MEDIA ADVISORY September, 4, 2008
For Immediate Release: Contingent of Lawyers, Activists, and Media Take Concerns of Police Brutality at RNC to Mayor Coleman's Office
Contact: Kris Hermes 510-681-6361
- WHAT: Attempt to meet with Mayor Chris Coleman about escalation of police brutality in St. Paul
- WHO: Lawyers, activists, and members of the media - WHEN: September 4, 2008 @ 4:00 p.m.
- WHERE: St. Paul Mayor's Office, 15 W. Kellogg Blvd. Police violence has not been limited to the streets. The Coldsnap Legal Collective, providing support to people arrested at the RNC, has received numerous reports of abuse in the jails. In addition to widespread denial of medical attention, multiple people have been brutalized by Sheriff's Deputies inside their cells.
At a press conference earlier today, recently released activist Elliot Hughes made statements that while in jail he had a bag placed over his head, a gag in his mouth, and was beaten to unconsciousness by multiple correctional officers.
Interview with a Portland IndyMedia reporter who was snatched from the Poor People's March Tuesday at the RNC in St. Paul mixed with footage from the incident and the march.
Shame of Democracy: RNC Day 1 Highlights
8.5 min. ~ Download iPod ~ Bandwidth Challenged embedding options @ Blip
9/1 Protests at the RNC. The atmosphere in St. Paul is best described as a war zone. This video attempts to show some of why people are protesting. Reporters from the AP, NY Post, Indy Media Center, Pepper Spray Productions and 3 producers from Democracy Now have been arrested, including Amy Goodman.
This afternoon the bus was repeatedly harassed by St. Paul police. We were notified by our lawyers who were on the scene while we were attempting to cover the Poor People's March. Eyewitnesses reported that they attempted to open the door both by hand and CROW BAR. They attempted to film inside the bus and claimed they were concerned about "liquids". Our bus is legally parked in a paid lot with permission from the Parking lot. 2 private buses have been confiscated in St. Paul 1 bus carrying a marching band of activists have chosen to leave town. The police came by 3 times each time with more squad cars and equipment. At this time the bus, inhabitants and property are safe... and insecure. Much more about this later.
IVAW backed up by 5,000 liberals, peaceniks and anarchists illegally march from the DNC Rage Against the Machine concert to the Pepsi center to demand that they are allowed to read their letter to the delegates. Unfortunately they pussed out and accepted a deal by which they agreed to meet with someone from the Obama campaign the next day... when the delegates were all gone... when it was impossible to meet their demands.
Contingents from Code Pink, IVAW, the Green Party and Anarchists snake marched through downtown Denver without a permit. Anarchists took the streets and played cat an mouse with the cops all afternoon.
DNC protestors prepare for the Democratic Convention. Free activist trainings and Prohibition Speak Out at Civic Center Park in Denver. Featuring Drug War Activist Dana Beal and YIPPIE Aaron "Pie Man" Kay.
Vote for 2004 A Year in Dissent & USE in the Cinemocrocy Film Festival and help FluxRostrum and The Stimulator win free lodging for video activists at the Dnc...
Tony Sferlazza is a field director working with the graqssroots relief organization, Plenty International. Plenty is a not-for-profit alternative relief and development organization founded in Tennessee in 1974.
Vote for 2004 A Year in Dissent & USE in the Cinemocrocy Film Festival and help FluxRostrum and The Stimulator win free lodging for video activists at the Dnc... Vote Every Day.
We entered the Rainbow Gathering on July 7th.. most of the family had left by this time and those who hadn't were packing up, except for the clean up crew. At the final turn into the gathering we were informed that the event was under a MANDITORY EVACUATION due to a raging forest fire ... that no one could see.
A part of the Republic of Lakotah Red Ribbon Grand Jury Against Racism & Corruption in Dawes County Nebraska. This is testimony regarding felony assault charges brought against Dominique Ten Fingers, apparently for defending herself in her home.
Russell Means and Vernon Moves Camp give opening remarks at the Republic of Lakotah sponsored Red Ribbon Grand Jury on Systematic Racism and Corruption in Dawes County Nebraska. Racism, however is a door that swings both directions.
Vote for 2004 A Year in Dissent & USE in the Cinemocrocy Film Festival and help FluxRostrum and The Stimulator win free lodging for video activists at the DNC
... Vote Every Day. :)
An interview regarding Freedom and sovereignty with Russell Means leader of the movement to establish the Republic of Lakotah as an independent nation, separate from the United States.
A talk with Tom Cook; field director for Running Strong for American Indian Youth, regarding Uranium Mining in the North West Nebraska and South West South Dakota.
This video DOES NOT represent the views of FluxRostrum. This is NOT the story that I have come to the Lakota to hear but it is a story that they want told; and that is as important as our agenda.
An invitation for independent video journalists to get on the bus and a tour of our current facilities. Check out what 11 months of progress looks like on a school bus converted to run on waste vegetable oil and deployed to facilitate independent journalism focusing on grass roots movements while giving the middle finger to corporate media.
An update regarding the video "Get That Camera!". The NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board has recommended command discipline for one officer and allowed 2 to skate by. The CCRB has NO authority to actually discipline police officers, their recommendations are sent to the Police Commissioner. I expect another letter in 2 years telling me no punishment will be levied against the fall guy.
I was unable to get my stolen/broken equipment returned to me even though I jumped through all the required hoops to do so.
Bush's trip raised only $500,000. It probably cost the taxpayers at least that much, if not more, in security for him, between the number of local police and overtime; federal security; helicopters, air force one, pilots, delays at the airport, the horrible mess caused by shutting down the interstate between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Add up the lost time for all of the taxpayers sitting in traffic and not being able to be productive anywhere else, and who knows how much his little fundraising party actually cost. It would have been cheaper to just write John Kennedy a check from the federal coffers for $500,000, and save us all the time and aggravation of being stuck in traffic for an extra hour just so the almighty could come to a fundraiser.
report back from "The Peoples Summit" from OK
after the second sunburnt day of the gulf coast's people's summit, we here in new orleans are acting like we have months left before bush comes to town, when in fact he is here enjoying the city, comforted by air conditioning and motorcades. we are already witnessing the effects of his Security & Prosperity Partnership: with the mississippi river bridge's on and off ramps blocked, I-10 was made into an express highway, directing flows of traffic and people, conveniently out of his way, inconveniencing everyone else from having access to the city.
The canal street ferry, shuttling internally displaced traffic across the mississippi river, was circled through the day by coast guard boats fully armed and ready to fire mounted machine guns, in full show of force and what bush intends to mean by 'security,' we on the docks agreed was menacing and intimidating. the imminent, historic, and nation-altering meeting about to take place between the leaders of the "free world'' is being met with little, hardly any, noticeable resistance. Due at least in part to the crippled condition of new orleans, where 3 years after the hurricanes people continue to face daily struggles to survive, with no surplus resources, time, or active community members to lend to what would likely be, in any other city in the hemisphere, an equally historic People's protest to the executive meeting.
Civilian resistance and protest to massive free trade agreements seems to be planned for more by bush than by the american public or the "progressive left", and so new orleans is the perfect backdrop for the announcement of the spp: sweeping decisions adversely affecting millions of people are met with a strangled cry, gone unheard by the rest of the nation.
"Understanding who profits and how: NAFTA + and Katrina Profiteering" was a misnomer, a vague power-analysis turned roundcircle discussion, facilitated by the people's institute for survival and beyond. The session was attended by community organizers, international public service workers union representative, mexican trade unions, activists from chiapas, american and canadian youth, citizen journalists and media activists, farmer union representative, social workers, non-profit organizations, and new orleanians, served more as the critical race theory workshop that the Peoples Institute is known for, and not as any attempt for a coordinated approach or discussion on how to challenge bush, calderon and harper at this critical moment.
ironically, at this international summit, facilitators asked that we divide ourselves into national groups to notice similarities between new orleans and wherever we were visiting from, something that would have been manifold more useful to hear from each other, as it was a rare opportunity to hear voices from across the heavily guarded borders. discussion was derailed and became about how we are gate keepers, moving further and further away from any plan of action. the 6 hours were used as an introduction to social inequality, as if people signed up to take a class on the internalization of inferiority/superiority. in fact people came to act together in the face of big brother government.
for all of our talk on giving voices to disenfranchised people around the world, taking queues from these communities, learning from eachother, creating access to decision-making, none of the mexicans who traveled the long distance were asked what they thought should happen at this summit. there was no mention of their very successful strategies for organizing resistance to destructive neo-colonial economic policies. nobody asked "what can we do now that all of our presidents are in town?"
instead was the same old, painfully ineffective naval-gazing
speaking with a gentleman from mexico after the looooong winded sessions were over, he asked what the break-out group of americans discussed, and i said they were just talking and not saying much, like americans do. and he laughed, agreeing said i should have been sitting with the mexican delegation because they were discussing that very point.
The Political Frenzy picks up the pace in Austin Texas, February 21st as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama face off in a stadium full of party operatives while the people scream their names in vain on the street.
Related Links ::: One Vote '08, Adapt
The 1st Common Ground Relief owned facility in New Orleans has been dedicated to Anita Roddick, recently deceased owner of the Body Shop and Champion of Humanitarian and Civil Rights issues world wide.
The dedication ceremony took place next to where the barge landed in the lower 9th ward and features Malik Rahim, CoFounder of Common Ground Collective; Sakura Kone, media relations director of Common Ground Collective; The Rebirth Brass Band, The Revolution 2nd Line and Fiyaya.
Primary Day in New Hampshire and all the candidates are glad handing to beat hell. Giuliani's goons attack Vermin Supreme.
featuring: Rudy Giuliani, Vermin Supreme, John Edwards, McCain, Kucinich
January 5th New Hampshire Primary coverage. Featuring: Vermin Supreme, Iraq Vet Against the War and Dennis Kucinich speaking from inside the Free speech pen. Dennis comes in about halfway through.
