Getting Ready for the Conventions in 2008
Ashley Hinson is a Peacework intern and an international studies student at Lesley University.
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The Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado scheduled for August 25-28 and the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota scheduled for September 1-4 will both offer important opportunities for nonviolent demonstrations. Several grassroots efforts are already underway around the country. Below are a number of websites that include resources for ways to get involved.
The "Recreate '68 Alliance" (www.recreate68.org) also known as the All Nations Alliance that was involved in making Denver the first city to oppose the PATRIOT Act has set up its website as a forum for activists in opposition to the DNC.
"Unconventional Action" (www.unconventionalaction.org) is encouraging groups around across the country to prepare in advance for both the DNC and RNC. Their website provides practical information on how to organize, the theory behind direct action, as well as legal and medical guides.
The "Protest RNC-2008" website (www.protestrnc2008.org) maintains a strong focus on opposition to the US occupation of Iraq . The site includes a number of news sources as well as the mapped route of an anti-war march scheduled for September 1, 2008.
The "RNC Welcoming Committee" (www.rncwelcomingcommittee.org) provides up-to-date information on the progress of mobilization movements surrounding the RNC. Links to news stories and how to find housing and transportation are also available, as well as information on "no-RNC" events elsewhere.
The Seeds of Peace collective (www.seeds-of-peace-collective.org) has plans to provide food for protesters as part of their ongoing campaign to support resisters of violence, and welcomes volunteers and contributions.
A group of lawyers, many of them from top-dollar corporate firms, is being recruited by the Minnesota affiliate of the ACLU to defend pro-testers in the Twin Cities, in response to underrepresented protesters arrested in 2004. They are known as "the Pinstripe Brigade." (In New York during the 2004 RNC, 1,800 protesters were arrested, while in Boston, protesters were discouraged after being placed in a "free-speech zone" that resembled a cage and remained far from the actual convention.)
