The RNC Welcoming Committee wants to say thank you

[annm4peace]

The RNC Welcoming Committee wants to say thank you to all who have stood
with us through these challenging days, to all who have faced the brutal
attacks and repressive intimidation of the police, and have still gone
back to the streets. Thanks to all who have made calls, sent emails,
donated money, and expressed your outrage at these brutal attacks.

Yesterday, in spite of a climate of intense police intimidation, thousands
of people took to the streets to march in solidarity with the Poor
People's March for Our Lives. Many others attempted to attend a concert
at the Capitol, only to have the permit pulled and squadrons of riot
police and snipers called out on a peaceful crowd.

The police met this call for justice with riot gear, batons, and the full
arsenal of their weaponry. 'Snatch' squads brutally arrested protestors
who were beaten and tasered. Police on horses, bikes and motorbikes
rammed into crowds. Pepper spray, tear gas and flash bombs were used on
peaceful crowds in situations that endangered protestors, the general
public and included children, media, legal observers and medics.

We offer our support and solidarity to the organizers and participants of
the Poor Peoples' Movement. We share their goals of a world based on
justice, where resources are fairly shared and a life of dignity and
beauty is available for all.

Over three hundred protestors are being held in the Ramsay and Hennepin
County jails. Yesterday, only a few have been arraigned. Many are
nearing the end of the time they can legally be held without being
arraigned and charged.

In spite of all these efforts to suppress us, we remain strong and
determined to actively voice our dissent. The Bush Administration and
Republican Party lies have lead us into an illegal war that has cost
thousands of our own soldiers' lives and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi
lives. They have stolen from the poor to enrich their cronies and
supporters. They have failed to respond to the crisis of climate change
and degraded the life support systems of the planet. They have violated
their own laws to deny civil rights and human rights, and built a police
state that maintains its rule through force and violence, as we have seen
in the streets over these three days.

The Democrats have failed to shift their policies or hold them to account.
But we will take our accounting into the streets, as we have this week.
We have succeeded in disrupting their meetings, and expressing directly
our outrage at their destructive policies. Yesterday, the meetings were
again delayed because of our protests. Bush himself has not dared to show
up in person. We are still strong, in spite of all their efforts to stop
us, and we still plan to remain in the streets, claiming public space for
dissent and for our vision of a different world.

We demand the immediate end to the brutality of Sheriff Bob Fletcher – who
has personally harassed our organizers both in jail and out.

We demand all politically motivated charges against our organizers and
participants be dropped.

We demand the release of all RNC prisoners – OUR PEOPLE OUT OF JAIL!!!

some websites for donating include:
www.nornc.org
www.coldsnaplegal.wordpress.com

press: contact [e-mail]

continuing to see you in the streets in St. Paul and beyond