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The Poor People's March & Police Drama at the RNC


By Davey D

Click link Below to listen to Breakdown FM Interviews and coverage

http://odeo. com/episodes/23248633-Sounds-from-the-RNC-The-Streets-Are-wild-The-Police-Are-Crazy


In this radio piece we caught up with folks from the Poor People's March which led a couple of thousand to the steps of the Minnesota capitol in St Paul this past Tuesday Sept 5th.
Marchers who started off in a neighborhood park were joined by a couple of thousand of people from the Ripple Effect concert that featured Dead Prez, Boots Riley of the Coup, Michael Franti of Spearhead and the punk rock group Anti-Flag.
A surprise appearance by Rage Against the Machine was quickly suppressed by an army of police in riot gear who during Dead Prez's show had stationed snipers on neighboring rooftops and warned the group not to cause trouble.


I will be posting the DP and Michael Franti interview later on today where they talk about that..Rage wound up doing an inmpromptu accepella set with a bullhorn which angered the police and eventually the group wound up having to leave

During this huge march which went through downtown St Paul a battalion of about 300 police sporting militaristic riot gear with huge bully clubs drawn seemingly came out of nowhere and positioned themselves at the rear of the march once we turned onto 7th street which led up to one of the check points of the Excel Center where the RNC was being held.


Reporters like myself and people coming out of nearby stores who wished to leave the march were told that they could not go behind the police and would have to continue marching forward to the Excel Center which was 6 blocks away. many of us wanted to leave the route of the march so we attempted to go down some of the side streets. What happened next was a scene out of a nightmare.


About 50 bicycled police showed up and prevented anyone from going down the side streets to our right. A news reporter who was standing on a building ledge next to a lamp post was snatched down while two storm trooper like cops holding rifles with tear gas canisters took his place. An elderly Asian lady was knocked to the ground by an officer on his bike as she attempted to go to retreat to the side street. She had just came out of a store and had no idea or no desire to be a part of the march. She was forced along with several other people including some delegates to the RNC to stay in the middle of the street and walk forward.


To our left where a 24 hour diner sat, were more police wearing black military riot gear who told us we couldn't go down that side street. meanwhile the police to the rear started moving forward telling all of us to walk toward the Excel Center.


Unbeknownst to us at the time, the people who were at the front of the march were being told that they would be tasered if they kept walking toward the Execl Center.
many of us have know seen the scene were march organizer Cheri Honkola is pleading with police not to shoot or taser her as she slips an American flag with a note under the check point leading to the Excel Center. Eventually these police would shoot of gas and concussion bombs resulting in people getting disoriented as police from the rear would move forward to quell ' trouble'.


Myself and several others attempted to leave the march by cutting through a church parking lot. We were quickly greeted by two uniformed St Paul cops who told us we had to go back along the march route and walk toward the Excel center. When he was informed that we were reporters who did not wish to continue walking, he told us he didn't have an answer for us, but we could not cut through the church parking lot or we would be arrested for trespassing. Another officer then emerged and rolled out two hundred feet of yellow tape along the sides of the building and through the parking lot while his partner told all those within earshot that we were not allowed to cross the yellow line.


We basically found ourselves trapped in a huge holding pen bordered by 300 riot cops to the rear, a huge check point fence to our left and yellow police tape and cops warning us not to cross the police line to our right. Meanwhile in the front police were becoming more and more agitated as people kept moving forward at the direction of their fellow officers in the rear.


While all this was happening legal observers sporting green caps tried negotiating with police to allow those who no longer wanted to stay to be allowed to leave. This went on for a good half hour as myself and several other people armed with two lawyers attempted to confront the police so we cross the yellow line via the church parking lot. We were told what was being done was in violation to our rights. We were also told as we approached the yellow police tape that we may in fact might be arrested. As we approached two officers got out of their car and pointing for us to turn back around, just as we did we noticed that one of the side streets were open and people were finally being allowed to leave. The route had more storm trooper like cops who made us walk in one direction. We Were not allowed to go down any side streets for at least 5 blocks.


As we made our way to the Excel Center rear entrance, we were accompanied by a reporter from Virginia and delegate who were furious as to why this was happening. We all agreed that what were just experienced seemed like some sort of training exercise as we compared notes and discovered that many of the cops were from all around the country. Some were from Texas, others from Tucson, still others were from Milwaukee. Why there were so many cops for marchers who numbered to at least 3-4 thousand at most is unknown to this date. There are more people at football games and arguably more drama.


The participants at the Poor People's March were mainly people of color. In the front of the line were disabled folks, elderly and small children. Younger marchers locked arms and formed a ring around these folks while others enacted strict discipline by making sure that everyone was off the sidewalks and NO ONE would put the lives and safety of people in jeopardy by doing something foolish. The conclusion the Poor People organizers had come to was that people of color are not often allowed the same leniency afforded some of the self describe anarchist who were mostly white and were doing things like throwing bottles and garbage cans at police in other marches. We saw with our own eyes white anarchist almost toppling police on horseback by throwing glass laden trash cans at them and the police showing great restraint.


Meanwhile here in Oakland we saw the beating of a unarmed pregnant Black reporter Nodra Foster who was beaten by police inside the radio station (KPFA) who according to police was refusing to 'follow orders'. This happened less than a month ago.
Here in Oakland we saw the shooting of an unarmed 20 year old Black man named Gary King who was running from police even though he had not committed a crime but was scared when they approached so he fled.


In new York we saw 50 shots and the death of an unarmed Sean Bell who supposedly backed his car into an unmarked police car containing unidentified undercover officers. Organizers of the Poor People's march were well aware of these atrocities and would never in a million years but the folks they organized in danger. The self described anarchists who we did see at the middle of the march had respected the organizers wishes and in fact tried to help people wishing to leave by showing some possible routes they could take before the police closed things off.


Just to show you how bad things got at the RNC, during the last day of the convention demonstrators were herded into a Sears parking lot right next to some public housing projects. Residents of the housing projects as well as customers at the store were all subjected to police abuse who apparently saw everyone has a potential threat and problem that needed to be contained.


In this radio piece you will hear directly from participants of the poor people's march including Green Party VP, Rosa Clemente, Hip Hop Congress president and one of the march organizers Shamako Noble and one of the co-founders of AIM the (American Indian Movement) who sadly passed away the next day after we did this interview. You will also hear audio of the confrontation that took place on Kellog Ave the day before between anarchist and police.
The police used horses and tear gas to disperse people who were attempting to block the path of buses containing GOP delegates from coming into the Excel Center


Here's the video of the Kellog Avenue confrontation

http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=bJdMnc0hxWU&feature=user



Here's video of the police who surrounded the rear of the march and prevented us from leaving

http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=C6UqLGz20So&feature=user

http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=HqRH7K0DK_g&feature=user



Here's video of Folks at the Poor People's March....

http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=weMaz9YVH8I&feature=user

http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=YbnfLi8wHZo&feature=user


Last Edited By: mrdaveyd 09/08/08 01:48:02. Edited 2 times.