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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Anti-War Committee Steps up for Civil Liberties
Wednesday 04 April @ 13:44:12 |
 BY KATRINA PLOTZ
In September 2008, the eyes of the world will be on St. Paul as Republicans gather to nominate their next candidate for president. A host committee has formed locally to accommodate the 45,000 delegates and members of the national media expected to attend the convention. Community activists have also begun meeting to organize major demonstrations against the Republican agenda. Jess Sundin of the Anti-War Committee (AWC) has authored a national call to protest the Republican National Convention (RNC) which reads in part:
 "We must take to the streets of St. Paul to raise our voices against the war on Iraq. The politicians who brought us this war for oil and control of the Middle East will stop at nothing to build U.S. empire. They do not represent us. They have cut programs that serve our needs at home and blame the most exploited for our hardships. They attack our right to organize and our economic and social well-being. From their stance on immigration and the labor movement, to abortion rights and gay marriage, the Republican agenda is an anti-people agenda. In 2008, it's up to us--anyone committed to peace, justice and equality--to stand up and say no. We are building for a broad, nationwide mobilization that will challenge the Republicans and put forward our vision for this country. We are united by a progressive, pro-people agenda, and our insistence that the U.S. leave Iraq now."
In October, the AWC and others applied for permits to protest the RNC. St. Paul officials held the permit applications for five months and returned them two weeks ago. A short letter cited an ordinance under Legislative Code Chapter 366A declaring that permit requests will not be considered until six months before the date of the event. On March 26, the AWC held a press conference and re-submitted its permit applications.
The following is an excerpt of a statement from Sundin, "Our permit applications should not be delayed or denied, while the city is devoting enormous resources to hosting the convention. City officials are attempting to suppress our organizing efforts against the unjust war in Iraq. We want permits to demonstrate at the RNC in 2008, and we will not tolerate 'protest pens' or being kept at bay. The people of Iraq have waited four years for the war to end. We have waited five months for an answer on our permit applications. If city officials fail to act quickly and grant us permits, we will exert whatever legal and political pressure is needed to move forward. Permits or not, we will march on the streets of St. Paul during the 2008 RNC."
St. Paul City Council Member Dave Thune recently drafted a resolution that would form an advisory committee to ensure that freedom of speech and assembly is upheld. The resolution will be voted on by the City Council this week and is expected to pass overwhelmingly. However, the 2008 RNC has been designated a National Special Security Event, putting the Secret Service in charge of establishing the security perimeter and overseeing all law enforcement. While the Secret Service is under no obligation to follow protocol set forth by the advisory committee or the St. Paul police, activists want city officials to grant permits now and press for them to be honored by security personnel later.
The delay in obtaining permits has not deterred activists from forming a coalition to begin planning demonstrations for the RNC. The group has met several times and includes representatives from the AWC, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Women Against Military Madness, AFSCME Local 3800, the Welfare Rights Committee and others. They are planning a public forum within the next few months, with the aim of creating a broad coalition of activists: peace, labor, immigrant, environmental, women's rights, civil rights and queer rights. The goals of the meeting are to increase the unity and coordination of people planning the protests and to include more organizations in the process.
Their vision of Sept. 1 to 4, 2008, includes a massive permitted march from the State Capitol to the Xcel Energy Center on the first day of the convention. "We want a demonstration that is national in character, but locally led and organized," said Sundin. "In addition to this march, there will undoubtedly be many other acts of protest. We want to organize under a banner of solidarity and mutual respect, though our strategies and tactics may differ wildly." They plan to hold rallies, film showings, workshops, concerts and cultural events throughout the week of the RNC. Many aspects of the Republican agenda will be addressed but the main message will be "U.S. Out of Iraq."
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