Voices from the protest

These are statements from some of the many people who will protest against the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN on September 1-4, 2008.

Cientos de miles de trabajadores inmigrantes y sus aliados marcharon en ciudades alrededor de los Estados Unidos el 1ro de mayo, el día internacional de los trabajadores. Las demandas principales de las protestas fueron legalización inmediata para todos los inmigrantes indocumentados y un fín inmediato a la ola de redadas y deportaciones que sufren los mexicanos, latinoamericanos y todos los trabajadores inmigrantes.

St. Paul, MN – A picket line and press conference took place here Nov. 1, at the office of the police community service unit, to announce that the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War has submitted another application to demonstrate at the Republican National Convention. Permits for protests and demonstrations in Saint Paul are submitted to this office.

St. Paul, MN – As the head of the Saint Paul City Council banged her gavel, Deb Konechne, of the Coalition to March on the RNC & Stop the War and the Welfare Rights Committee, stood up and demanded that council members listen to statements on why permits should be granted now for a massive anti-war march at the Republican National Convention. When the Council refused to hear the statements, protesters chanted, “We need the permits,” and marched out of the meeting.

St. Paul, MN – Standing in front to the Xcel Center, Sept. 1, the site of next year’s Republican National Convention, organizers of the massive protest planned against the war on Iraq pressed their demand for permits. The city of Saint Paul has refused to issue permits and is having subcommittees of the city’s so-called Free Speech Committee meeting in secret. Speakers – including members of Women Against Military Madness, the Welfare Rights Committee and the Anti-War Committee – made it clear that would fight any attempt to restrict their right to protest against the Iraq war at the Republican National Convention.

Minneapolis, MN – Activists planning protests at the Republican National Convention packed a city hall conference room here, Aug. 8, to blast a proposed ordinance that would place big restrictions on the right to demonstrate. Deb Konechne of the Welfare Rights Committee told members of the city government’s ‘Free Speech Working Group’ that the proposal was trash.

St. Paul, MN – Individuals and organizations gathered here for what is likely to the be the first of many community meetings to make plans in response to the Republican National Convention (RNC) which will take place in Saint Paul in Sept. 2008. The event, called “Resisting the RNC: Minnesota Town Hall Organizing Meeting,” was co-hosted by the Protest RNC 2008 Coalition (www.protestrnc2008.org) and the RNC Welcoming Committee. (www.rncwelcomingcommittee.org).

Chicago, IL – Más que 200.000 personas marcharon hoy, el 10 de Marzo, por el centro de Chicago. Gritaban, “Sí, se puede!” significando que sí podemos derrotar la legislación migratoria de Sensenbrenner.

Chicago, IL – 200 activistas contra la brutalidad policial llevaron su mensaje a la vecindad de Dick Devine el Sábado 2 de Junio del 2001. El Sr. Devine es el Abogado del Estado del condado de Cook. Este es el funcionario responsable de procesar a oficiales de la policía corruptos o involucrados en brutalidad policial. Los protestantes marcharon a través de la vecindad de Devine, empujando más allá la policía en los caballos que intentaron evitar que la marcha pasara por la calle donde este vive. “Devine ha rechazado constantemente satisfacernos con respecto de abrir a una investigación en la área 5 de la policía,” dijo Blanca González del Comité Exigimos Justicia (CEJ).“Ahora nos tiene que escuchar, ya que estamos en frente de su puerta!”

Chicago, IL – Ultimas noticias de las negociaciones: 700 empleados de servicio de la Universidad de Illinois siguen trabajando sin ningun contrato. Esto es porque la gerencia niega acabar con su práctica, que ha durado décadas, de pagar menos a sus empleados en Chicago que a los que trabajan en los planteles en otras zonas del estado. La mayoría de los empleados en Chicago son afro-americanos y latinos, y en el resto del estado, la mayoría de los empleados de la universidad son blancos.