A-Infos (en) US, Starbucks Conference Protested in New Orleans in Solidarity with IWW

More than a dozen people marched in the streets of New Orleans Sunday evening 
with a “Starbucks Stop Your Union Busting Now!” banner in solidarity with 
Starbucks baristas across the nation. At the end of the action, police 
unlawfully arrested one protester for allegedly "interfering" with officers who 
were detaining a fellow demonstrator without cause. The group started at the 
Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street where they met arriving buses of Starbucks 
managers and handed out flyers to pedestrians. The group marched to the Morial 
Convention Center, the site of the Starbucks Leadership Conference, and chanted 
in front of a Starbucks across the street.

After police officers asked the group to disperse, everyone complied with the 
request. Yet, as one demonstrator stopped to tie their shoe, an officer detained 
them and arrested a person who questioned the police action. As a participant 
says below, the arrestee is still in jail as of Monday.

Report from a participant:
"There was around 13 of us. we marched in the street, protested arriving 
busloads of starbucks managers at the sheraton hotel, gave out lots of fliers, 
got lots of positive feedback and support, and then got forced out of the street 
by cops. we then protested in front of another starbucks, a cop told us we had 
to keep moving or be arrested, we went back on the march on the sidewalk this 
time, someone stopped to tie their shoe just as the "back-up" the cops called 
for arrived, and the back-up arrested the person for "not moving" and 
immediately arrested someone else nearby for stopping to witness the arrest. 1 
person was released without charge after being cuffed and detained, the other is 
still in jail right now. those of us not arrested were followed by a cop car 
even though we stopped protesting and left the convention center area and kept 
following us for blocks and blocks, asking us where we were parked, etc....we 
held that protest to show anarchist solidarity with the IWWs fired for 
organizing by starbucks."

Photos: http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/2008/10/13253.php

http://www.starbucksunion.org/
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Copied from infoshop.org
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