New York braced for trouble at Bush rally

[kskiska]

It is still more than two months before the Republican Party descends on New York for its four-day political convention in Madison Square Garden but nerves are already getting frayed. Inside the hall, it will all be choreographed adulation of President George Bush. On the streets outside, the scene may not be so pretty.

A coalition of political activist groups, many with anti-Bush and anti-war agendas, has served notice that it intends to make itself heard during the gathering from 30 August to 2 September. One rally, to be staged by United for Peace and Justice, expects a turnout of at least 250,000.

This week, the leaders of the groups accused city officials of deliberately dragging their feet before issuing permits for their demonstrations, protests and marches. The city set a deadline for applications for protest permits for the start of this week. There is no word when those permits may finally be issued.

Making the Republicans feel welcome - and keeping them safe - is turning out to be a logistical nightmare. Terror concerns override all else. But a close second is how to keep delegates and protesters apart. How easy will it be? Already the Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau is expecting 1,000 arrests per day during the convention.

more…
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=532282

[NMDemDist2]

1. once more a British byline

i am getting so disgusted by our media in this country, the good news tho is according to Jim Hightower, if you combine all the left wing media outlets the numbers would put to shame the "Big 3" and the cable news networks

the word must be getting out somehow I guess

[lanparty]

2. They'll protest anyway ...

And there will be such massive numbers, there is nothing the cops could do about it even if they cared to.

Personally, I hope NYPD goes on strike during the convention just to show Bush what they think of him!!!!!

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Former mayor of NYC, Ed Koch, has admonished us NY'ers to "make nice"

when the Pukes come to visit in August. (And he claims he's a democrat.)

I don't think so.

[AndyTiedye]

7. Make Nice is right! Make the US a Nice Country Again! Dump Bush!

[FlemingsGhost]

4. BushCo. will regret returning to the scene of the crime.

History will be made, and there's not a damned thing anyone can do about it ...

[number6]

5. I Agree

BushCo. will regret returning to the scene of the crime.

[livinginphotographs]

6. What's with the need for permits?

Maybe I'm just ignorant of the laws regarding this, but if I show up by myself with a sign that says "Bush Sucks" or something, do I need a permit? Why the hell do we need permits to march?

"Making the Republicans feel welcome" ---snort

[StopThief]

11. You need a permit. . . .

to have a congegation that would disrupt the lives of others, such as block a street off for a march.

[Tight_rope]

8. "Is expecting 1,000 arrests per day"!

:wtf: Seems to me that they are preplanning on the arrest of innocent people before they even start protesting. I wouldn't be surprised if that have a list of names and pictures of certain individuals that they will be picking up as soon as the planes land, trains pull into the station, or people walking of the bus. :thumbsdown:

[Bluebear]

9. Ashcroft will have a "terra list" ready at the airports

Detained until after the convention on "suspicion" of terra.

[AndyTiedye]

10. Those Color-Coded Lists Go Into Effect This Summer

They're making their lists, and checking them twice,
want to see who'll be naughty and nice.

Welcome to the "no-fly" list.

[Kinkistyle]

14. They're gonna break out the cow-pens

They used these "fences" to create little "pens" to pen us off like so-much cattle during the big winter Anti-War protests last year - which literally broke up the protests into thousands of mini protests and was - if you really think about it - destroying our right to assemble (imagine a 5 person rally and taking each of the five people and placing them each a 2 cityblocks away from each other. Kind of defeats the purpose eh?)

Many of those arrests will be from people trying to break out of those "Free-Speech Zones" and exercising our right to walk our own streets.

[dbt]

12. Whillikers! Why ever would there be TROUBLE?

Who could possibly hold a grudge against Glorious Leader?

:evilgrin:
dbt

Pssst. Georgie. You know how that Cracker from Arkansas was able to beat your daddy like a yard dog? He simply reached out to all the people that Poppy had pushed away from the table.

Y'know what else? It's going to happen again.

[struggle4progress]

13. kick

:kick: