(Video Still: bignoisetactical / YouTube)

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was arrested in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota yesterday at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Police manhandled Goodman, yanking her arm, as they arrested her. Video of her arrest is available on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ

Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being detained. They are Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Kouddous and Salazar were arrested while covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and Salazar were being arrested on suspicion of rioting. They are currently being held at the Ramsey County jail in St. Paul.

Democracy Now! is asking all journalists and concerned citizens to call the office of Mayor Chris Coleman and the Ramsey County Jail and demand the immediate release of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar. Calls can be directed to: Chris Rider from Mayor Coleman’s office at 651-266-8535 and the Ramsey County Jail at 651-266-9350, extension 0.

Democracy Now! has condemned this action by Twin Cities law enforcement as a, “clear violation of the freedom of the press and the First Amendment rights of these journalists.”

During the demonstration in which they were arrested law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. Several dozen others were also arrested.

Amy Goodman is a well-known and respected journalist in the U.S. Democracy Now! has characterized the arrest as, “a transparent attempt to intimidate journalists from the nation’s leading independent news outlet.”

In 2004, the New York Police Department, acting under orders from NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, arrested 1800 individuals during the RNC. Many were held for extended periods at the infamous “Guantanamo on the Hudson”, Pier 57. Several lawsuits resulted - alleging police misconduct and illegal conditions of confinement. New York City has already paid out several million dollars in settlements. Litigation is ongoing.

The targeted harassment of journalists, legal observers and first amendment activists by police covering the Republican National Convention has apparently become standard operating procedure.

[NLN editor Thomas Good is an alumnus of Pier 57]

Denver PD - all suited up and nowhere to go
(Photo: Elaine Brower / NLN)

DENVER, Colo. — Starting on Sunday, August 24, 2008, over 700 people gathered in front of the Capitol Building in Denver to kickoff the weeklong events protesting the democratic national convention, as well as the oppression of the militaristic environment those of us who choose freedom of speech have been denied.

At 9 AM the rally began with a lineup of motivational speakers, high up on the Capitol steps. The rally was called by Recreate 68, mostly comprised of local anti-war groups and residents of Colorado. The protesters heard speeches from Cindy Sheehan, Fred Hampton Jr., Ron Kovic, Vietnam vet and author of “Born on the Fourth of July”, Ward Churchill, Larry Hales, Cynthia McKinney, Larry Holmes, and others, and were roused by a performance by performance by Dead Prez.

Ron Kovic in Denver
(Photo: Elaine Brower / NLN)

Ron Kovic, Vietnam Veteran and author “Born on the fourth of July,” Cindy Sheehan, Peace Mom and Congressional Candidate in San Francisco, Cynthia Mckinney, Green Party Presidential Candidate, Fred Hampton, Jr., son of the former Black Panther, Larry Holmes, Troops Out Now Coalition, and were roused by the music of Dead Prez.

The scene in front of the building, although not a replica of Chicago in 1968 where thousands protested and were beat up by the police, was alive and energized with people from all walks of life, from locations all over the Country, and ranged from age 2 to 72. It had it’s own vitality and beat, which set the stage for the day of spirited marches and moments of confrontation.

The March to the Pepsi Center

At about 11 AM everyone stepped off and got into the streets determined to march directly to the Pepsi Center, about a mile away. The Denver Police would not grant a permit to R68 to get as far as the Pepsi Center, where the convention delegates and press were. Instead, they were determined to force protesters into the “Freedom Cage” constructed for “freedom of speech.” The Cage was far enough away from where the delegates were to keep them from actually seeing or hearing the demands being made by the people to stop the wars, end oppression, end torture, and give us our constitution back!

But the activists involved in the march were not going to accept the herding into the Cage. The numbers swelled to over 1,000 as the march progressed. The street was filled with protesters from curb to curb. The march was led by anti-war Vietnam Veteran Ron Kovic, in his wheelchair and joining the chants calling for shutting down Guantanamo to Troops home now. The crowd was so alive and determined it was something that couldn’t be ignored.

Meanwhile, the Denver police, seen earlier with their new troops transport trucks which allow them to ride on the outside dressed in full battle gear carrying machine guns, and police and bicycles carrying cuffs, batons, mace, and sidearms, all followed and surrounded the march. The police were ignored and the marchers were loud and defiant taking time to chant “5, 4, 3, 2, 1″ and some would drop to the streets in a mock-die in, and the chant would resume “Rise UP! Rise UP! For the people of the World are Watching!”

Heading for the Pepsi Center, the police stopped the front line contingent at a spot to direct them into the cage. One of the R68 organizers told the police we were marching directly to the Pepsi Center under our First Amendment Rights. After a conversation, the police broke the line of blue barricade, and let it go. The crowd felt the palpable victory just won, and became more determined to have their voices heard throughout the City.

The media was in abundance, marching and filming the entire time. As you looked up and down the street you could see wall to wall activists, which included some delegates, noticible by their badges and buttons; anarchists, peace activists, pro-choice activists, former soldiers, mothers, fathers and their kids. It was actually breathtaking, and the press knew it.

Fred Hampton Junior (left) in Denver
(Photo: Elaine Brower / NLN)

Even though it had not been exactly a recreation of the Chicago march, it had a new and better life of it’s own.

Once the march stopped at the gates of the Pepsi Center, where the repressivwe forces were waiting, machine guns in hand, Ron Kovic told everyone to sit down, and show determined defiance of the police state. Hundreds did, right in front of the gates, and it remained that way for about 15 minutes. He gave a rousing speech, and activists were chanting and yelling. Rising, the protesters remained directly in front of the Center, demanding they be heard. The standoff with 1,000 protesters and the police became a very tense situation, and both sides were ready for whatever would happen next.

After about 30 minutes of intense eye contact and angry shouts, delegates needing to get inside started mixing in with the protesters showing their badges to get inside, which they couldn’t. The sun beat down, and the heat from the street was extreme. They held their ground, and won the struggle by having their presence felt and known to those inside the DNC, who were flooding out to take pictures, and those who were trying to get inside.

The marchers walked off, slowly in the direction that was not permitted, and kept marching all the way back to the Capitol.

Abbie Hoffman, who was an extreme activist in 1968, would have been proud! He always said you win if they loose and everyone goes home to fight another day!

View Photos/Videos From The Action…

(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

NEW YORK — In November of 2006, City Council member Melissa Mark Viverito spoke out against police commissioner Ray Kelly’s parade permitting rules. Mark Viverito felt the rules would violate the civil rights of activists. Ironically, on Sunday she faced a large contingent of protesters - permits in hand - at her own front door. Calling Viverito a “serpent” and a “sellout”, members of Movement for Justice in El Barrio visited her luxury townhouse to express their outrage with her support of the 125th Street rezoning plan. To many of the protesters Mark Viverito seemed to personify the gentrification going on in Harlem.

According to her website, “Melissa Mark Viverito made history in November 2005 by becoming the first Puerto Rican woman elected to serve District 8 on the City Council” in 2005. District 8 includes Manhattan Valley, East Harlem, and part of Mott Haven in the Bronx.

Council Member Mark Viverito was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She worked for 1199 SEIU in New York City before being elected to the City Council. Her campaign promised greater transparency in city government. But by 2008, Mark Viverito and her constituency were estranged. On April 30th, Viverito and 41 other City Council members approved a controversial rezoning plan that will bring condominiums and 21 story skyscrapers to Harlem’s historic 125th Street. Only two members of the council, Charles Barron and Tony Avella, voted against the plan. Speaker Christine Quinn called in police to remove protesters from the council chambers when tempers flared in response to the vote. The vote was seen as a victory for real estate developers and was supported by Mayor Bloomberg.

Standing against the gentrification of East Harlem is a grassroots organization called Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio (Movement for Justice in El Barrio). MJB is a self described organization of “immigrants and low-income people of color” who have made their views known and presence felt.

In an effort to avoid being displaced from their neighborhood, members of MJB have filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against property investment giant Dawnay Day Group. The London based firm has a stated goal of increasing the rent sharply in its 47 Harlem properties. MJB alleges that Dawnay Day Group has conducted a campaign of neglect and tenant harrassment in an attempt to force the current residents out so that it may raise the rent. In its suit MJB argues that Dawnay Day has charged current residents “thousands of dollars in false fees” as part of its efforts to drive out low income residents.

In the battle for the soul of East Harlem, Movement for Justice in El Barrio has kept up the pressure on Dawnay Day Group and those politicians, including Mark Viverito, who vote against the interests of their poorer constituents. Complementing its lawsuit and a well run media campaign, MJB has taken to the streets to get their message out.

On Sunday a large contingent of MJB and its supporters rallied at 116th Street and Lexington Avenue - not far from Mark Viverito’s office. The rally was the first stop in what MJB called a “March for Dignity and against Displacement.”

The second stop was the home of City Council member Melissa Mark Viverito.

Carrying signs that said, “Harlem no se vende” (Harlem is not for sale), “We will not be moved” and “El Barrio will not be sold”, the protesters marched down Third Avenue to Viverito’s home. Mothers, fathers and young children held vigil outside the townhouse as activists spoke out against Viverito’s support of gentrification. Protesters spoke through a makeshift bullhorn - a rolled up sign - pointing out that, in addition to voting for the rezoning of 125th Street, Mark Vierito also voted for the Columbia University expansion into West Harlem. The announcement was met with jeers and boos.

The final stop of the protest was the Vertical City realty office on Third Avenue and 99th Street. Here protesters spoke out against the ongoing gentrification of their neighborhood - Vertical City rents Dawnay Day Group’s East Harlem properties. Several speakers vowed to defeat those who would gentrify Harlem as other demonstraters held signs that said, “estamos en la lucha” - we are in a struggle.

(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

View Photos/Videos From The Action…

NLN Video

(L to R) Elaine Brower, Nat Good of NLN, Bill Perkins and Eric Adams
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

NEW YORK – On Sunday, August 17, 2008, a press conference was held to announce the joint cooperation of State Senators Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn, 20th Dist.) and Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan, 30th Dist.), to introduce in the upcoming January 2009 State Legislative session, a resolution to stop the federalization of the New York State National Guard.

The two Senators joined with Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Peace Action New York State in front of the Times Square Military Recruiting Center on W. 43rd Street and Broadway to declare “We will call on Gov. David Paterson to use his authority to challenge calls from the federal government to use the New York National Guard for service in Iraq.”

Outside the Recruiting Station in Times Square Senator Adams said “The Governor has the power to decide if our National Guard troops are to be used on a federal level.” “Our resolution will call on him to do just that.”

Started in Vermont by a local state legislator Representative Fisher of Lincoln, working directly with attorneys from The Liberty Tree Foundation for Democracy, the campaign picked up nationally. The campaign is based upon the legal authority that the “2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force” or (AUMF) issued by Congress, based on UN resolutions, has expired. The conditions set forth in this AUMF stipulated that (1) “Iraq poses an imminent threat to the security of the United States by having weapons of mass destruction; and, (2) “Saddam Hussein poses an imminent threat to the security of the United States and its allies.” These conditions have been met, there is no “national emergency” allowing the use of our state militia any longer, so therefore it should cease and desist.

Not only does the federalization of any state’s National Guard units pose a security risk to that particular state since they cannot respond to a natural disaster or other situation where they are required as by law, but the equipment taken to Iraq, never returns. Each State is required to spend millions of dollars to replace necessary armaments to protect its citizens. Currently, New York State is facing a grave fiscal crisis and budget deficit.

State Senator Bill Perkins looks on as war resister Matthis Chiroux speaks out.
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

Participating national organizations include: AfterDowningStreet.org, Cities for Peace, CODEPINK, Courage to Resist, LIBERTY TREE Foundation for the Democratic Revolution, Military Families Speak Out, Peace Action, U.S. Labor Against the War, Women Legislator’s Lobby, Women’s Action for New Directions, and more.

Participating state campaigns: New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, CA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NH, RI, VT, and others. For more information, please see www.nysavetheguard.com and www.bringtheguardhome.org.

View Photos/Videos From The Action…

Organizers relax after the Freeze
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

NEW YORK – On Wednesday, August 6th, commemorating the 63rd year of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima, the World Can’t Wait called together a group of New York activists to demand “No Attack on Iran!” at the Whitehall Street Ferry Terminal in downtown Manhattan. Knowing that this administration, as well as both presidential candidates have declared that “no options are off the table, including a nuclear strike” on Iran, about 60 people gathered outside the terminal at 5:00 PM to get ready to “freeze” inside at 5:30 PM.

Like the two others before it, this “freeze” action message focused on informing commuters about the current aggression which could lead to a strike on Iran. The unifying message “No Attack on Iran!” was displayed on t-shirts, banners, posters and messages affixed to clothing.

This 3rd action was set to the backdrop of a more conservative crowd, or at least that is what we thought. Staten Island has been portrayed as the most conservative borough in the City, and the audience we targeted could prove to be a tough bunch.

Heading up the escalators, activists picked a spot to stand in, and when the signal was given, the sound of a “lunchroom” whistle, compliments of a member of World Can’t Wait, everyone froze in position for 5 minutes. Police remained totally unfazed by the action, although they were warned ahead of time and expected us.

(Photo: Donyal Svilar / NLN)

Commuters, on the other hand, were surprised, and honestly did not know what to make of these people who were not rushing to catch the next ferryboat home. Some shouted supporting our message, some took fliers that were held in frozen hands, others stopped to take pictures, but none were confrontational.

Some people in the group participating in the action were members of Peace Action of Staten Island and Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS) of Staten Island, about 8 residents of the borough. We were very surprised by the positive reactions we received, and stunned that the police did not even wander over to watch!

At 5:35 PM, once again upon our signal, all started chanting “NO ATTACK ON IRAN!” to the commuters who were then boarding the ferry. The terminal resonated with the chanting, and it continued until the boat loaded, and we were left standing relatively alone. Everyone cheered and applauded, felt uplifted by the small event, and hope to do it again soon!

View Photos/Videos From The Action…

(Photo: Oren Ziv / Active Stills)

RAMALLAH, West Bank — 23 demonstrators were arrested yesterday as they protested in front of the house of Colonel Aviv Reshef, commander of the Israeli army regiment stationed in the Ni’ilin region. Reshef resides in Zichron Yaakov, in Israel’s Haifa district.

The demonstrators were arrested while protesting the shooting of two minors in Ni’ilin last week. The two – Ahmed Mousa, 10-years-old, and Youssef Amireh, 17-years-old, were shot and killed by the Israeli border police. The shooting of Mousa is being investigated by the Israeli Police Internal Affairs Bureau and the Israeli Defense Force.

The demonstrators, who were standing on the sidewalk at the time of their arrest, were beaten and detained. Police continued beating some of the demonstrators after they were detained. Witnesses report that the beatings continued inside the police vehicles.

The 23 will remain in custody for the night and will appear before a judge today.

Ten year old Ahmed Mousa was killed by a border policeman in Ni’ilin on Tuesday, July 29th. He was shot in the forehead from a short distance, while on his family’s land — posing no threat to security forces.

On Wednesday, July 30th, only hours after Mousa was buried, Youssef Amireh was shot in the head by a border policeman sitting inside an armored jeep. He was shot as he stood in a yard in his own village. Amireh was not involved in the ongoing clashes between Israeli security forces and local residents. Two rubber coated bullets, shot from a distance of ten meters, struck Amireh in the head, leaving him clinically dead. After five days in a vegetative state, Amireh died from his wounds.

Amireh was buried on 4 August. The funeral procession can be seen on YouTube.

Amireh is the twelfth Palestinian and seventh minor to be killed protesting the wall; thousands of others have been wounded, many seriously. From its inception, the popular struggle has met with severe military violence, despite its civilian and unarmed nature.

Anarchists Against the Wall said that, “in a place where an army allows itself to kill unarmed demonstrators day after day, we are not surprised that demonstrators protesting this acts are beaten up and arrested. Reshef is directly and morally responsible for the murders in Ni’ilin, and we will continue to demand his accountability, as well as continue to stand together with the people of Ni’ilin”.

Oren Ziv and Bill Templer contributed to this article

View Photos/Videos From The Protest…

Mike Morice, Tom Good and Nathaniel Good of MDS enjoy a dry moment
(Photo: Red Dragon / NLN)

NEW YORK — Although pouring rain diminished the expected turnout yesterday, a number of activists heeded the call to protest a potential U.S. attack on Iran.

Filing into Times Square the protesters carried anti-war signs, banners - and umbrellas. After a rally the crowd made its way down Seventh Avenue as pedestrians looked on. A few jeered, many cheered and some joined the procession. Near the midpoint of the march - the sun came out.

Among those who took part in the march were members of the Granny Peace Brigade, Iraq Veterans Against The War, Veterans For Peace, Military Families Speak Out, Movement For A Democratic Society, the Green Party, CodePINK, World Can’t Wait and the Peoples Organization for Progress.

View Photos/Videos From The March…

Palestinian mourners watch the funeral procession for Ahmed Moussa
(Photo: Anne Paq / Active Stills - (c) 2008, activestills.org, not for commercial reuse)

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Israeli troops mortally wounded another Palestinian youth Wednesday - shortly after the funeral of 10-year-old Ahmed Mousa who was shot an killed by Israeli border police on Tuesday. The shootings happening in the West Bank village of Nilin, near what Palestinians call the “apartheid wall”.

An interview with Hindi Mesleh of the Nilin Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall on Democracy Now! (1 Aug 2008) gives direct commentary from the struggle in Nilin and reaction among villagers to the killing of 10-year-old Ahmed Hussam Yusuf Mousa on Tuesday, July 29th. Video footage of the demonstration is available at YouTube. The interview also discusses the mortal wounding of 17-year old Yousif Amira by soldiers of the Israeli Border Patrol, “Mishmar haGvul”, in a demonstration following young Ahmed’s funeral on Wednesday, 30 July. The funeral procession for Ahmed began in the city of Ramallah and proceeded westward 25 kilometers to the village of Nilin, where numerous soldiers were positioned in battle readiness at the entrance to the village. They opened fire with tear gas and sound bombs at the mourners, as seen in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84_ePTW6wEE

Villagers were angered by the presence of the heavily armed Border Patrol at the village entrance the entire day.
[see https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/9398/index.php ]

17-year-old Yousif is clinically dead after being shot by Israeli soldiers
(Photo: Anne Paq / Active Stills - (c) 2008, activestills.org, not for commercial reuse)

Yousif was shot twice in the head at close range by rubber-coat steel bullets, destroying his brain. He has been pronounced clinically dead and lies in a coma in hospital in Ramallah.

On 1 August, enraged villagers dismantled the barbed wire barricade placed by the Israeli military on their lands to prevent them from entering the site where bulldozers are active — the same barrier that little Ahmed was near when his friends tried to tear it apart on the day he was killed. A number of villagers were injured in the four hours of confrontation that erupted over the villagers’ determined action to destroy the barbed wire barrier. Five Palestinians and two international activists were injured by rubber-coated bullets. {1}

In the Democracy Now interview, Hindi Mesleh said, “I don’t know the reply of the army. There is no reply. I don’t know what the excuse they will come up. There is no excuse. Whatever the child was doing, throwing stones or whatever, there is no excuse, and there is no right to kill a nine-years-old child or seventeen-years-old child when they are in a protest. The question is, like—the question is, why these children? They are in the protest because they’re aware of what’s happening and what’s going on in their village. They’re protesting against stealing their lands, killing their brothers, shooting at their houses, invading their village.”

View Photos From The Funeral…

Reprinted from BeyondChron.

Markos Moulitsas’ new book, Taking On the System, is not really about political blogs. One would expect the founder of Daily Kos to write about the netroots (and his book offers plenty of anecdotes about how they’ve changed politics), but it’s really a guide for how ordinary people can make an impact in the 21st Century. Moulitsas writes about how the Internet has democratized the process – making old gatekeepers like party bosses, media moguls and even record companies less powerful and relevant than before. But modeling himself after the late Saul Alinsky, Moulitsas offers plenty of pragmatic advice for political activists – like “stay on message,” “how to handle your enemies,” and “pick your battles” – that was applicable in an earlier era. In the 21st Century, however, more can play this game. Taking On the System is a resource for progressives hopeful about November – but anxious about how to keep that momentum going in an Obama Administration.

The impact Daily Kos and other blogs have had is so well established that anyone picking up Taking On the System will probably be familiar with it already. But what Moulitsas argues is that he’s really no one special: any citizen can use the Internet to bypass the traditional gatekeepers who once decided which political candidates were legitimate, what wisdom was conventional and even which songs became hits.

Activists don’t need to hold press conferences and hope the media shows up – they can create their own media with a blog. Political candidates getting started don’t have to kowtow to the same rich donors – if they have a compelling grass-roots message, the netroots will embrace them. Even musicians don’t need to be “discovered” by recording executives to make it big – now they can use social networking sites like MySpace.

It’s not about destroying the gatekeepers, says Moulitsas. It’s about using the Internet (along with a compelling product) so you can simply by-pass them. “Technology has unlocked doors and facilitated a genuine democratization of our culture,” he writes. You don’t need anyone’s permission to start an online movement: it was ordinary people who stepped out of their comfort zone to recruit Jim Webb for the US Senate, create MoveOn, and launch an annual blogger convention that culminated with Netroots Nation.

What activists need to understand, said Moulitsas, is what technology medium is most effective in their time period at getting out a message that will influence conventional wisdom. Gandhi used newsreels to push the narrative that the British were exploiting the Indian people. Television helped dramatize the civil rights movement in the 1960’s that galvanized a country to its cause. But the era of mass visual rallies that grab attention on the evening news are over, he says. Another thousand people in the street just isn’t news today.

In fact, Moulitsas is very critical of anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan – because she too quickly fell into the obsolete model of ‘60s protest no longer conducive for the digital era. After activists spent years marching in the streets against the Iraq War without changing public opinion, Sheehan’s plea to meet President Bush in Crawford, Texas put on a human face that most Americans could relate to. But once Camp Casey became a circus for every left-wing group, it devolved into the same type of ineffectual protest we’ve all seen before.

(more…)

11-year-old Ahmad Husam Yousef Mousa lies dead
(Photo by: Oren Ziv / Activestills.org - used with permission, not for commercial reuse)

RAMALLAH, West Bank — An 11-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed in the West Bank village of Nilin on Tuesday, July 29th.

In a tragic sequel to continuing resistance to the separation wall being built in the West Bank, 11-year-old Ahmad Mousa was fatally wounded by a member of the Israeli Border Patrol as he sat with friends. The shooting occurred during the violent dispersion of a demonstration against the wall. More than 18 Palestinians were wounded in the incident.{1}

According to Nilin’s anti-wall committee, Mousa and a group of his friends were sitting quietly under an olive tree when a Border Patrol jeep drove up and a Border Police member, operating under the command of the Israeli Defense Force, took aim at the seated boys from a distance of about 30 meters. He fired a single shot, striking Mousa in the head. Mousa died a short time later while en route to Ramallah Hospital.

This brutal act was apparently an attempt to frighten and intimidate the resistance. Mousa’s death is the most tragic incident in many months of sustained protest at Nilin village.

YNetNews.com is reporting that the IDF and the Police Internal Affairs Bureau are investigating the shooting. {2}

{1} http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3574981,00.html (Hebrew)
{2} http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3574986,00.html (English)

Thomas Good contributed to this article.

Meaghan Linick-Loughley of SDS (foreground - with mask)
(Photo: Asahi)

TOKYO — A photograph of an SDS New York member recently appeared on page one of Asahi, one of Japan’s oldest and largest newspapers with a circulation of 8 million.

Meaghan Linick-Loughley at a counter-recruitment action
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

Steve Harrison at a meeting of the Young Democrats
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — City Councilman Mike McMahon and community activist Steve Harrison addressed a meeting of the Young Democrats of America on Sunday. Conservative McMahon and progressive Harrison are vying for the Democratic nomination and the right to challenge Republican Party control of New York’s 13th Congressional District. The two congressional hopefuls were each given fifteen minutes to present their respective positions.

McMahon spoke first telling the YDAers that, “we need change, we need change we can trust.” He noted that Staten Islanders are “stuck in traffic..paying too much for gas…paying too much for food.” Making an appeal to the “can-do spirit” of Americans, McMahon argued that “it’s about sending someone to Washington that you can trust, you guys all know me, you know my family.”

McMahon said that the primary election on September 9 is about, “sending someone to Washington that you can trust personally, and morally, but also to do the job, to work hard. You know the City Council. You may not agree with me on everything but you know I went to work everyday, I rolled up my sleeves, put my nose to the grindstone and got things done.”

McMahon listed as his accomplishments, “saving recycyling” in New York, preventing the reopening of the Fresh Kills landfill and working to keep nurses in public schools.

Addressing the issue of why voters should choose him over Harrison, McMahon argued that, “The important thing is that we send a Democrat into this race who can win this race.”

Comparing his positions with Harrison’s, McMahon said that, “when it comes to the issues we pretty much agree.”

But The New York Times’ Jonathan Hicks disagrees.

Political labels aside, there are stark differences between the two. Mr. Harrison opposes capital punishment, while Mr. McMahon supports it. The councilman favors nearly all means of addressing the nation’s energy problems, including offshore drilling, something Mr. Harrison opposes. Mr. McMahon supported Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s ultimately unsuccessful congestion pricing plan, while Mr. Harrison opposed it.

On the Iraq war, Mr. Harrison has demanded an immediate withdrawal of American troops, while Mr. McMahon said he supported “a responsible redeployment of our troops in Iraq.”

Hicks, Jonathan P. (2008, July 28). Despite Fossella’s Exit, Unity Eludes Democrats. The New York Times, retrieved July 28, 2008.

Making the argument that, “this [race] is the front line - in our own backyard”, McMahon emphasized the importance of winning while downplaying his positions on the issues. Positions that haven’t played well with progressives.

“This race is about putting a Democrat in office,” McMahon said.

Harrison disagrees. “I think I represent your values,” he told the Young Democrats. Harrison argued that it’s not enough just to get a Democrat in office. It is important to get a progressive elected.

“This week if you watched ‘President Obama’…there is no question that he is restoring our standing in the world even before he becomes president. What he needs is progressive democrats to support him in the Congress and that’s why I’m running,” Harrison said.

Harrison argued that it is questionable that a conservative or centrist could even win in the 13th CD, pointing out that those Democrats who have done the best in the past have been progressives. He noted that in 2002, the last time a centrist ran, the Democrats got only 28 percent of the vote. When Frank Barbaro ran in 2004 he got 41 percent and Harrison himself got 43 percent in 2006, despite being outspent $1.7 million to $130,000 by Republican incumbent Vito Fossella.

Harrison hammered out his positions in detail, starting with, “I am a progressive Democrat”.

He reminded the audience that, “I have been against this war from the beginning.” Harrison, a co-author of the responsible plan to end the war, said he is for withdrawal while he argued that McMahon favors leaving “residual troops” in Iraq.

Harrison proclaimed that, “I believe in diplomacy with Iran” and “I oppose the death penalty”. He also voiced his opposition to nuclear power and offshore drilling for oil, arguing for solar, wind and geothermal energy. His assertion that the move to green energy has “to be done in a very short period of time” was met with applause from the Young Democrats.

In a question and answer period Harrison told the crowd that, “I oppose NAFTA, CAFTA…any AFTAs at all” and that the U.S. should help Mexico develop its economy rather than outsourcing American jobs there.

Harrison also affirmed his position on gay rights, stating that, “I am in favor of same sex marriage.” In addition to support from peace groups Harrison has also picked up endorsements from gay rights groups such as Stonewall Democrats and Lambda.

In response to the last question of the evening, Harrison said that he would look into Dennis Kucinich’s “Department of Peace” proposal, adding that “it sounds good!”

View Photos/Videos From The Event…

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Activists who dropped banners at the Staten Island Mall Saturday later issued the following statement.

On Saturday, July 26, 2008, members of Movement for a Democratic Society / Staten Island (MDS), Peace Action of Staten Island (PASI) and World Can’t Wait (WCW) dropped 2 large banners at the Staten Island Mall, in the heartland of one of New York City’s least politically active boroughs.

As Staten Islanders, we are angry that our representatives have too often not only pandered to large corporate interests and the Bush Agenda, but have also promoted an illegal and immoral war from its inception. In a nation where over 80% of the citizenry oppose the war and think the nation is heading in the wrong direction, we are tired of having our opinions summarily ignored and neglected by those who are supposed to represent us.

The banners, hung on opposite ends the 2nd floor balcony in center court read, “STOP THE WAR!” and “NO ATTACK ON IRAN!”. Although shoppers seemed oblivious to the banners at first, Air Force recruiters manning a military recruitment table on the lower level in Center Court did take immediate notice and hurried to alert mall security, presumably to apprehend and detain the activists. Shoppers, eventually took note and seemed intrigued, several stopping to snap pictures with their camera phones.

Why the Staten Island Mall? Our intention was to bring a dose of much needed reality to this sterile environment of wanton consumerism. Our desire, to remind recruiters and consumers that while they aggresively recruit in the center of our shopping malls, and nonchalantly use their American Express and Visa cards on a summer saturday afternoon, thousands are still dying in a war that should have never begun. We as residents of Staten Island, will continue to raise our voice in opposition to this war and any future war with Iran. We will not rest until the bloodshed ends and our representatives are responsive to the opinions and desires of their constituents.

View Photos/Videos From The Action…

Click On The Image To See A Video Documenting The Resistance

The recent ‘freeze actions’ at train stations in Manhattan ‘No Attack on Iran’ are an important tactic in creating a ‘space of non—violent resistance’ at the lowest geographical scale of mass public presence on foot, namely inside a train station.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Palestinians under the Occupation are creating a singular space of non-violent resistance to the building of the Great Wall of Palestine and the stealing of their land and their very livelihood at the village of Ni’lin. That stolen land is being appropriated to the nearby settler enclave of Hashmona’im. The Caterpillar tractors are in action every day. The repression there has been brutal, bought and paid for in effect by Washington, and American taxpayers like you. Protestors on the streets on New York and the bullet-ridden hills around Nil’in share a common goal of halting injustice, and putting their body where their minds and hearts are.

I’d like to call for greater solidarity with that struggle in Ni’lin. Today it is an icon of joint Palestinian-Jewish-international non-violent resistance, under a hail of rubber bullets and the choke of tear gas, a daily toll in injuries and blood.

On 23 July, the first all-women’s demo against the apartheid wall was organized. One participant, Rona, reported on Israeli indymedia:

“Soldiers welcomed the group with sound bombs and gas, they kept the women from reaching the work site using violence, but demonstrators repeatedly forced the soldiers to retreat quite a bit over the hour long protest. There was one arrest, two injuries, and lots of gas; this is the first of a series of women’s actions in the village. Nilin’s women were supported in large numbers by activists from Ramallah, Tulkarem, Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Sweden, Switzerland, France, and the USA among other places. The group, that also included a number of children, marched from the village’s center toward the work site when soldiers stopped them about 100 meters from the machinery using sound bombs and tear gas. The group dispersed a bit on the hill, but the wind followed them, so that about half of the women were able to stick by the soldiers while others retreated to safety and treatment.”
[ https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/9361/index.php ]

Neve Gordon has described what is happening in Ni’lin, “popular acts of civil disobedience that persist despite the ruthless repression of an occupying power.” He underscores that this is what’s called in Arabic ‘ta’ayush,’ radical solidarity, “scores of Jewish Israeli and international activists are standing beside the Palestinian residents as they try to stop military bulldozers from destroying Ni’lin’s land.”
[ http://www.counterpunch.org/gordon07192008.html ]

Jamal Juma’ of the key initiative Palestinian Grassroots Anti Apartheid Wall Campaign [http://www.stopthewall.org ] writes: “Nil’in will soon be ghettoized and isolated from the rest of the West Bank, with its main entrance being a tunnel running under the segregated settler-only road. Not only will this involve the confiscation of a further 200 dunams, but it will also effectively give the Occupation military full control over movement in and out of the area.” That’s the dark prospect in the Israeli soldiers’ state.

ANARCHISTS AGAINST THE WALL
One group lending a regular hand in building this node of resistance is Anarchists Against the Wall. In its fierce commitment to direct action, AATW [ http://www.awalls.org ], is a mini-paradigm of joint Palestinian-Israeli action. Some sense of the terrible repression of peaceful demonstrators at Ni’lin is visible in videos here [ http://www.awalls.org/topics/niilin ]. And here a recent petition against human rights abuses in Ni’lin, vicious repression: http://www.petitiononline.com/nilin/petition.html . Add your signatures.

AATW recently issued a call for support of the legal defense of hundreds of arrested activists, especially in the resistance at Ni’lin. Donate a few bucks if you can: http://www.awalls.org/donations . You could interview some AATW people by phone, broadcast it around NYC, get their voices into print. Invite some of them to speak, build a bond of solidarity.

PARADIGMS FOR CATALYZING TRANSFORMATION FROM THE BOTTOM UP
The resistance at Bil’in village, also central for AATW action (much info on A-infos and http://www.anarkismo.net ) and at Ni’lin are protest paradigms. Even for protest on the streets of your own cities. As Noam Chomsky recently stressed, envisioning a future for Palestine and Israel: “a non-violent struggle would have had considerable prospects for success. I think it still is the only prospect for success”
[ http://www.zcommunications.org/zmag/viewArticle/18051 ].

OVERCOMING NOT ONLY ZIONISM BUT THE STATE
I believe the unending impasse in Palestine/Israel points up an ever more apparent fact: the nation-state is unworkable in its conventional capitalist sense. I agree with Serbian anarchist Andrej Grubacic that

“what is needed, not just in the Balkans, is an alternative to nationalism, colonialism and capitalism. […] It should be a politics of a Balkan federation. A participatory society, built from the bottom up, through struggles for the creation of an inclusive democratic awareness, participatory social experiments, and an emancipatory practice that would win the political imagination of all people in the region”
[ http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/1859 ].

The struggle at Ni’lin and elsewhere, like ‘freeze actions’ at Grand Central and Penn stations, are small steps toward a greater goal: a libertarian-socialist multicultural Commonwealth. That could begin to energize new forms of decentralized direct democracy, people’s participation and horizontalism, neighborhood autonomy as it moves beyond received notions of a capitalist ’state’ run by a corporate ruling class. In Palestine/Israel, We need a mass movement striving to create a mosaic society of ta’ayush, Arab-Jewish synergy, founded on autonomy, authentic direct democracy, mutual aid anchored in radical social empathy. Beginnings can be forged, at the most grassroots, place-based local scales. In people’s own neighborhoods, workplaces. Your neighborhoods. Palestine’s under the boot of military occupation and repression, Tel Aviv’s in the heart of Leviathan.

GETTING FREE
I think both in Israel and New York, New Jersey, one exciting window for change can look to the kind of neighborhood Household and Home Assemblies that James Herod envisions in GETTING FREE: CREATING AN ASSOCIATION OF DEMOCRATIC AUTONOMOUS NEIGHBORHOODS (AK Press, 2007, and online http://www.jamesherod.info/ ). That could begin to generate a whole geometry of people’s initiatives from the bottom up, a network of dual power, the incubators of a new society of ta’ayush and power to the people – not just slogans, but concrete scaffolding for transformation. But that’s a topic for another time. I comment a bit on it here:
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/templer230708.html .

THINK NI’LIN
as you resist in New York and Jersey. The attack on Ni’lin, the U.S. actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the coming attack on Iran are part of the same offensive. It’s a war on the workers everywhere. Build some links. It’s all one struggle, ma’avak ehad.

MDSer Richie Marini freezes in Penn Station
(Photo: Mike Morice / NLN)

NEW YORK — As part of a series of ongoing actions, anti-war activists from around the city froze in place in Penn Station, on Monday, July 21st. Their message: “No Attack on Iran”.

Protesters froze in their tracks for five minutes, in crowded Penn Station during rush hour, to bring attention to the developing situation between the United States, Israel and Iran. After several minutes of freezing in place the anti-war activists then chanted “No Attack on Iran”. The NYPD tried to disperse the protesters, however, some of activists continued with the chant – one activist received a summons from an NYPD officer.

Rush hour commuters showed interest in the event by taking pictures, shooting video and even engaging in dialog with some of the protesters who leafleted after the freeze. Such actions by anti-war protesters seem to have a positive effect on raising public awareness of the issue. One commuter stopped and asked “who is going to attack Iran?” However, some commuters were not pleased as they shoved their way through the frozen crowd.

NLN photographer Mike Morice was there to capture the Moment.

A CodePINK activist freezes holding a sign of the times
(Photo: Mike Morice / NLN)

View Photos/Videos From The Action…

“Maybe I offend some who define themselves as 100 percent purely liberal but this is the first time in 28 years that we can win.”
- Mike McMahon
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — City Councilman and Congressional candidate (NY-13) Mike McMahon spoke to the Staten Island Democratic Association on Tuesday. SIDA is the most progressive Democratic club on Staten Island and McMahon is a conservative or centrist depending on who you ask. The councilman faced some tough questions in a meeting that grew heated at times.

Last May McMahon was contacted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and urged to run for Congress. The Democrats are eager to grab the seat now held by disgraced congressman Vito Fossella (R-NY) who will not seek re-election. McMahon agreed to the DCCC request. He was later endorsed at the local level by the Richmond County Democratic Committee. Completing the circle, the DCCC formally endorsed McMahon on June 13th.

Although New York City is a Democratic stronghold, the Republicans have held the 13th Congressional District for years and the Democrats see an opportunity to win back the seat. McMahon, as an elected official and native Staten Islander, is seen as a safe candidate by the Democratic Party hierarchy. McMahon was supported by Staten Island conservatives in the last two elections and has voted with Republicans in the City Council - presumably making him more palatable to Staten Island’s conservative South Shore.

The selection of McMahon as the Richmond County Democratic Party’s officially endorsed candidate - in what some observers called a rigged convention - split the Democratic Party on Staten Island.

Steve Harrison, who ran against Fossella in 2006, had been campaigning for months prior to the convention and had been endorsed by Island progressives including the Staten Island Democratic Association and Peace Action Staten Island. Calling the June convention a “betrayal of democracy”, Harrison vowed to continue his campaign.

There will be a primary on September 9th to decide which Democrat will face the Republican nominee in the general election. In the interim both candidates are campaigning in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

This past Tuesday, McMahon addressed a meeting of the Staten Island Democratic Association in an attempt to reach out to progressives. SIDA is the most liberal of all of the Democratic clubs on Staten Island. McMahon was on the defensive for much of the evening, despite the fact that he brought a large entourage to the meeting.

“If you don’t like me, don’t vote for me.”
- Mike McMahon
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

The first issue McMahon addressed Tuesday was the charge that he is an opportunist — choosing to run only after Fossella bowed out. McMahon explained that he didn’t run in 2006, not because he feared challenging Fossella - but because he had to drive his daughter to soccer practice and because he “had work to do in the City Council.” Apparently contradicting this claim, he added that “an opportunity no one could have predicted” prompted him to run in 2008. He went on to say that the Democratic Party bosses in the DCCC told him that if he ran they would “buy into this race.” This begs the question: would they have regarded this seat as not important if McMahon had continued his commitment to his daughter’s soccer practice and the City Council?

McMahon told SIDA that he is running a “grassroots” campaign - despite the fact the Democratic machine is backing him. He cited 900 individual donors to his campaign as evidence of its grassroots nature, however, many of the donors gave the maximum amount allowed under the law and some who contributed the max amount listed their profession as “housewife” or “student”. {1} The large donations given to McMahon contrasts sharply with Harrison’s donations which typically are double digit figures. In addition, McMahon has received more money from PACs than Harrison has total (Harrison’s PAC donations barely exceed $2,000). {2}

McMahon said that although people may not support his positions on the issues they can’t deny that “in the City Council I worked hard everyday.” He added that Democrats should support him because “for the first time in 28 years, we can win.” McMahon repeatedly expressed his frustration that “another Democrat” (Harrison) is “attacking” him - for his votes in the City Council and his public positions. Although McMahon told the audience that if they wanted to know what kind of representative he would make they should examine his City Hall voting record, he objected strenuously to being criticized for this record by other Democrats - even those who are running a primary against him.

“It should be Bob Straniere attacking me and not another Democrat,” said McMahon.

(more…)

Two young marchers on the steps of Borough Hall
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Hundreds of community members marched yesterday from Mahoney Park in Staten Island’s New Brighton neighborhood to Borough Hall, the seat of local government. Their cause: putting a stop to the violence that claims the lives of young people. The event, called a “Walk of Remembrance in Honor of Youth Lost to Senseless Violence”, was organized by local community activists and clergy.

A number of participants wore t-shirts with the photos of the fallen — including 17-year-old Najea Smith, a nursing student who was fatally shot in May.

A brief program at Mahoney Park featured a welcome from Sernea Mohamed, a reading of Maya Angelou’s poem “StillI I Rise” by David Raso and a prayer led by Reverend Tony Baker of St. Philips Baptist Church.

The march route took the long column down busy Richmond Terrace, along the Kill van Kull, to Staten Island’s Borough Hall opposite the Ferry Terminal. Community Affairs police and corporate news media looked on as the steps of Borough Hall filled with marchers.

Progressive Democrat Steve Harrison at the march
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

The marchers were joined by progressive politicians Debi Rose and Steve Harrison. Rose is running for City Council and Harrison is running for Congress (NY-13). Harrison, who lives in Brooklyn, faces a September 9th primary against pro-war Democrat Mike McMahon. McMahon, who lives on Staten Island’s North Shore, was not at the event.

Concluding the event, family members who have lost loved ones and community activists spoke at Borough Hall.

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A protester in Grand Central Station
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

NEW YORK — Wearing signs that said, “No Attack On Iran”, 200 plus protesters poured into Grand Central Station yesterday. At the heart of rush hour on a steamy July day the station “froze” for several minutes as protesters stopped in their tracks. The activists were part of a “freeze” action and remained motionless until a signal was given. At the conclusion of the freeze, Manhattan’s busy Grand Central erupted in the shouts of protesters demanding peace. Commuters took it all in stride, many using cell phones to tell their friends what was happening. One man passed an NLN video crew and said, “well done!” Police looked on, only getting involved when a pro-war counter-demonstrator wearing an Iranian flag with swastikas painted on it tried to provoke the peace activists. He was led away and the protest concluded without incident.

View Photos/Videos From The Action…

Workers Picketing Outside “City Bakery” In Manhattan
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

NEW YORK — On Saturday, July 5, “Wild Edibles” workers and their supporters protested in front of “The City Bakery” restaurant on West 18th Street. Protesters objected to City Bakery’s use of seafood purchased from the Wild Edibles Seafood Market — stating that Wild Edibles violates labor rights. The protesters told passersby to “avoid the seafood” holding signs that read, “Tame Wild Edibles” and “Wild Edibles Devours Workers.”

Several of the protesters were members of the Industrial Workers of the World - or Wobblies as they known in labor circles. The IWW was involved in a number of labor actions on Saturday as part of a “global day of action”.

The protesters picketed at City Bakery in defense of several workers who have been fired from Wild Edibles. According to Brandworkers International, a non-profit group that advocates for workers, Wild Edibles owner Richard Martin has fired eleven workers “simply for asserting their right to overtime pay and to join a union”. Protesters said that Martin has also refused to comply with an injunction issued by a federal judge and continues to engage in what his workers see as union busting.

Response from people walking by, and from City Bakery customers leafleted by Wild Edibles workers, was positive. Many of those who agreed to talk with the protesters were surprised to hear that City Bakery buys seafood from a firm that engages in unfair labor practices.

Workers have been organizing at the Wild Edibles seafood company since last summer. Since then, eleven have been fired for demanding to be paid overtime and attempting to form a labor union. The workers have filed a federal class-action lawsuit to recover their overtime wages.

Brandworkers International has been assisting the workers’ efforts by reporting Wild Edibles’ labor violations to restaurants that buy the company’s seafood. Over 25 restaurants have agreed to stop buying seafood from Wild Edibles until the labor dispute is resolved.

In May, Wild Edibles owner Richard Martin agreed to negotiate with the workers. After a month the talks stalled and Martin broke off negotiations.

Brandworkers has asked City Bakery — one of the more prominent Wild Edibles customers — to stop buying seafood from Wild Edibles until the labor dispute is resolved. City Bakery has refused to talk to Brandworkers about the situation.

Stephanie Basile of wobblycity.org contributed to this article.

Wild Edibles Workers - Fired By Owner Richard Martin
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

View Photos/Videos From The Action…

Harrison marching in the annual 4th of July parade on Staten Island
(Photo: Richard Marini / NLN)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Progressive Candidate Steve Harrison, who is running for the 13th District Congressional seat, marched in the annual Travis 4th of July parade along with elected officials despite opposition from the organizers of the parade.

The parade, which Borough President James Molinaro announced $5,000 in funding for the previous day, has a long standing tradition of allowing politicians to march and show their patriotism. However Mr. Harrison, who has marched in the parade for the last three years, was approached by parade marshals who asked him to remove his “Harrison for Congress” sash and told him to move to the back of the march as he was not allowed to march up front with the other politicians such as City Council Member Mike McMahon who is also running for the 13th District’s Congressional seat.

David Jones, a Harrison supporter, approached the parade marshals to give them an extended history lesson about the meaning of the parade, while Harrison and his campaign volunteers continued to march — shaking hands and waving to his many supporters who lined the streets along the parade route.

View Photos/Videos From The Parade…