A-Infos (en) US, Boston, Anarchist journal BAAM #13 September 2008 - Anatomy of a Revolt: The Organization and the Chaos of the RNC Protests by Bruce Paul

CONTENTS - Anatomy of a Revolt: The Organization and Chaos of the RNC Protests
- Third Annual Sacco and Vanzetti Parade ----- Four Arrested in Roxbury Blockade
- Riot Police Target Journalists at RNC ------ Liberatory Potential of Palin = 0
- Discredit Ideas, Not People ------- Antiwar Revival ------- Calendar
The resistance against the Republican National Convention (RNC) went beyond 
actions trying to disrupt the convention, which took place in the Twin Cities
September 1-4. There were actions, but supporting them and their participants 
was a decentralized infrastructure that was grounded firmly in the community. 
Real interactions and real communication took place among protestors, organizers 
and members of the St. Paul community, whose relationships will hopefully 
continue past the conventions.

----------------------------------
   AFTER THE RNC
Understanding the strategies:
What went right,
What went wrong, and
What we can learn from it.
----------------------------------

    Taking a step back, it's valuable to com-
pare what happened this past Labor Day with
Seattle in '99. The protests against the World
Trade Organization in Seattle, which took
place less than a decade ago, have already be-
come a myth; they are a benchmark for orga-

nizing and actions to not only match, but also
surpass. Even more than its achievements,
it was a watershed moment for the whole
movement (anarchist, anti-authoritarian, anti-
capitalist, etc.) showing what decentralized
organization could accomplish. While the
actions against the WTO in '99 and the RNC
in '08 had similar goals (to stop the meeting/
convention), there were differences and im-
provements in the organizing that took place
in St. Paul.
    The RNC Welcoming Committee (WC)
was an anarchist organizing group based out
of the Twin Cities that facilitated discussion
for actions that were to take place on the first
of September (S1), and helped orchestrate a
huge network of mutual aid for the people
coming to protest the conventions. They
were not an action group, but instead focused
their attention on building capacity, move-
ment infrastructure, and improving ties with
local communities during the Convention.
    With the help of the WC, anyone in the
Twin Cities during the convention could get
free meals, free housing, free legal help and
free medical attention, among other things.
There was a deliberate attempt at building ca-
pacity for the movement so that in the future
this mutual aid can exist without the need of a
convention or protest. Despite being a large-
ly anarchist and anti-authoritarian organizing
group, the WC worked closely with other
groups that did not identify as anarchist, but
were facing and fighting the same struggles
against the same institutions. Because of
this, the movement and solidarity were much
stronger than they could have been if the work
had been done solely by and for anarchists. It
seems like after the convention and protestors
leave, there will still be good connections and
communication between local groups carry-
ing on the struggle for everyday life.
    The WC also served as an information
clearinghouse for the groups that were com-
ing to the Twin Cities. It facilitated discus-
sion that eventually provided a basic outline
for groups to organize around. Through the
pre-RNC consultas, people and groups from
across the country started talking and a goal
emerged: to "Crash the Conventions" and stop
the delegates from getting to the Xcel Center,
disabling them from making quorum (which
was needed in order to officially vote McCain
to be the Republican presidential nominee).
Downtown St. Paul was broken into seven
sectors surrounding the Xcel Center, each
with key intersections. The hope was that dif-
ferent local groups from around the country
would "adopt" a sector, taking on the responsi-
bility of organizing actions within their local
communities. This then empowered local groups
to organize how and what they wanted to do.
The WC did an amazing job at organizing a
decentralized network that allowed groups to
coordinate actions throughout downtown St.
Paul without assuming an authoritarian role.
    The great thing about the plan for S1 was
that there was a concrete goal for the day.
Presumably, few thought that preventing del-
egates from ever reaching quorum was a re-
alistic goal. Yet, like in Seattle, people hoped
to stop the convention for at least one day.
What happened in the Twin Cities, however,
wasn't successful in the same way that Seattle
had been.

    The Seattle protestors were suc-
cessful in their actions. Protestors in
the Twin Cities were extremely success-
ful in organizing the actions, but were not
completely successful in literally stop-
ping the delegates, which can be attrib-
uted to a few things.

The first and main problem was that there
just weren't enough people there to accomplish
the actions that were planned. During the
spokes councils that occurred in the days
preceding S1, multiple sectors announced
that they didn't have the numbers that they
thought were necessary to stop transporta-
tion within their sector (as well as two sectors
that were yet to be adopted). Yet, as it turned
out, one of the sectors with lower than ideal
numbers turned out to be the most effective
through coordinated hard blockades, some-
thing that other sectors weren't planning for
or were thwarted before they could
fully set up. Maybe hard blockades
throughout downtown would have
provided better results, although
this would have required more time
to coordinate. There were attempts
to discuss possibilities of other ac-
tions that could strategically aid
in the blockades, but for the most
part these fell through due to lack
of time.
    At the end of the first day, there
were organized actions and disrup-
tion in the streets for a period of
time before the police and National
Guard got things under control.
Busses were canceled, rerouted, and other-
wise disrupted as they came face to face with
protestors blockading the streets. People
took to the streets early and fought for space
throughout the afternoon.
    The massive show of police force during
S1 and the following days cannot be ignored,
despite attempts by corporate media. It start-
ed prior to the protests when houses as well as
the convergence space were raided, based on
absurd allegations and evidence by the Ram-
sey County Sherrif Bob Fletcher in an attempt
to instill fear in dissidents and to try to destroy
the infrastructure. This left several activists
detained prior to S1. On the streets, police
were shooting tear gas at anyone and every-
one, not just protestors but also families with
kids. The police fired concussion grenades
right next to people's heads and used pepper
spray so liberally that it is unlikely they knew
at whom they were spraying it. And it wasn't
just protestors who were targeted. Journalists,
both corporate and independent, were caught
up in the mess and often were arrested with
protestors. The police have been called out
on numerous occasions for fascist tactics and
overwhelming aggression in their attempts to
provoke protestors to "act up" so that they are
"justified" in using their toys.
    Their attempts at provoking protestors,
along with their show of force, reveals just
how desperate authority in this county is to la-
bel anarchists as "terrorists." Currently, eight
WC organizers are facing terrorism charges
under Minnesota's version of the PATRIOT
Act. The images that get shown over and
over in corporate media are the few instances
of property destruction. Yet there was no talk
beyond these few broken windows. There
was no talk about how other groups organiz-
ing around the convention were calling out
the police tactics utilized against protestors
and organizers alike. There was no talk on
why people were doing what they were do-
ing. There was no talk regarding the police
brutality and torture within the prison. Nope,
only windows being broken.
    Despite the police repression and bad media
coverage of the RNC, the WC and the local
community were able to build enough infra-
structure to have a lasting positive impact on
the future. In this sense, the protests weren't
used or seen as the totality of the organizing,
but instead focused on how the protests could
be used to create better solidarity and com-
munications between groups as well as carry
and create revolutionary momentum. Seattle,
the anti-globalization movement, and the G8
protests were great opportunities for radical
communities to show what they can accom-
plish. What needs to be done now is to make
sure that the mutual aid and communication
between groups continue on after the conven-
tion ends so that communities can flourish.
    The organizing against the RNC by the WC
could be another watershed moment. It's im-
possible to say if it is now, because it is now
up to us to carry the momentum onwards,
both in our own communities as well as the
next time the spectacular machine rears its
ugly head.
--------------------
See also:
http://baamboston.org (not allways avilable)
Email: wordup (nospam) riseup.net
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