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.  Things could definitely get hairy in either city.

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 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 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_action">direct action</a>?  What are the police actually doing in the streets that they don'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 on protest activities.  Stay tuned...