As new Peace Project launches, antiwar groups hit stride, streets

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Some who work for peace make appointments with the powerful. Others keep a weekly appointment to be in the streets. A third set shows up uninvited to shut down local outposts of the military, if only for a day. Their goals are the same, but their efforts — with pen in hand, “Peace” flag on shoulder, or bike lock around neck — are separate, demonstrating three distinct antiwar approaches. Demonstrating and taking direct action are age-old strategies for reform, but Minnesota’s organized effort at lobbying as a unified front of peace groups is new. Continue Reading

200-person rally for Tibet at MOA gets shut down

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Valentine’s Day, typically a day synonymous with love, peace and harmony, meant more for some of Minnesota’s Tibetan population on Saturday as they prepared for a rally at the Mall of America in recognition of the upcoming 50th anniversary of China’s invasion of Tibet. About 200 Tibet supporters overtook the rotunda area at the mall, much to the astonishment of mall personnel. At noon, the group, dressed in white tops and bearing Tibet banners and flags, froze in unison for five minutes before the peaceful demonstration was broken up by mall security. Security declined to comment and a mall spokesperson was not available. Sangay Taythi , a board member of the Tibetan Youth Congress , which helped organize the protest, said China is making “Tibetans minorities in their own land.”
“Tibetans have a right to exist,” he said. Continue Reading

Dissent and democracy

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Remember the Boston Tea Party? That was property damage, wasn’t it? All that tea overboard? The Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. Continue Reading

FREE SPEECH ZONE | Anti-War RNC March organizer responds to critics

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Earlier this month, someone posted an article on this website called “March organizers failed to protect message.” As a member of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, I felt compelled to respond. The writer suggested that those who organized the permitted anti-war march on the opening day of the RNC should have tried to prevent “unruly protesters” from engaging in direct action or should have denounced those who did after the fact. The writer suggested that our message was stolen by “a few who acted mindlessly and that we should have stood side by side with police to denounce them. The Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. Continue Reading

Mpls council members call for investigation of police actions at RNC

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Minneapolis City Council Members Cam Gordon (Green-Ward 2) and Gary Schiff (DFL-Ward 9) have called for a public hearing and independent investigation into law enforcement actions taken against protesters and the journalists who covered them during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in St. Paul. There are reports of as many as 40 journalists being arrested during the convention. Police detained at least six photojournalists on Labor Day, including one from the Associated Press. The arrests prompted a formal complaint from National Press Photographers Association President Bob Carey, who said in his letter to St. Continue Reading

Like Goldilocks, survey says police handled RNC ‘just about right’

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Hey, someone’s been eating my constitutional rights!After St. Paul announced last week that a man named Heffelfinger would review law enforcement during the Republican National Convention, a local TV station trumpeted what would seem to be Goldilocks’ view on the matter. This weekend’s SurveyUSA/KSTP-TV poll reported that – in Three-Bears fashion – 60 percent of Minnesotans surveyed chose “Just About Right” as the best answer to this question: “How do you think law enforcement handled the arrests of hundreds of protesters during the Republican National Convention?”
“Just About Right?” Does that mean 60 percent of Minnesotans think that 45 is just about the right number of journalists to be arrested and detained? So 53 would have been too aggressive, 36 not quite aggressive enough? And 27 medics in cuffs is perfect — why, because it’s 3 X 3 X 3? Continue Reading

Voices from the protests

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Zoe and her mother came to the big protest march on Labor Day. Zoe is five years old. She said she likes demonstrations, and made the sign that is attached to her stroller. She explained that the sign shows “Obama sitting in a chair on TV — saying I want war to stop and make money for schools and buildings.” The explosions of concussion grenades, pepper spray and tear gas drowned out the voices of some people who came to demonstrate. Continue Reading