Joining together in this traditional Minnesota antiwar chant, more than 150 activists from as far away as Los Angeles and North Carolina came together in Minneapolis to plan for the counter-protest to the Republican National convention in St Paul on September 1-4.
The conference on the University of Minnesota campus was endorsed by more than 50 peace and justice groups, from national organizations such as United for Peace and Justice, Code Pink, and War Resisters League, to regional and local groups like Minnesota’s Women Against Military Madness and Wisconsin’s WNPJ and Peace Action-Milwaukee. A large student contingent was present, including Students for a Democratic Society chapters from Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina, and students from the newly-formed Progressive Students of Milwaukee, and Madison’s chapter of the Campus Antiwar Network.
Two local groups took a strong lead in organizing the conference: AFSCME local 3800 a militant union representing clerical employees at the University of Minnesota, and Minneapolis’ Welfare Rights Committee. Personally, I found it inspiring to see so many women and people of color in leadership positions in the coalition.
In previous counter-protests at the conventions of the two major parties, there has been some tension between those wanting to organize a large, legally-permitted march, and those wanting to engage in more disruptive actions of civil disobedience, such as attempting to block the buses of convention delegates to prevent them from reaching the convention hall. In Minneapolis, a new approach is being tried: an agreement, undertaken by all groups well in advance of the convention, to allow for a “diversity of tactics” while agreeing to a “separation of time and place” for actions organized by different groups. Many of those attending thought this agreement might provide a model for future protests, whether at political conventions or future WTO-type events.
The conference endorsed a call for a large legally-permitted march on Labor Day, September 1 (more details here). The Welfare Rights Committee’s proposal to organize a poor people’s contingent in the march received strong support.
The RNC Welcoming Committee is planning other forms of protest on other days of the convention, including civil disobedience actions, and many were excited about the prospect of a concert on Friday, Sept. 5th, to celebrate the Republican’s withdrawal from the occupied city of St. Paul.
Events are also being organized to put forward a positive “people’s agenda” in stark contrast to the Republican agenda. The People’s Networking Convention will be meeting in Madison, August 15-17, to allow for “non-elections-based organizing and discussion”, followed by a group, PNC2RNC, which will be biking to the twin cities, arriving in time for the Republican convention.
What will Wisconsin’s role be? George Martin of Peace Action-Milwaukee made this commitment: “Aside from the state of Minnesota, Wisconsin will provide more people to this protest than any other state in the union!”
Wisconsin organizers have the experience needed to bring a large number of people to St. Paul, having organized 17 buses for the October 27 United for Peace and Justice regional antiwar protest in Chicago. This time, we can expect a large presence from LaCrosse and EauClaire. WNPJ will pitch in with buses from Madison. So keep checking back for updates!
No comments:
Post a Comment