DNC Protest Coalition Fragments

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DNC protest coalition fragments
THOSE WHO REMAIN MAY ATTEMPT TO LEVITATE DENVER MINT
By IVAN MORENO Associated Press Writer
Originally published 07:13 p.m., June 29, 2008
Updated 07:13 p.m., June 29, 2008

T hey adopted a bold name -- Re-create 68 -- promising a protesters'
show of force like in Chicago 40 years ago when the Democratic National
Convention comes to Denver in August.
[Their name is actually Recreate 68 -- apparently they have a better
knowledge of the English language than this Associated Press reporter.
And as usual, the story doesn't give the URL, which is
http://www.recreate68.com/ .--DC]

But the Denver-based umbrella coalition ranging from anarchists to
environmentalists has fractured in recent months.

Prominent activists have split with Re-create 68 over its incendiary
rhetoric and, according to some, its refusal to endorse nonviolent protest.

"My understanding was that there was some resistance to really settling
on a commitment to non-violence," said Dana Balicki, whose group,
Codepink, joined a new protest coalition for the convention.

Re-create 68 appeared shortly after Denver's selection as convention
host. On its Web site, the group once vowed its protests here would make
the 1968 clashes with police in Chicago "look like a small get-together."

The war in Iraq, government infringement of civil liberties and the
environment dominated its message. The coalition once included Tent
State University, a student organization that began at Rutgers
University demanding that war funding be channeled to education.

Re-create 68 has since sought to tone down its rhetoric to appease
would-be allies and critics. Its Web site has been edited to emphasize
its members are drawing from the "optimism" of the 1968 protesters.

Co-founder Mark Cohen says the group's mission always was to "recreate"
the spirit of political activism of the 1960s. The group says it opposes
violence but reserves the right to "self-defense" during the Aug. 25-28
convention.

That hasn't stopped a dozen activist organizations from forming a second
protest coalition called the Alliance for Real Democracy. It includes
Codepink, Students for Peace and Justice and Tent State University,
among others.

Claire Ryder, a member of the Denver Green Party, said she attended some
Re-create 68 meetings but now refuses to talk about them. Same with
Codepink organizer Zoe Williams.

Duke Austin of Boulder-based Students for Peace and Justice said most of
the groups that form the new alliance never worked with Re-create 68,
and only about a quarter of the Alliance for Real Democracy members were
affiliated with the umbrella group. He added that Tent State University
was the only group that used to be a member of Re-create 68.

"We wish them the best," said Glenn Spagnuolo, Re-create 68's most
prominent spokesman, who calls the protesters' rift a creation of the
mainstream news media.

Unity dominated a recently weekly meeting of Recreate 68 in the basement
of a Denver coffee shop. "Love is free will. Enter with luv," read a
sign as organizers discussed convention preparations, including the
topic, "Be positive: R68 is not exclusionary -- we are working with
everyone."

A former New Yorker, Spagnuolo, 37, has participated in heated Columbus
Day parade protests in Denver. Many local residents oppose celebrating a
man they say helped introduce centuries of oppression of Native Americans.

Spagnuolo also gained attention for supporting the free speech rights of
University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill, who triggered national
outrage over an essay equating some Sept. 11 victims to Nazi Adolf Eichmann.

Re-create 68 has been at the forefront of efforts to get protest permits
from the city, and is pressing officials to release information about
police plans to handle demonstrations during the convention. The
American Civil Liberties Union represents the group and 13 other plaintiffs.

It plans a large anti-war rally on the eve of the convention and at
least 10,000 people for daily demonstrations addressing political
prisoners, civil rights violations, immigrant rights, the environment
and racism.

Sen. Barack Obama's historic candidacy didn't affect planning, Spagnuolo
said.

"We firmly support the idea of a black president. That's a racial step
forward," he said. "But we don't applaud what Obama stands for or what
he's done the last couple of years. The only thing now is that
imperialism has a black face instead of a white one."

But Re-create's rhetoric -- and a plan to levitate the Denver Mint --
can overshadow its efforts to pry information from the city.

"The DNC is setting up a very dangerous situation," Spagnuolo warned
when the Denver convention host committee won a permit to use Civic
Center park for a convention event. Re-create 68 insisted park permits
go to groups not affiliated with the convention.

Spagnuolo warned the Democrats would be to blame if things "blow up." He
later explained that people participating in Re-create 68 demonstrations
nearby could spill over to Civic Center park and that he wasn't implying
there would be violence.

"When they make a statement like that, we just can't ignore it. We have
to prepare for the worst," said Charlie Brown, a Denver City councilman
and one of Re-create 68's most outspoken critics.
[Charlie Brown? Good grief!--DC]

Brown said the group puts Denver police in a "no-win" situation where
they'll be criticized if they respond aggressively and if they take a
laid-back approach.

Brown also criticized the group for being "selective" about First
Amendment rights, noting its protests of the Columbus Day parade.

"They basically hate America, they hate both political parties, they
hate capitalism, you can go down the list," Brown said. "Their real goal
is to make it so bad here that no American city will ever want to host a
convention."

Re-create 68's preparations include an attempt to encircle and levitate
the Denver U.S. Mint and shake the money out to spread the wealth -- a
nod to Abbie Hoffman and protesters who tried to levitate the Pentagon
in 1967.

"I think that everybody has a little bit of magic inside them and if we
combine our energies, who knows what could happen," Spagnuolo said.

--
Dan Clore

My collected fiction: _The Unspeakable and Others_
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News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
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Skipper: Professor, will you tell these people who is
in charge on this island?
Professor: Why, no one.
Skipper: No one?
Thurston Howell III: No one? Good heavens, this is anarchy!
-- _Gilligan's Island_, episode #6, "President Gilligan"
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