Peaceful Protests Met with Guns and Arrests

(For up to the minute updates click above)

"The convergence Space is open as of 2 PM today. The police ransacked the building Friday night, bursting in with guns drawn, throwing people to the ground, and breaking down doors inside the space. They took with them computers, boxes of protest literature, maps, cell phones, digital cameras, a video camera, the landlord’s pvc piping, and poster making supplies. The evidence receipts given contain no mention of feces or human waste, and the landlord can attest to the lack of sleeping mats on the premises. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s office then closed the building for a “fire code” violation. Fire code violations are also being used to close the houses of activists, with officials saying that if the doors on homes that they knocked down aren’t fixed by tonight they will board up the homes. Today, Saturday, the city council representative for the ward that the Convergence Space is in was able to contact the Department of Safety and Inspections who are the actual authorities to determine if there is a code violation. The director of the department came to the space and ascertained that there were no code violations to be found.

Moving Forward

A public meeting was held in Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis today that was attended by hundreds of people in solidarity with the victims of police violence. Several police raids were conducted on homes today and protest organizers were taken into custody. Police continue to target organizers of protest activities and is “disappearing” any activists they can find. We are calling on everyone interested in protecting their freedom of political speech to maintain a round the clock vigil at the Convergence Center to help prevent further police violence and intimidation. Public pressure is also needed on elected officials who are bowing to the wishes of Bush and friends. The Sheriff’s office continues to lie and spread misinformation in a PR campaign to try to curtail protest plans."

(lifted from a nornc.org official press release)

As fate would have it, I'm better (mostly) in terms of health and a two seats on the bus to Minneapolis opened up. S. and I are leaving tonight at 2 a.m. I just hope I don't get arrested. Not because I'm afraid, but because I have some babies to take care of on Tuesday.

Direct action is a beautiful thing.

Happy Labor Day!

PRESS STATEMENT FROM RNC WELCOMING COMMITTEE AFTER SHERIFF AND SPPD RAID OF CONVERGENCE SPACE

FRIDAY AUGUST 29 2008

Assitant Police Chief Bostrom has talked about the St. Paul Standard, and on the anniversary of last years’ critical mass police riot, we saw its true face. The ramsey county sheriff’s dept and the SPPD raided the RNC convergence space and detained over 50 people in an attempt to preempt planned protests of the rnc on Monday.

Looking for items found in any twin cities house like jars, paint, and rags, this attempt to portray us as criminals and destroy our credibility has already backfired as evidenced by the masses who have come to support us.

We are now accused of a simple fire code violation -which is outside the scope of the sheriffs department and clearly not justified provocation for a forceful raid with guns being drawn. Children and elderly people were inside the convergence center when the police violently busted down the doors. The police may claim that the raid was executed according to protocol - however, the violence inherent in this action may only be a hint of the violence to be expected on Monday and beyond, and is only a hint at the violence perpetrated daily by the police.

The convergence center is simply a gathering place and is not used for illegal actions - it is a place for workshops and trainings. Tonight we were watching films and sharing food.

This action will not deter us from our plans to protest the RNC on September 1^st. We want to invite all people who oppose this police oppression to join us on Septemeber 1st. See you in the streets.

###

Blah

The boys got me sick (again), and it looks I won't be making it to the HUGE anti-war protest at the RNC. Boo.

On the upside, I've been thinking hard about ways to get active and utilize resources that aren't a couple hundred miles away.

I would like to say that I'm really impressed by all the action I'm seeing in many of the groups and collectives and networks that are organizing for the conventions. If only we could maintain a fraction of that enthusiasm to work on future projects as a unified community.

If you're wondering why people are marching at the RNC the simple answer is because we are angry at how our government is representing us (the people; you me and your children). It's not enough anymore to sit at home and gripe about dumb laws, but ultimately put up with them. This is our country and we should decide how it is run. What is important to you is almost always not what is important to a rich, white, conservative, over forty business man.

Let's open a national dialogue with everyone we know about what it is we really want as a nation, and in our communities.

From Nocturne

Tonight I sat in a dark theater and sniffled. Tomorrow you may not be able to recognize me.

In life I was heroic at times, at
other times quiet as a mug of milk.
- Dan Chiasson, The Afterlife of Objects

Drop Acid Not Bombs

I've spent the afternoon watching documentaries, reading, and writing about everything that is wrong with my culture. I'm in a pretty saucy mood, albeit a little bitter. Hopefully I can make it to this on Thursday for at least a bit of a laugh.

Sigh.

But on the upside Google has an impressive array of documentaries you can watch FREE online. Enlightening.

But What of This is My Life?

Isn't it just the worst when you discover a lovely website only to realize it hasn't been updated since January 27, 2005?

Almost as awful as peppermint baths being interrupted by the outside world.

But not worse than the distance between where you are and where you want to be.

Eres espectacular!

Recently I came to the sad realization that I had lost most of the Spanish I had once known. As I've gotten older I don't get to see my Spanish speaking relatives as much so I am not forced to interpret or communicate.

To remedy this sad malady I decided to get serious about not only relearning the choppy Puerto Rican slang I was brought up with, but really trying to master the Spanish language. I've been rallying around accent marks and tongue trills for a couple weeks now, and to my surprise it's coming along really well. No, it's not like riding a bike, but more like an exciting adventure in a radio flyer.

Seldom do I stick to anything and it's extremely rare that I'm actually excited about said "thing." I know that I have a ridiculously long way to go, but ,unlike usual, the prospect of mastering a skill is highly exhilarating.

Furthering my joy was a series of magical events:
1) I watched a travel show about Spain, and sort of fell in love.
2) My boss watched said show with me and was all "Oh my gosh you really need to go to Spain I think you'd really really really dig it; It's totally your type of place."
3) I found a book about everything Spain perched atop a box of books that someone put out on the street for the taking. (that shit was right on top)
4) In the bourgeois laundry room on the community book case I found 4 magazines on speaking Spanish and traveling to Spain accompanied by four respective audio cassettes.
5) My uncle Fredi has been working on our family tree, and recently discovered our greats hailed from the Canary Islands (off the coast of Spain). Super cool.

So long story long ... I want to visit/slash live in Espana, really badly. I also like when the world sort of converges and gives you a little push in any direction. Anyway, can't you see the Last Unicorn bashing around Spain all messy like?

Cada hora que paso contigo mi parece un segundo. Ay ay! (ha ha)

Decadence

Can one ever be fully immune to the temptations of beauty, truth, material, and love?

Here Nor There

So starts another year of living a couple lives in a couple different places. Perhaps this year I will live a little more satisfied and a little less frustrated.

Though instead of two different homes, I'll be split amongst four.

How long will it be before I won't feel like eggs scrambled up for someone else's breakfast?