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Area you ready to rumble? Blogging the protests at both the DNC and the RNC
While there are officially sanctioned protest marches and "free speech" zones, anarchists and other radicals unwilling to play by the rules have been planning major unauthorized protests at both the upcoming DNC in Denver and the RNC in St. Paul. Federal, state, and local authorities in both cities have been doing some planning of their own. Both cities were given $50 million each to prepare for the conventions. Tensions are high in Denver with radical activists set to demonstrate against the party of Barack Obama and a highly militarized police force set to keep them in check. Anti-convention activists in St. Paul are promising to shut down the RNC with hard blockades. Events outside of the convention centers could definitely get hairy.
See for yourself the types of things these activists are planning: Unconventional Action, DNC Disruption 08, Unconventional Denver, Recreate 68, and the RNC Welcoming Committee. Activists from all over the country plan to descend upon and disrupt one or both conventions. The group from the Bay Area has announced a Barricade Building Contest for St. Paul. Local non-profit Independent Media Centers will be covering events, with many first-hand reports, photos, and videos coming in from activists themselves: Colorado IMC and Twin Cities IMC.
Corporate coverage of the demonstrations, however limited, is guaranteed to favor authorities and the conventions themselves no matter what happens. I intend to blog both protests right here at TPM in order to bring you another perspective. What is the thinking behind the protesters' actions? What sorts of things are they doing to get across their message and/or take direct action? What are the police actually doing in the streets that they won't mention in their press releases? I'll bring you the best of independent media coverage during the DNC and I'll be in the streets in St. Paul with my own reports. Stay tuned...
Comments (17)
More to the point, why are they under the illusion that anything they do will change anyone's mind? Especially the RNC? When in Bush's term has he ever demonstrated a glimpse of awareness of, let alone responsiveness to, public opinion?
If you can answer in terms of what things like this will do to persuade, I'm open to your opinion. If you are simply going to say "We're showing 'em how we feel!", rest assured you will get no respect from this quarter. We all despise the Bush-McCain-Slimy Norman Coleman axis of sleaze. The question is not how we feel about it, the question is what will best bring their terms to an end. And I'm willing to bet (just a small amount) that street theater doesn't make the top five.
August 19, 2008 9:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not sure their goal is to persuade per se, especially not the republicans. At the RNC at least (as I am more familiar with planning there), the goal is literally to shut it down, to stop the repugs from having their grand party, to seriously interfere with it at a bare minimum. More so than trying to persuade, it is an effort at leading by example. If enough folks were willing to risk arrest and stop the republicans from operating as freely as they do, this could be a different country. Same goes for the war -- many of these same activists have done war machine port blockades and so forth. Of course, not having reached a critical mass, police are able to attack them at will and keep the war humming along just fine.
At the DNC, the thinking is very much similar. Look at what voting has gotten you... a corporatist Dem congress that passes whack FISA laws and sends Bush every last penny he wants for the war while our national healthcare is a joke and our infrastructure crumbles. No impeachment. Torture goes on while our civil liberties disappear. Democrats as a whole are spineless and the evils perpetrated in our name continue unabated.
"Showing 'em how we feel," is what so-called liberals do to make themselves feel better with things like permitted marches, holding anti-war/anti-Bush signs and walking in circles around a city while the war profiteers operate unscathed.
Until the war ends, until the repug grip on this country ends, until we see democrats/liberals in office that show some backbone and sustainably reverse the political/economic decline of the last 30 years, I would posit that you are not qualified to confidently claim you know the "5 best ways to turn this country around." Look at what voting has done for you on the national level, virtually nothing. Look at what permitted anti-war marches have gotten you -- more war. Look at what donating to MoveOn has gotten you. Zippo. Not that the demonstrators in Denver and St. Paul have it all figured out either, but at least they are trying to stop these evils in a more urgent and direct fashion than just showing up at the polling place every 4 years hoping for a different outcome.
August 20, 2008 2:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not going to happen. If you think you're going to shut down the RNC, you are delusional. And taking a glance though your response, do you seriously think you are "leading by example"? Do you? I have a message for you: 98% or more of the public wants nothing to do with your "leadership" whatsoever. Go have your tantrums somewhere else.
People actually live here, and who the hell do you think you are, disrupting their lives for no real reason? They want to get to work and get through their day, then go home. You want to get on TV. that's it, isn't it? You want to get on TV.
Your public misbehavior will alienate far more people than it will "lead" and I think you know that. Or I hope that at some point you do eventually realize it.
And no, you are not blessed with special insight, you are not given the charge of changing the world, you are not doing anything at all worth doing. And the tear gas you elicit will drift and burn the innocent eyes and throats of those people I mentioned who just want to get home from work. And I'm sure when it does, you'll tell yourself they deserved it, they needed the jolt, some such BS.
Stay home. We don't need or want you here.
August 20, 2008 7:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
First off, I myself am not demonstrating. I am going to cover events in St. Paul. I will merely be relaying info from DNC as reported at independent media sites (ie. non-corporate coverage).
Secondly, September 1st is a holiday and it's doubtful with all of the road restrictions already in place downtown by convention planners and police that there will be many non-convention goers inconvenience by whatever happens in the streets.
Third, every last local that I have spoken with from the Twin Cities, and that includes everyone from anarchists to middle-of-the-road democrats is happy that folks are coming from all over to do what they can to stand up to the Republican machine. They have all told me, more or less, "Thank you for coming. Please bring as many people as you can." And it's been no secret what local radicals have been organizing and calling for national support for (i.e blockades).
Fourth, you should read more closely. I wrote that part of the goal was "to seriously interfere with it at a bare minimum". No one knows what will happen, but it's certainly not some sort of delusion to think that activists have a good shot of at least gumming up the works. And it's not a tantrum -- folks have been planning for the RNC for over a year now. And it's not about getting on TV, as far as I have heard -- most folks expect the TV to react just about as you have, with hostility and complete bias against blockading radicals.
Fifth, say, what exactly are those "top 5" things or whatever that people should be doing for change, given you are so hostile to civil disobedience as a tactic to resist oppressive powers? Seriously, you throw out a lot of insults but you risk little yourself by throwing out your own ideas for potential criticism. Let's hear them. What's your big solution to the Republican/Democratic failures of the last several years? Do you think Obama will stride into town and chase out all the bad guys and we'll all live happily ever after as we ride off into the sunset laughing?
Lastly, stop with the straw man arguements and putting words in my mouth. If you have a direct question, I'll answer it as best I can. No need for childish "you just want to be on TV" and "you want innocent people to get gassed" crap. You don't know what I personally want other than what I write here. And unless you can cite a source, it appears you have little idea about the thinking of local St. Paul organizers intent on disrupting the RNC. It's their show. Others are just coming to support their efforts. And I'll be reporting on it to give an honest non-corporate take on what happens in the streets.
August 20, 2008 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
"it is an effort at leading by example"
More like a misguided nostalgic trip down their parents memory lane.
Perhaps if they studied how the political "disruptions" of 1968 insured the election of Richard Nixon they might learn to lead by doing some down and dirty, but genuine, political work.
No instead we will be treated by the narcissistic pretensions of middle-class revolutionaries and their affectations of leadership. Can't wait.
August 20, 2008 4:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice of you to so casually and condescendingly look down your nose at the efforts of others. 1968, btw, was largely a police riot, when the cops were ordered to attack passive campers in a city park.
Perhaps if your pretensions regarding "genuine, political work" actually bore any fruit in the last 30 years there wouldn't be two corporatist parties running this nation into the ground and there'd be nothing to protest or disrupt when they convened to congratulate themselves on jobs well done. Heckofa job, two-party system!
Now, you can return to your regularly schedule program of holding your nose while you vote for the lesser of two evils -- naively hoping that "next time, next time" things will get better, that democrats will stop acting like republicans-lite, that your voice/vote will matter as much as big donor fatcats, and that voting or working within our political system is your only civic responsibility. Don't even think about trying to actually block the machinery that perpetuates the injustices committed in and by this country because civil disobedience is "narcissistic" and none of the problems in this country are ever bad enough that they can't wait another 2-4 years for the next political cycle. Go about your business, nothing to see here.
August 20, 2008 4:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd like to voice my appreciation to those who are planning to disrupt the Democratic convention so that chaos and negative publicity can bring about the sort of positive changes that the Democratic party truly needs.
I'd also like to thank the PUMAs and other Hillary Deadenders who work either out in the open or covertly in the guise of concern trolls to help get McCain elected in order to bring about the sort of positive changes that the Democaratic party truly needs.
Also those who, through sheer force of apathy, refuse to lend their votes or time or money to the Democratic party until it brings about the positive changes that the Democratic party truly needs.
And finally, a hearty thanks to the swiftboaters and other wingnuts who, by taking advantage of all of these things, help to prevent a flawed Democratic party from achieving anything until it brings about the positive changes it truly needs.
Thank you you so very much, all of you. It's a team effort, but you're all doing your part.
August 20, 2008 7:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are welcome.
And thanks to you for so tirelessly doing your part to support those heroes of the little people, those brave enemies of injustice everywhere, those we call the mighty, mighty democrats.
If only everyone was just like you this would truly be a perfect world.
August 20, 2008 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
You can have positive changes (Obama is better than Bush) or negative changes (McCain is worse than Bush).
Pick.
August 20, 2008 8:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
And that's it then, as far as our civic responsibility goes? Vote every four years and sign off on "better than satan" as our standard for social justice?? And what about when "worse than satan" wins/steals an election, or when democrats take control of congress and continue to vote for war funding and f*d up FISA bills and so forth? Sit on our asses and wait another four years for the possibility of better than satan?
The system is broken and electoral politics are not the solution to all of our ills.
August 22, 2008 1:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
what's a twirling fartknocker?
August 20, 2008 6:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's just a silly self-deprecating pseudonym. I heard it on an episode of beavis and butthead years ago and it made me laugh. I think they were "critiquing" a kate bush video and they referred to the spinning dancers in it as "cornholio and the twirling fartknockers." You can look up fartknocker yourself to find the origins of that.
August 20, 2008 7:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
google "fartknocker" and you'll see your profile link on the first page of results :)
August 21, 2008 4:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
My hunch is that any teevee coverage of dirty fucking hippies protesting the Democratic convention will actually benefit the party. But cynic that I am, I think the media will be more interested in the harpiesforhillary than the same ol' familiar stuff they've been seeing for decades.
August 20, 2008 6:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I could see Obama having a "Sista Solja" moment as he speaks against "violent, dangerous" demonstrators outside the convention center.
August 20, 2008 8:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please blog about the police state when you blog about the conventions (if your computer doesn't get confiscated, of course). I've read Colorado has its cages all set to go for unruly protesters. Don't know about Minnesota.
August 20, 2008 7:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Minnesota has their "Minnesota nice" and they are generally a blue state and they have a lot smaller police force and are a lot less authoritarian and more accommodating for protesters (not blockaders), so it is anticipated to be less of an all-out brawl. Although, and this is my own speculation only, if things go really bad in Denver (and many people are predicting that someone is going to get killed by police/national guard), then that will set a worse tone for whatever happens in St. Paul.
August 20, 2008 8:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
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