Minneapolis, MN – The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARAPR) is one of the organizations that has joined the Coalition to March on the RNC and is mobilizing for the major protest on the opening day of the Republican National Convention, July 15, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Frank Chapman, the executive director of the NAARPR, states, “Why are we marching? We’re marching because as a nation and as a people, we are currently witnessing the wholesale destruction of democracy; we are witnessing war mongering and genocide.”

Chapman continued, “We are marching because it’s our duty and responsibility to stop our government from being, in the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ‘the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.’”

More than 100 organizations have announced their support for the protest spearheaded by the Coalition to March on the RNC.

#MinneapolisMN #NAARPR #RNC #RepublicanNationalConvention

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024.

A fight is underway in Milwaukee over Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 575, which forces the police to release video of police crimes in a timely manner. This is a policy won after two years of dedicated organizing by the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, a coalition partner, and affected Milwaukee families. The SOP is already under attack by the Milwaukee Police Association (MPA) and Wisconsin GOP leaders in Madison, but now the Fire and Police Commission (FPC) has voted as of Thursday, May 18, on a resolution to suspend it for the duration of the upcoming Republican National Convention in July 2024.

The Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 will be hosting a press conference on Monday, May 22 at 12 p.m. outside Milwaukee City Hall to denounce the FPC decision and to call for its immediate reversal.

“It’s clear through this decision that the police plan on suppressing dissent during the week of the RNC. What is it that MPD and the 4000 law enforcement officers have planned for protestors? We are hosting a family friendly march,” said Aurelia Ceja, a co-chair of the coalition. “The police don’t like being forced to show video of their repressive behavior and crimes. From the uprisings in Kenosha and Wauwatosa, many organizers in the coalition have seen first hand the viciousness that police are capable of when there aren’t public eyes on them.”

“This resolution was drafted during closed door meetings with MPD, and without input from the public. When the time came for public input, the FPC rearranged public comment on the agenda so it came after the vote,” said Omar Flores, the other co-chair of the coalition. “The FPC promotes itself as a body that holds police accountable. Letting the police draft resolutions behind closed doors with no public input is not in line with their purpose.”

“Civil liberties shouldn't be suspended during the RNC. Why do the Republicans and their police foot soldiers get special treatment? We’re demanding that the FPC immediately remove this resolution to suspend Milwaukee’s access to footage of police crimes,” said Tom Burke, a national spokesperson for the coalition. “Despite these obvious early attempts by Mayor Johnson, the police, and the Republican Party to intimidate organizers, we will lead a march on the first day of the convention within sight and sound of the RNC at the Wisconsin Center. We will not back down; we will be seen and we will be heard.”

The struggle for greater community control over the activities of unrestrained police departments has intensified in the three years since the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Pivotal fights are being waged in places like Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, and Milwaukee that directly challenge the police over issues of transparency, accountability, and more democratic control by the people over the terms under which they are policed.

There is a coordinated campaign nationally among Republicans to overturn gains made in this struggle, and to further criminalize dissent in general, a fact made plain by the trumped up charges students and other activists are facing in the Tampa 5 case in Florida. The Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 calls on all progressive forces to join us as we build for a mass demonstration against the Republicans on July 15, 2024.

Fight against the Republican agenda! Defend reproductive rights! Peace, justice, and equality for all!

#MilwaukeeWI #RepublicanNationalConvention

Fight Back News Service is circulating the text of a speech by a leader of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Fernando Figueroa, which was delivered shortly before the July 18 march on the RNC in Cleveland, OH.

My name is Fernando Figueroa, and I am a proud member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. I became a revolutionary in 2008 while organizing students to defeat John McCain. I honed my theory and practice as an organizer during the 2012 March on the RNC in Tampa, Florida, where we said no to Mitt Romney. Today I am a rank-and- file Teamster active in the trade union movement, and I’m standing with you all to stop Trump and the system he represents.

History has shown us that there’s only one response capable of stopping bigots and billionaires like Donald Trump. The mass political movement we’re forming today as we march on the RNC is a firm step forward for poor and oppressed people. This is true not only in the U.S., but for people all over the world. This mass movement has the 1% and all of their backwards supporters terrified – as evidenced by the police they’ve sent to welcome us to Cleveland.

The 1% that rule this country are terrified of us, and they should be. Their system of protecting the rich and powerful at the expense of working and oppressed peoples is coming to an end. The age we’re living in is like a pathetic giant, lashing out as the working class and oppressed nations of Black and Chicano people organize. We’re organizing because we believe a better world is possible, a just society where people’s needs are taken care of and capitalist greed is abolished. By uniting today to stop Trump, we are delivering a blow to the 1% and their pathetic giant.

My friends, the road ahead of us is long and treacherous. It is fraught with attempts by the enemy to frighten and discourage us, but by uniting activists and supporters from across movements, across the country and across the world, we will overcome the obstacles that lay before us, like Donald Trump.

Our mass movement is growing by leaps and bounds as we build the fight of oppressed nationalities fighting for justice and an end to police crimes. Our movement grows as we build the struggle of queer people and women, and the fight for equality and liberation. It grows when we demonstrate solidarity with people oppressed by our government in places like Colombia, the Philippines and Palestine. It grows when we struggle to protect the environment and ensure everybody receives a good education and healthcare. The working class will realize it is the most powerful force ever created, and it will rise up to smash the political parties of the 1% including the Republicans and their figurehead, Donald Trump.

Victory is ours if we choose to work for it. This year, we are going to stop Trump, and it’s up to us to bring the lessons we learn here today back to our communities and workplaces.

There’s nobody I am happier to call my comrades than all of you assembled here today. The Freedom Road Socialist Organization is proud to stand among so many veteran and rising organizers. Together we will scale the wall that tyranny, backwardness and hatred are building to keep us from political and economic power. I’ll see you on the other side.

#ClevelandOH #AntiwarMovement #CapitalismAndEconomy #InJusticeSystem #US #PeoplesStruggles #RepublicanNationalConvention #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #ohio #RNC #Antifascism #Elections #RNC2016 #FernandoFigueroa

Cleveland, OH – Organizers of the major ‘Stop Trump’ protest, set for July 18, the opening day of the Republican National Convention, received word from City officials July 1 that the applications for a rally and march had been rejected.

Tom Burke, of the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC stated, “We put in for permits more than a month ago, and worked with City staff to make sure they had all the information they needed, now less than three weeks out from the first day of the RNC, we are told that our permits are denied. This is unacceptable. We have a right to protest Trump and his reactionary agenda in the streets of Cleveland.”

The communication rejecting the permit application came from Mike McGrath, head of Cleveland’s Department of Public Safety.

Mick Kelly, also with the Coalition stated, “People are coming from around the country to protest Trump’s agenda of racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim attacks. We are serious about wanting permits, but if we do not get them, we will still march on the RNC.”

The Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC is planning a July 18 noontime rally at Cleveland Public Square, followed by a march down Ontario to the arena where the RNC is meeting.

More than 40 immigrant rights, student, anti-war, labor and low-income organizations have announced their support for the protest.

The demonstration will put forward the slogans “Dump Trump. Say no to the Republican agenda. Stand against racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim attacks. We demand peace, justice and equality.”

#ClevelandOH #RepublicanNationalConvention #CoalitionToStopTrumpAndMarchOnTheRNC #RNC2016

Fight Back News Service is urging all of our readers to participate in the July 6 call-in day demanding permits for the rally and march at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio. On July 1 the city of Cleveland contacted the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC and said that permits for the July 18 rally in Cleveland Public Square would not be granted.

Call in day to City of Cleveland Demand permits to Stop Trump and March on the RNC

Wednesday, July 6 at 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Eastern Time

Call Cleveland Mayor Jackson at 216-664-3990

Call Mike McGrath at 216-664-2200, Department of Public Safety

Say: “Hello, my name is __________, calling from ____________. I am calling to ask Mayor Jackson to issue the permits for the Monday, July 18, 12 Noon rally at Cleveland Public Square and the March on the RNC to follow it. “I am one of millions taking a stand against the racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim agenda of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. We want our permits now, so we can have a family-friendly event that sends a clear message to the Republicans. We want peace, equality and justice! “We want our permits now!”

Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC at www.protestRNC2016.com

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/272948203057050/

Contact the Coalition at StopTrumpMarchOnTheRNC@gmail.com

#ClevelandOH #RepublicanNationalConvention #CoalitionToStopTrumpAndMarchOnTheRNC #RNC2016

Tom Burke, spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC states, “The city needs to stop being stubborn and give us decent permits that allow people who are coming from around the U.S. to march on the RNC.”

Mick Kelly, also a Coalition spokesperson, states, “We plan on holding the kind of protest that people can bring their families to, and we want permits. We are serious about exercising our right to protest the Republican agenda of racism and reaction. If we do not get the permits we need, we still plan on going to the Quicken Loans Arena – the site of the RNC.”

The Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC is planning a July 18 noon time rally at Cleveland Public Square, followed by a march down Ontario to the arena where the RNC is meeting.

Before the press conference, activists promoting protests at the RNC crashed the reopening of Cleveland Square Park, a major civic event featuring Mayor Jackson and many other city officials. Activist held a banner denouncing Trump, and passed out leaflets promoting the protests at the RNC.

Many of the organizations backing the protest have organized large demonstrations at Trump campaign appearances across the U.S. More than 40 immigrant rights, student, anti-war, labor and low-income organizations have announced their support for the protest.

The demonstration will put forward the slogans, “Dump Trump, Say No to the Republican Agenda. Stand Against Racist, Anti-immigrant and Anti-Muslim Attacks. We Demand Peace, Justice and Equality.”

#ClevelandOH #RepublicanNationalConvention #DonaldTrump #RNC2016

“We’re hoping for a march that draws thousands,” states Coalition spokesperson Mick Kelly. “There is a growing tide of anger in the country, directed against Trump and the reactionary, anti-people agenda of the Republican Party. We intend to fill the streets with people who reject their racist, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim attacks.”

The Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC is planning a rally at Cleveland Public Square, followed by a march down Ontario Street to the Quicken Loans Arena – the site of the RNC.

Tom Burke, also of the Coalition, states, “We are hearing from unions, anti-war, student, immigrant rights, and other groups that are mobilizing for the July 18 march. We have every reason to expect a large turnout.”

Some of the organizations supporting the march include, Legalization For All Network, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Lucha Unida por Padres y Estudiantes (L.U.P.E.) Tucson, Arizona, Youth Empowered in the Struggle at UW-Milwaukee, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Utah Against Police Brutality, AFSCME Local 1216, United Workers Organization—Milwaukee, WI; International Action Center, Minneapolis Anti-War Committee, Antiwar Committee-Chicago, Utah Antiwar Committee, Tucson Antiwar Committee, Milwaukee Antiwar Committee, Peoples Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism- South Florida, Institute for Global Education, Grand Rapids, MI; Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, American Party of Labor, Students for a Democratic Society— West Chester University of PA, Students for a Democratic Society – Houston, TX, Students for a Democratic Society – University of Minnesota, Students for a Democratic Society -Tampa Bay, FL,

Students for a Democratic Society—Tallahassee, FL, Students for a Democratic Society -University of Utah, Students for a Democratic Society – Angelina College, Texas, Students for a Democratic Society – DuPage, IL, Community Uprise – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, The Student Union Movement at Milwaukee Area Technical College, Students and Graduate Activists (SAGA) at University of Illinois—Chicago, BAYAN, USA, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, International League of Peoples’ Struggle – U.S., U.S. Palestinian Community Network.

#MinneapolisMN #RepublicanNationalConvention #DumpTrump #CoalitionToStopTrumpAndMarchOnTheRNC #RNC2016

Mick Kelly, a spokesperson Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC stated, “We plan on marching right up to the site of the RNC. We insist that our right to protest is respected. The people of this county are rejecting Trump and his racist, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim attacks.”

Tom Burke, also of the Coalition states, “Thousands of people are coming to the RNC to protest Trump. Buses are being chartered to come to this protest from as far away as Minnesota, and we plan on being within sight and sound of the RNC on July 18.”

Coalition organizers say they are exploring legal options to challenge the restrictions.

About 40 immigrant rights, student, anti-war, labor, and low-income organizations have announced their support for the protest.

The demonstration will put forward the slogans, “Dump Trump, Say No to the Republican Agenda. Stand Against Racist, Anti-Immigrant, and Anti-Muslim Attacks. We demand Peace, Justice and Equality.”

Many of the organizers of this protest helped lead the mass marches that drew thousands at the 2008 RNC in Saint Paul, Minnesota and the 2012 RNC in Tampa, Florida.

#ChicagoIL #PoorPeoplesMovements #StudentMovement #InJusticeSystem #Labor #OppressedNationalities #US #AfricanAmerican #ChicanoLatino #RepublicanNationalConvention #PoliticalRepression #Elections #DumpTrump #CoalitionToStopTrumpAndMarchOnTheRNC

Tom Burke, a spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC states, “Organizations are contacting us every day, telling us that want to join this march, and to let the world know that we will stand up to racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim attacks.”

Over the past week, chapters of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Pennsylvania’s West Chester University; the University of MN; Houston, TX; Tampa Bay, FL and Tallahassee, FL have announced their support for the protest.

The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which is leading the fight for community control of Chicago’s police has also decided to back the march on the RNC.

Other groups backing the protest include the Welfare Rights Committee, MN Anti-War Committee, Anti-war Committee Chicago, L.U.P.E – Tucson, AZ, Los Angeles’s Centro CSO, Legalzation for All Network, and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

Mick Kelly, also of the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC states, “We expect thousands to join us for the march on the RNC. We have applied for permits, and expect to get them, but we plan on marching whether we get them or not.”

The protest will put forward the slogans, “Dump Trump, Say No to the Republican Agenda, Stand Against Racist, Anti-Immigrant, and Anti-Muslim Attacks,” and “We Demand Peace, Justice and Equality.”

Many of the organizers of this protest helped lead the mass marches that drew thousands at the 2008 RNC in Saint Paul, Minnesota and the 2012 RNC in Tampa, Florida.

#ClevelandOH #RepublicanNationalConvention #RNC #Elections #DonaldTrump #DumpTrump #CoalitionToStopTrumpAndMarchOnTheRNC

Tom Burke, a spokesperson for Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC states, “We have now applied for permits to march on the RNC and we insist that the permits are granted in a timely manner. We have a right to protest Trump and his racist, reactionary agenda, and that is exactly what we will do on the opening day of the Republican National Convention.”

Mick Kelly, also of the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC, added, “While the coalition wants permits to ensure the broadest participation in the protest, we will march permits or not.”

The Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC permit application is for a rally at Cleveland Public Square followed by a march down Ontario Street to the Quicken Loans Arena – the site of the RNC.

According to a statement from protest organizers, “Activists from around the country will be converging on Cleveland, Ohio, July 18, the opening day of the Republican National Convention. Inside the convention hall, Republicans will promote their agenda of bigotry, racist discrimination, Islamophobia, war and austerity. On the streets of Cleveland, we will demand peace, justice and equality.”

Many of the organizers of this protest helped lead the mass marches that drew thousands at the 2008 RNC in Saint Paul, Minnesota and the 2012 RNC in Tampa, Florida.

#MinneapolisMN #RepublicanNationalConvention #Elections #DumpTrump #CoalitionToStopTrumpAndMarchOnTheRNC

Tampa, FL – Student got together here, August 18, to make some of the thousands of signs that will be carried at the August 27 march on the Republican National Convention. The protest will demand good jobs, health-care, affordable education, equality and peace.

“We are going all out to get ready for the march on the RNC,” stated Skye Schmelzer, a protest organizer and member of Student for a Democratic Society. “In just 9 days, students and others are going to make a powerful statement against the Republican agenda, and the agenda of the 1% that runs this country.”

The August 27 RNC protest will begin with a 10:00 a.m. rally at Perry Harvey Sr. Park, located at 1200 N. Orange Ave in Tampa, FL.

#TampaFL #RepublicanNationalConvention #students #RNC

A statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression notes, “Chicano leader and long-time anti-war activist Carlos Montes is the target of a FBI frame-up. The FBI and Los Angeles Sheriffs broke down Carlos’ door, ransacked his home and took his notes and papers, May 17, 2011. Carlos Montes refused to answer the FBI agent’s questions. Carlos knew the raid was part of the FBI repression of 23 anti-war activists who organized the mass protests outside the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Along with many others, Carlos Montes name appeared on the FBI search warrant for the Anti-War Committee office in Minneapolis on September 24, 2010.”

The statement continues, “Now Carlos Montes is facing six felony charges, because the FBI claims he is a felon in violation of firearm codes. The FBI claim stems from a 1969 student strike for Black, Chicano and Women’s studies at East L.A. College, where police beat and arrested demonstrators. Carlos was arrested on his way home, accused of assaulting a sheriff’s deputy (with an empty soda can). However, according to a recent court document, this charge was sentenced as a misdemeanor. The prosecution is basing its case on this 42-year-old misdemeanor, disguising it as a bogus felony. Without a past felony, all of the charges that Montes is now facing relating to his legally purchased firearms would be dismissed. Both sides agree that no prison time whatsoever was served in the 1969 incident. The legal process is being driven by something other than the facts of the case. It is political repression.”

Eric Gardner of the LA Committee to Stop FBI Repression states “It is important that people who care about justice and civil liberties join us at the court house March 27. The attempt to put Carlos Montes on trial is an attempt to put our right to dissent on trial.”

A picket will begin at 8:00 a.m., Tuesday, March 27, outside the Los Angeles Superior Courts Building at 210 W. Temple Street. Supporters will pack the hearing afterwards.

#LosAngelesCalifornia #LosAngelesCA #CarlosMontes #RepublicanNationalConvention #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #Chicano

Tampa, FL – 300 protesters rallied and marched against the Republican Party at the primary debate in Tampa, Jan. 23. The protest began with a rally at the University of South Florida's Administration Building. The groups, part of the Coalition to March on the RNC, included Students for a Democratic Society, local affiliates of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Occupy Tampa, Fight Back Florida and Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

The rally began with speakers denouncing the Republican Party for spearheading the attacks on working people, unions, students and immigrants, at its most extreme in Wisconsin and Florida. Speakers placed the responsibility for the economic crisis on the rich and Wall Street. Reverend Charles McKenzie of the Rainbow Push Coalition spoke to a crowd of hundreds, “Bankers got bailed out, we got sold out...We need to occupy, we need revolution in this country!”

From the campus Administration Building, the crowd pushed towards the theater where the Republican debate was starting. Marching across Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, they chanted, “Show me what democracy looks like, this is what democracy looks like.”

As the crowd reached the theater, even more gathered to protest. Protesters were met with barricades and police surrounding the entire building. The crowd continued chanting with slogans like “Tax the rich!” and “They say cut back, we say fight back!” Looking for a way inside the theater, the crowd circled the building for an opening. Swarms of police officers met the crowd to block them from entering. With the entire building barricaded, the crowd reassembled on the MLK Plaza for a second round of speeches.

Members of SDS spoke of how the Republican Party relentlessly attacks both students and workers. How rising tuition costs, the demand for good jobs and the economic crisis are aggravated by the wars and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq – started by the Republican Party and continuing today.

During the speeches by young people with Occupy Tampa and SDS, a group of Tea Party types tried to break through the protest rally. Led by Pastor Terry Jones, the racist Quran-burning preacher of Gainesville, Florida, the right-wingers held homophobic and anti-Muslim signs. The Tea Party protesters, tepid and weak, were no match for the much younger and vibrant crowd of protesters. The Tea Party types were forced away from the rally to chants of, “No more hate!”.

Next, after the confrontation with the hate mongers, Marisol Marquez spoke on behalf of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. She told the crowd about Carlos Montes, a long time Chicano activist raided by the FBI for his involvement with anti-war activism and organizing at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Carlos Montes is due to go on trial for an incident that happened over 40 years ago.

Closing the protest, Dustin Ponder, a member of Fight Back Florida and spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the RNC, asked others to sign on to the Coalition. The Coalition consists of labor unions, low-income community organizations, student groups, immigrants rights groups, as well as many other social justice groups. The point is to unite all those who can be united in order to combat the attacks of the Republican agenda. The [Coalition to March on the RNC](http://www.MarchontheRNC.com) is planning a protest march of thousands on Monday, August 27, 2012, when Tampa hosts the Republican National Convention.

#TampaFL #RepublicanNationalConvention #2012RepublicanNationalConvention #RepublicanNationalConvention2012

Fight Back News Service is circulating the call to march on the 2012 Republican National Convention. A massive protest that will coincide with the opening of the convention will take place August 27, 2012, in Tampa, Florida. Organizers of the protest have set up the web site: http://marchonthernc.com Demand Good Jobs, Healthcare, Affordable Education, Equality and Peace Say NO to the Republican Agenda Money for human needs, not for corporate greed

On August 27, 2012, while the Republican National Convention selects a candidate for president, we will be marching in the streets of Tampa, Florida demanding jobs, healthcare, education, equality and peace. We will let the entire world know, “We have had enough of the endless attacks on the rights of working people and our standard of living!” We will defend Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. We will defend ourselves against union busting. We will defend our children's right to an affordable, quality education. We want money spent on human needs, not on wars overseas and corporate greed.

In Congress and in states across the country, the Republicans and their Tea Party allies have unleashed a war on the people of this country. While the Republicans bailed out Wall Street, many of us lost our homes. While they push tax cuts for the rich, they are destroying working families and our way of life by cutting programs that serve us. The Republicans are trying to break our unions and take away our right to bargain collectively. They are spearheading attacks on immigrants and promoting an agenda of racism and hatred.

For too long, too many politicians in both political parties have ignored our needs, while serving the interests of the rich and powerful. We need to take things into our own hands and make them understand the consequences of their actions. Monday, August 27, 2012, is the time to advance the cause of justice and make our voices heard. Tampa, Florida is the place for all of us to raise our demands. Whether you are working to defend reproductive rights, standing up against attacks on immigrants and racist discrimination, resisting attacks on working people, or saying no to government cutbacks, we can come together from across the country to let our voices be heard. From California, to Illinois, to New York, we can join our brothers and sisters in the South in mobilizing and building a united protest with a clear message, “No to the Republicans! We demand good jobs, healthcare, affordable education, equality and peace!”

On Monday, August 27, 2012, the attention of the entire world will be focused on Tampa, Florida. The Republican National Convention brings together some of the worst politicians that this country has to offer. We're calling on all those ready to fight back against the attacks launched by the Republican Party and their corporate masters to take to the streets and demand a better future for our families, our communities and our children.

#TampaFL #AntiwarMovement #Labor #RepublicanNationalConvention #TeaParty #RNC2012 #RepublicanNationalConvention2012

Minneapolis, MN – Twenty protesters picketed outside the Twins game on July 18 to protest the proposal for Minneapolis hosting the 2012 Democratic National Convention (DNC). The DNC site selection committee was rumored to be inside and thousands of Minnesotans saw signs like “We say NO WAR Party” as they went into the stadium. Minneapolis is one of four cities in running to host the convention. The protest was organized by No DNC, a local coalition.

Two years ago St. Paul, Minnesota hosted the Republican National Convention. There were large anti-war protests every day of the convention. The police conduct during the convention was outrageous and the city is still in litigation for mass arrests and police brutality. The Twin Cities activist community will organize massive portests if Minneapolis hosts the DNC.

Dave Bicking explained to the crowd, “There are special reasons why we oppose this convention, because of the very policies that will be celebrated as they celebrate they reselect Obama for president. These are policies of war, of bank failures, I don’t need to go on…They [the Minneapolis city council]will be actively helping the security needed to repress freedom of speech in this city while hosting some of the worst war criminals in this country – people who are responsible for making the plans that are killing people around this world. We need to let the site selection committee know that there will be resistance, that there is resistance which is forming already and there will be continued resistance if they want to come and bring all their war policies to Minneapolis.”

Bicking is an anti-war and environmental activist and father to Monica Bicking, one of the RNC 8. She is still facing felony charges for “conspiracy” from 2008. Bicking is concerned there will be more police repression and trumped up charges if Minneapolis hosts the DNC.

Meredith Aby, an activist with the Anti-War Committee who helped organize protest on days one and four of the RNC in 2008 explained what will happen if Minneapolis hosts the convention, “The Afghanistan war is the Democrat’s war. They chose to escalate it. They chose to put the lives of millions of Afghans and tens of thousands of Americans at risk. They chose to stand by as video after video was released of massacre after massacre of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have blood on their hands and they can’t expect to come to our town, an anti-war town like Minneapolis, and get to party for four days without us telling them that this is criminal and immoral.”

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #ProtestRNC2008 #RepublicanNationalConvention #RNC8 #DemocraticNationalConvention #DNC #DNC2012 #NoDNC