Aug 16th

So this is exactly two weeks before the opening events of the Republican Convention.
I’m beginning to feel a bit less freaked out by the whole thing about the assembly area for the big anti-con march being right here where I live, I guess I’ll have to live with it.

But the early pre-con events have already started.

Last Saturday in Darkest Brooklyn, the so-called "United for Peace and Justice" group had a party and screening of a propaganda training film called the Miami Model, which gives a one-sided picture of the riots that took place in Miami earlier this year. It was rather well made, but then you can do wonders with digital video nowadays.

This was followed by a punk band that who’s name I can’t remember.

The people at the Independent Media Center and some other pseudo-anarchist groups were giving out information and those beautiful maps. I got my hands on the previous Thursday. But that’s only the beginning. We’ve begun to get the lay of the land, so to speak.

PRO-
2004 Republican National Convention NYC
http://www.2004nycgop.org/index.shtml

NYC HOST COMMITTEE 2004
http://www.nyc2004.org/

They’ve got the entire government and all it represents, plus lots of fun and games paid for by all sorts of corporations.

ANTI-
RNC NOT WELCOME IN NYC!
http://www.rncnotwelcome.org/

The Ruckus Society
http://ruckus.org/

NYC IMC: home
http://nyc.indymedia.org/

Counter Convention - Republican National Convention Protest Tools and Resources
http://www.counterconvention.org/

On the third hand, we’ve got some protest protesters, who plan to infiltrate the marches and other protest activities and provide balance…or so they say.

Protest Warriors
http://protestwarrior.com/

This is going to be interesting