Local

The Coaliton to March on the RNC and Stop the War is engaged in a legal battle with the City of St. Paul and the Saint Paul Police Department over the time and route of the antiwar march scheduled for September 1, the opening day of the Republican National Convention. After the Coalition proposed a route along John Ireland and Kellogg Boulevards and encircling the Xcel Energy Center, the city responded with a far less desirable route on Cedar and West 7th Streets, turning back on itself in the space between the Xcel and the Dorothy Day Center, and terminating before the convention is anticipated to even begin. Most recently, the Coalition has proposed a compromise that combines the two routes.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled in federal court on July 9, when supporters will rally outside the courthouse at 1 pm. However, notably, the city's defense arguments to the Coalition's lawsuit are considerably less about the Coalition itself than about other anti-RNC organizing bodies. The arguments and affidavits filed by officials, most notably assistant chief of police Matt Bostrom, include numerous articles and statements from the websites of the RNC Welcoming Committee and Unconventional Action.

from www.protestrnc2008.org

A lawsuit for damages totaling $75,000 will be filed in Federal Court, July 2, by attorneys representing Mick Kelly. Kelly, an organizer for the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, was arrested outside the Xcel Center June 5 while passing out leaflets at the Obama rally. He was promoting the September 1 anti-war march at the Republican National Convention. Police placed him under arrest, then he was searched, put in a squad car and taken to the old police headquarters where he was cited for soliciting and peddling.

Monday, September 1, will be a day of civil disobedience and direct action to shut down the opening of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) will join these actions in opposition to a two-party system incapable of meeting basic human needs that is bankrupting and decimating our communities through a culture of war and fear.

UPDATE: As of Thursday morning all of the arrested are out of jail and amongst friends!

UPDATE: As of Wednesday evening, 8 of the arrestees have been bailed out, and have had court dates set for July. One, who is under 18, is still in custody and may or may not be held until Monday due to the holiday on Friday.

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Around 60-70 people gathered at the state capitol in St. Paul Tuesday at midday, as part of a series of recurring marches organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War demanding a fair permit for their massive September 1 march. The Coalition is engaged in a legal battle with the City of St. Paul; their next scheduled court date is July 9 when a support rally will be held at 1pm.

Reportback from the Class Struggle Anarchist Conference in NYC

Monday July 7th, 7pm
Arise! Bookstore

Truth to Power Says: "The right to decent, affordable housing is a fundamental, inalienable right of all people." The Minnesota Tenants Union, the Minneapolis-based veteran of three decades of low-income tenant struggles for housing justice, has opened new offices at Nicollet Avenue and 22nd Street with a new emphasis on housing as a fundamental, inalienable human right.

June 23, 2008 at 07:50:40
Open Letter To John Nichols and Air America

by Michael Cavlan Page 1 of 1 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com

This is a response to the recent star tribune article that refers to several local RNC protest groups and likens the threat of radical protest to "chemical attacks" and "terrorist attacks." Read the strib article here:
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/conventions/20620054.html?location_refer=$urlTrackSectionName

Typhoon of Repression Warnings: The RNC Should Just Stay Home

Regarding “St. Paul and cops gear up for worst at GOP convention,” (6.21)
Matt Bostrom and other government officials have their facts wrong. In the

Join us on September 1st!

Please print and distribute the flier as well.