Respond to the RNC Police State: A Call to Action for OEN Journalists

Being Our Own Media at the RNC, Standing Up for Civic Freedom

An ever-growing police state in the Twin Cities is reason enough for people to pack their bags and find a flight, a bus ride, or a carpool to get to the Republican National Convention. An even better reason is that we are independent media and have the willpower to cover and disseminate truths unfiltered that the corporate-controlled media will not cover and disseminate.

Having just returned from the DNC, I should have known my parents would have no idea about the protests that occurred in Denver. All they knew about was the Monday night riot, which was conveniently used to marginalize those protesting in Denver and strike fear in the hearts of many that anarchists were on the loose despite the fact that police incited the entire mess if you ask the team of legal observers who were there in Denver.

Despite the police state in Denver and “Gitmo on the Platte”, I do not think anything compares to the “preventive detentions” occurring in the Twin Cities area right now. Even people who are arriving are being detained before they get into St. Paul.

Rob Kall has the report headlined and everyone must read it. But, everyone must also understand that it is our duty as Americans to do what we can to challenge this encroachment on our freedom of speech and our civic freedom.

Those who value civic freedom know that our civic freedoms are becoming increasingly limited. Not to be confused with personal freedom (which we have a lot of), civic freedom allows us to peacefully assemble, speak our mind, and communicate dissent to people all over this country and the world.

Aside from the anti-war and anti-imperialist protesters coming to St. Paul, the Ron Paul Revolutionaries who I believe organize under a group called Restore the Republic will be in St. Paul with a counter convention. They will be setting up a “tent city” I believe.

Iraq Veterans Against the War are also coming to take on John McCain’s record against veterans and peace, justice, and freedom in the “war on terror.” They will need our help to challenge the Republican warmongers convention.

The planned schedule of events outside of those few and organized for during the RNC can be found at this link.

)*Please post notice of more RNC protest actions and other events in the comments section.)

More important than any protest actions, we need to be on the ground talking with St. Paul residents, Minneapolis residents, and other residents from Minnesota about the police raids and police state build-up in and around where they live.

We need to be asking questions about what is being done and we need to be helping those in Minnesota to find moral clarity and courage to stay strong against the police state. We need to be the “truth squad” that dispels disinformation and misinformation about protests that will no doubt be characterized as anarchist melees even if the protests are carried out peacefully.

If anyone can heed this call, please get ready to go to the Twin Cities now. OpEdNews and America needs you.

I’ll be there. And if you give me an email through OpEdNews, I will be more than happy to meet up with you and work on reporting on the convention with you while you are in the Twin Cities area.

Thank you.

 1  |  2