Protest / Direct Action

Friday reports from Greece
The weather today was on the police's side as it was pouring down rain during many of the protests.

Today, members of the Twin Cities branch of the IWW handed out leaflets to workers and passersby in front of the US Trust Building in Minneapolis. US Trust was recently bought our by Bank of America and now functions as their "Private Wealth Management Division." They got positive reactions from every single person who took a leaflet. A few of the people they talked to were being laid off themselves. Workers in this country are hungry for change, and increasingly ready for a fight.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Dec 10 - 11 AM - KFAI will feature "Clearing the Courts... and Our Consciences" hosted by Andy Driscoll and Lynnell Mickelson, talking with lawyers and defendants. With attorneys Larry Leventhal and Gena Bergland, Michael Friedman from the National Lawyers Guild and Legal Rights Center. Tune in FM 90.3 (Mpls) or 106.7 (St. Paul) or streaming live @ KFAI.

Last night's rally and dance party outside RNC felony prosecutor Susan Gaertner's gubernatorial fundraiser in downtown Minneapolis was a smashing success from the perspective of protest organizers. At 4:00, the RNC 8 held a press conference satirically endorsing Gaertner's run for Governor, and presenting a giant check for "Eight dollars and zero sense." Soon thereafter a banner was dropped from a nearby parking ramp, and the crowd for the CRASS-organized rally swelled to about 100. A large police presence of nearly two dozen MPD officers with a booking van and flexicuffs was also on the scene, but the crowd avoided arrests and ended the party at about 6:30, chanting "We'll be back!"

Meanwhile, the number of cases dismissed by St. Paul City Attorney John Choi this week is at 30 according to CRASS, all but three of which were scheduled for trial on December 15. Many of the cases are from the Shepherd Road and 7th/Jackson parking lot mass arrests. A minimum of 63 misdemeanor/gross misdemeanor cases have now been dismissed and a dozen others declined for prosecution.

Press Statement from the RNC 8 | CRASS | Petition to Susan Gaertner: Drop the Charges | "your felonies, your fault!" | Photos by kostyaissoli | (did you take photos or videos of the rally? publish or link to them on TC Indymedia and we'll add them here!)

Fire and Flammes for the Repression
Solidarity with Axel, Florian and Oliver

DOES HISTORY MATTER? WHAT WAS THE RNC LIKE IN 1972 WHEN WE PROTESTED NIXON & THE VIETNAM WAR?

By Diane Ford Wood

In 2005, a group of Vietnam veterans worked with me to produce "Camouflage & Lace: My Journey with a Windbender." a 2 CD audiobook available at cdbaby.com/camo. Vietnam-era vet Russ Scheidler arranged the music; I wrote the words and music, read the story and sang the songs.

In a sense, it is the testimony of a young woman learning about all things political through her love affair with a west coast leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

It is absolutely striking how language in pending S.1959, "The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act" appears to mirror some of Hitler’s Discriminatory Laws the Fuhrer signed in 1933.

Below this article are “Adolf Hitler’s fascist laws: To compare any similarity of language found in “Hitler’s Laws” with U.S. Senate bill S.1959, you may access: www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.1959:

Despite the cold, and the short notice in which this protest was called, we had a great protest in Duluth in support of same-sex marriage! There were 75 folks at the height of the protest, and counting those who came and went throughout the afternoon, we ended up getting a start to finish grand total of 101 people. The crowd was very diverse -gay & straight, young and old, men and women - and we had folks from a number of surrounding communities from throughout northern Wisconsin & Minnesota.