before and during the Republican National Convention.

“Protesters have a right to speak out for their views anywhere, no less so because a big money political party is in town,” Cruz said. “We don’t have to get permission to do so either. There is no justification for taking away the right to protest in these circumstances or any other.”

Cruz believed the city is trying to discourage people from demonstrating by rejecting permits, proposing protest locations far away from the Republican Convention, threatening to use barbed-wire “free speech zones” and bringing in thousands of heavily armed and shielded “riot” police.

Other New York residents have been instructed to avoid the convention. According to the New York Times, the management of a large housing co-op that is home to many retired union activists is warning them to stock up on extra food and water and stay inside during the Republican National Convention, advice that some residents find disturbing and inappropriate. Memos placed at the doors of the 2,820 apartments suggest that residents, most of whom are elderly, carry identification at all times, skip deliveries during the convention, and “if you must,” gives tips on where to exit the building.

Many antiwar activists do not predict violence or danger, and according to Mike Whalen of Arise Bookstore, there is an easy way to avoid the potential of police repression.

“Have an open convention, and not put demonstrators out,” he said. “Let’s have delegates walk through the protestors so that they can see others’ opinions.”

According to Horazuk, New Yorkers have had protests in the city for years on various issues, and will not be affected by protesters. They will be affected by the RNC, however, she says, “The continued tactics to create fear so that they can take away our civil rights.”

Americans’ anger at Bush does not stem solely from the federal government’s invasion of Iraq. Angel Buechner of the Welfare Rights Committee will rally outside the convention because “it is important that people state their political situation, not just about dumping Bush, but about right-wing politics … it is good to voice the opinion of the urban poor.”

“We are losing our own freedom for a war in the name of freedom,” Marie Milsten Fieder, vice president of local AFSCME 3800. She is also upset about the former budget surplus, which was “destroyed for the war, and now we have the same deficit we had nine years ago, all from Republicans.”

Debra Schlekewy, another member of the Anti-War Committee, states there are many issues that people are upset about such as the environment, economy, foreign policy and military spending. Jay Pond, Green Party candidate for U.S. Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota, will take the bus to the convention to promote a platform of wind energy, single payer health care and the creation of a Department of Peace.

“The value of protesting is that unlike the Republicans and the multinationals, we do not have a stake in the media,” said Pham. “And so, we do not have the opportunity to make our voices heard unless we join in protest. We have to get thousands of people together just to get recognized.”

Pham cites the February 15, 2003 peace protest in Minneapolis as an example of biased media coverage. The rally drew more than 10,000 Americans and blocked traffic in downtown Minneapolis, yet the Star Tribune carried only a small article, with no photos, deep inside the paper the next day. By contrast, the similarly-sized pro-war rally, organized by the Clear Channel corporation, was given two pages and several photos.

Many of the organizers of the convention protest are proud that so many Midwesterners are taking part. Standefer said that New Yorkers are already strongly opposed to current U.S. government policy, but “will be impressed that so many of us have taken a 24-hour bus ride to be there.”

If New Yorkers are surprised, it may be because the peace movement has been stereotyped as a movement of urban “blue states” opposing the Bush-supporting “red states.” Welfare Rights Committee member Kim Defranco believes this is false, and said she observed very different reactions in “red state” territory.

“I was vacationing and visited some family members in working-class Canton, Ohio, where 200,000 jobs at the Tempkin Corporation were lost after the Bush had been elected,” she said. “Many of the people there were angry that Bush did not do anything to stop the outsourcing of jobs. Bush had been there to speak, and there were 200-300 protesters outside.”

“People were shouting ‘Shame on you’ and ‘Where are the veterans benefits?’” to departing Republicans, Defranco said. “People felt that they were mislead by the Bush Administration, and some shouted, ‘Have more babies, Bush needs more soldiers!’”

However impressive the protesters’ commitment, even some sympathetic people will ask what purpose the protest serves. Horazuk said the turnout is not to influence the delegates to the convention, but the rest of the world, seeing or hearing about it on the news.

“I think it is critical to participate in the Republican National Convention protest because people of the world are watching,” she said. “People need to know that we as Americans, do not support Bush and his administration.”

Nor do the Americans leaving for New York believe they can solve our problems merely by changing presidents. Standefer expresses interests of protesting the presidential inauguration, regardless of who becomes president.

“Even if Kerry gets it [elected], it does not matter, the struggle will be the same,” she said. “Sooner or later, we are going to have to get on a bus no matter who is president, or stand on the corner and pass out leaflets.”

Nonetheless, every effort must start somewhere, and ousting Bush is a good start, said Meredith Aby of the Anti-War Committee.

“It is crucial that as many people as possible say ‘no’ to George W. Bush’s policies,” she said. “This will send a message to both parties and the world that we expect a leader to make the world better, rather than destroy it.” ||

For more information about the Republican NationConvention Protest, check out the following websites:

AntiWarCommittee.org
InternationalAnswer.org
RNCnotwelcome.org
CounterConvention.org
RNCwatch.org
RNCguide.com
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RNC PROTEST!

The Anti-War Committee plans to leave Spirit of the Lakes Church
Saturday, August 28 at 8 a.m., protest all day Sunday, August 29th, and return to the church Monday, August 30th. The Spirit of the Lake Church is located at 2930 13th Ave S. in Minneapolis. If you are interested in participating in this event, call the Anti-War Committee at 612-379-3899 or e-mail them at awcbus@yahoo.com. The journey costs $145, and partial scholarships are available.