PRESS STATEMENT FROM RNC WELCOMING COMMITTEE ON DAY 1 OF REPUBLICAN NATIONAL

[The Sushi Bandit]

September 1, 2008

Today is the day that the RNC and its resistance will commence. Even though it has not yet started, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department, in cooperation with other local and federal police agencies, continue to profile, harass, and disappear activists preparing to protest this convention. Sheriff Bob Fletcher maintains that we, the RNC Welcoming Committee, are a criminal anarchist enterprise seeking to use violence to reach some sinister goals. What we have been doing is coordinating resources and logistics to ensure that the people are able to use their civil and human rights to freely express and defend our values, our communities, and our planet. We have been organizing publicly for the past two years, and yes, many of us are anarchists. For our political beliefs and our efforts to organize healthy communities outside the spectacle of electoral politics, 5 activists remain locked up.

The people of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the world must take back control of their communities. They can call the Ramsey County Jail at 651 266-9350, to demand an end to this outrageous police repression. Also, they can call Mayor Rybak at 612 673-2100 and Mayor Coleman at 651 266-8510 to join us in demanding an end to terroristic police behavior in the cities they claim to govern.

Today is also the day that many communities are bracing for what may be a disaster of epic proportions. As you have heard, our anarchist friends in New Orleans and the gulf coast are getting ready to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, while the Republicans, who failed us during Katrina, will be celebrating another candidate for president who has no real plan for getting us out of this ecological mess. The RNC will be slimming down their schedule so as to make the appearance that they are concerned about our friends in the South. During Katrina, George W. Bush played guitar; when the 35W bridge collapsed, Bush strolled around with his sleeves rolled up. What PR stunts will he, John McCain and Barack Obama do this week? The only proper response from the government would be to abdicate its failed rule and turn control of people’s lives over to the people themselves to organize on the basis of mutual aid and solidarity. This is the demand of the direct
actions in the streets of Saint Paul to take place later today. And, just as we organized free meals, housing, medical care, communication systems, legal support and bicycles for protesters of this convention, we will continue to respond to all disasters political or otherwise. We the people, together, are capable of securing the streets of Saint Paul and we the people, together, are capable of responding to disaster and keeping ourselves safe.

We continue to maintain that the RNC has no right to invade our community, and we are moving forward with the national call to crash the convention. For everyone who is tired of watching our planet be destroyed, our community spaces raided by the police, and individuals snatched from
public parks - while the people who let it happen hold their party – we ask you to join us in the streets of St. Paul today!