A storm is gathering; the planning meetings have started, groups are forming, committees are set, the police are preparing, affinity groups are strategizing, and the press is abuzz.

In the last three years, George W. Bush has presided over an extreme acceleration of the pro-corporate business and neo-liberalism dominated agenda of the U.S. government. Internationally, not only has he waged two major wars, killing tens of thousands of innocent people, during his short time in office, but he has also implemented a policy of pre-emptive war that violates international law and threatens global security. We are daily witnesses to a policy of ‘might makes right’ that sends our young home in body bags and robs our "enemies" of a generations dreams. Here, as abroad, the state has turned its eyes on those it perceives as threats to its agenda and freedoms slowly slip away to the campaign of fear. On the home front, unemployment soars, real wages decline, and the federal budget deficit swells into the hundreds of billions. All levels of government are adopting the slash and burn mentality of neo-liberalism, cutting support for healthcare and education, de-funding what scattered programs remain from long broken social contracts the government made with the people, and privatization-deregulation moves ever more services into being run "for profit" instead of for the public good. Bush has pushed through two huge tax cuts that will ensure the government is incapable of providing social services for decades to come.

A new gilded age of corporate power has come to pass, with the fusion of the power of capital and the might of the state. On every issue – from environmental regulations and international treaty participation to workers' rights, civil rights and civil liberties – George W. Bush has pushed for unprecedented and destructive changes in U.S. foreign and domestic policy that favor corporations and the wealthy, at the expense of the people of the world and our environment. The Bush Administration shamelessly uses the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001 to justify its aggressive and militaristic policies. In a sickening example of its attempts to exploit the grief and fear provoked by September 11, the Republican Party has pushed back its 2004 national convention by a month to August 28 through September 2, 2004, and will hold it for the first time ever in New York City, not far from Ground Zero itself. On September 2^nd the convention will officially choose George W. Bush as its candidate for president and he will deliver an address to the nation.

This is a critical moment to reject the man and his message. The country’s attention will be on NYC and if ever there was a time for visible action and resistance this is it. The scale and depth of the protests will be unprecedented. Calls for action have been initiated by United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), a U.S. anti-war coalition with more than 600 member groups, and a plethora of hundreds of other organizations. Leslie Cagan of UFPJ believes they will be organizing "one of the largest demonstrations in this country's history… We believe it will be in the hundreds of thousands." UFPJ recently applied for two permits during the events, each for an initially expected 250,000 people. Groups on the west coast such as Not In Our Name are pushing the goal of getting a million people in the streets outside the RNC. Citywide meetings in NYC are taking place to address issues such as babysitting for protesters children and pets, securing the tens of thousands of sleeping spaces necessary for out of towners, setting up legal support networks, and every other logistical necessity involved with such a massive undertaking. One key issue still being debated is what tactics should be utilized and how can those tactics best be joined together in a larger framework of opposition that respects the different goals and strategies of such a diverse set of groups. Every group mobilizing wants to oppose the convention and thousands of people will be in NYC to physically disrupt to the maximum extent possible the functioning of the RNC, but it remains to be seen how diverse approaches can work together in the close quarters of Manhattan.

Meanwhile, on the other side of things, the GOP and the police department have been busy as well. The GOP has been considering unusual steps to keep convention attendees insulated from the angry masses while still allowing the party to get political mileage from the cities beloved attractions. Recently abandoned plans included leasing a luxury cruise ship to house convention attendee’s offshore where they could wine and dine with business leaders away from potential protesters. Republican leaders have indicated they want to highlight high-profile sites in the city and speculation is that Bush may deliver his keynote acceptance to the nation from Yankee Stadium, the Statue of Liberty, or Ellis Island. The 37,000 strong police department, known for its long history of brutality and questionable killings, is also considering outlandish scenarios. One potential action certain to cause a legal challenge would be trying to close off all of Manhattan to "protesters". While that is unlikely to happen, groups are wasting no time in trying to combat what many feel is, barring pre-emptive action and education, a certainty of brutality by the police. The NYC Campaign to Demilitarize the Police is a coalition of New Yorkers working to end police violence against political activists in the streets. Their primary goal is to end the use of so-called "less-lethal weapons" by the New York Police Department and ensure that anyone who wishes to protest in August will be able to do so without fearing for their lives, their health, or violation of their civil and human rights. They, and other groups have vowed that the NYPD must not be allowed to adopt the so-called Miami model of protest "management" that saw Miami turned into a brutal quasi-police state during the recent FTAA meetings.

In Pittsburgh, Global Justice Now, a project of the Thomas Merton Center formerly focused on the FTAA, will be organizing multiple buses for the RNC events while the Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) is considering what type of direct action tactics are feasible during the RNC. If you want to get involved in organizing against the RNC please contact them.

Future issues of the New People will follow the progression of organizing for these historic events.

- Alexander Bradley

Resources about the RNC:

www.thomasmertoncenter.org/globaljustice
Pgh_GJN@hotmail.com (buses to NYC)

www.organizepittsburgh.org
pog@mutualaid.org (direct action at the RNC)

NYC info

www.rncnotwelcome.org
www.counterconvention.org
www.unitedforpeace.org
www.demilitarizethepolice.netfirms.com