by Kyle Szarzynski
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Two clashing forces have descended on the Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., this week. One, of course, is the agenda of the 2,380 Republican delegates, assembled to anoint John McCain as their new leader. In most respects, they are a homogenous bunch: Few are non-white, working-class or underprivileged in any way, and their worldviews are united by an embrace of hierarchy, perpetual violence and demonization of the “other.”
The protesters who oppose this vision — including those on the receiving end of its often brutal vindication — are composed of welfare moms, immigrants, anarcho-collectivists, college students, Catholic clergy, anti-war Iraq vets and a myriad of other activists who have grown tired of the exclusive electoral system and have opted to take to the streets to force social change. Their tactics and principal political concerns vary, but all wear more than a little disgust and rebelliousness on their brow. They have shown up to confront war, inequality and bigotries of all kinds.
Although the protesters outnumber the delegates by several fold, the latter have two powerful weapons on their side. The first is the corporate media, which has either ignored those outside the Xcel Energy Center or used loaded, misleading terms — “rioters” and “anarchists” are two of their favorites — to describe them.
The second is the full power of the police and military apparatus. Approximately 3,500 police officers, many of whom are from surrounding counties, and hundreds of National Guard troops have been called in to contain the protests. The level of repression has reached proportions beyond what most could have ever imagined.
Aided by the FBI, local law enforcement began targeting the protesters the weekend before the convention. The anti-RNC headquarters, called the Convergence Center, and several homes of activists were raided (and probably bugged) on Saturday and Sunday. Hundreds of people were detained, including journalists and lawyers working in coordination with the demonstrators. Several leaders, acting on tips by police infiltrators, were snatched and arrested by plainclothes policemen. Among the first arrests were four nuns.
Most of this activity — condemned as “unacceptable” by the National Lawyers Guild — has less to do with collecting information than inspiring fear and intimidation in its targets. It’s hard to say what other purpose the lecherous police vehicles encircling activist meetings could have had.
The first major demonstrations began on Monday — the first day of the convention. About 10,000 protesters marched on a permitted route around the state Capitol, while several hundred engaged in mostly peaceful civil disobedience throughout the downtown area to block buses bringing delegates to the convention. Riot police continually pushed back demonstrators with pepper spray, tear gas, concussion grenades, rubber bullets and batons. Most of the property destruction — grossly exaggerated by the mainstream press — consisted in the establishment of roadblocks to stop delegate vehicles and the police onslaught. Hundreds were arrested and many more were injured, while the unfortunate few experienced both. There are several stories of arrestees languishing in prison while being denied medical care.
Most commentators, including many liberals who claim allegiance to the ideals of the protest, have harped on the “right” of the Republicans to have their convention. The First Amendment applies to everyone, or so the argument goes, even those with whom you disagree. Common sense, however, tells us that free speech exists not in a bubble but is intertwined within the unequal power relations in our society. It further informs us that letting war criminals and robber barons carry on with their anointing ceremony is intuitively absurd, especially for their millions of victims.
The Poor People’s March on Tuesday began on an ominously gray afternoon, with hundreds of riot police and National Guardsmen lining the streets as protesters, including the many families the demonstration was designed to attract, marched to the capitol. Not content with this symbolic show of force, the rapidly growing march then descended upon the Xcel Energy Center itself, only to be confronted by pushy military personnel, snipers, helicopters and the occasional “snatch arrest.” As over 1,000 people crowded nonviolently near the barricades, the police unleashed their chemical weapons without warning the crowd, forcing a stampede of people, many barely able to see or breathe, to flee blocks away. Their reason? According to a police scanner, the cops planned to “go in for the kill” because they were “sick of this shit.”
The chaos in downtown St. Paul during the convention has placed large sections of the city under de facto martial law. Many bystanders I spoke to, including some who vehemently disagreed with the protesters, were appalled by the police brutality. A hotel employee who I spoke to on Monday stated, “
did way more to disrupt the city than anyone else.”
Even in the midst of incredible state violence, the solidarity of those on the street — and their many allies — is hard to overstate. Medics were always quick on the scene with aid, legal observers vigorously documented illegal police behavior, and Presbyterian church ladies handed out countless gallons of water to dehydrated protesters running from the gas and batons.
The Republican National Convention will ultimately go on as planned. But the physical power of the counter-convention on display this week should give hope to the vast majority who stand to suffer from its policies.
Kyle Szarzynski
http://badgerherald.com/oped/2008/09/04/protesters_respond_t.php
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