We don’t know. But we have our suspicions. The GOP is holding the latest-timed convention in election history and it seems hardly coincidental that it falls just before the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and right after the groundbreaking for the “Freedom Tower.”
A recent poll cited by ABC News found 83 percent of New Yorkers do not want the convention in town. Protest organizers are expecting hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and out-of-towners to protest the Bush administration. Many New Yorkers plan to flee the city to escape traffic, police-state tactics and Republicans wandering around in their neighborhoods.
Not all New Yorkers oppose the GOP gathering. The week-long convention is expected to be a bonanza for the sex industry. (One madam at a Manhattan escort service told the Daily News: “We have girls from London, Seattle, California, all coming for that week. It’s the weekend everyone wants to work.”) The Republicans may try to tell us what’s appropriate in our bedrooms, but apparently all rules are off behind hotel doors for Republican delegates.
What will happen to the street during the RNC?
There will be daily protests and demonstrations beginning days before the Convention starts. On Friday, Aug. 27, the monthly Critical Mass ride will begin from Union Square. On Aug. 29, United for Peace and Justice hosts what is expected to be the largest protest and rally. They will be starting at 7th Avenue and 14th Street, and marching past Madison Square Garden. Where they go from there is up for grabs, as they just reopened their fight with the city to hold a rally in Central Park. On Aug. 30, the opening day of the RNC, The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign is holding a “March for Our Lives,” starting outside the United Nations, and Still We Rise is marching from Union Square to Madison Square Garden. Aug. 31 will be a day of direct action.
What do protesters want?
Many things. Some protesters’ critiques of the status quo are rooted in the Iraq war, others in issues of poverty and race, and others in the pillaging of the environment. Some protesters are anarchists and others are Democrats. Some are even Republicans. They are all united by their rejection of the direction this country is going.
Protesters are people who believe that democracy means something more than selecting from one of two candidates chosen by corporate-funded parties, that freedom is something all people deserve and that justice should be global. They believe that we, the people, have the ability to create a better world.
What happens inside the Republican National Convention?
Thousands of delegates and some 15,000 journalists will converge for what is essentially a four-day prep rally for the party. Expect the speeches to follow closely scripted line focusing on President Bush’s success in the “war on terror” and how the economy is turning around. The delegates will approve the party’s platform and officially nominate the Bush/Cheney ticket. Throughout the week, major corporations will host lavish parties for the delegates, Republican insiders and journalists. Party hosts include: J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse First Boston, Time Warner, American Gas Association, Verizon and Disney. All told, corporate America is expected to spend $64 million on the GOP convention (up from a record $40 million in Boston at the DNC).
How will the police react?
Expect a large police presence, but with more than 15,000 journalists in New York waiting for anything more exciting than the Bush renomination story, the city is keen to avoid images of police violence marring convention coverage.
Isn’t it true that protesters are violent?
No. No organizing group is advocating hurting anyone. In fact, almost all violence at past protests has unfortunately been instigated by the police.
Where can I get more information on the protests?
On the web, check out nyc.indymedia.org, rncwatch.org, and unitedforpeace.org.
