Two clashing forces have descended on the Republican
National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., this week.
One, of course, is the agenda of the 2,380 Republican delegates, assembled to
anoint John McCain as their new leader. In most respects, they are a homogenous
bunch: Few are non-white, working-class or underprivileged in any way, and
their worldviews are united by an embrace of hierarchy, perpetual violence and
demonization of the “other.”

The protesters who oppose this vision — including those on
the receiving end of its often brutal vindication — are composed of welfare
moms, immigrants, anarcho-collectivists, college students, Catholic clergy,
anti-war Iraq vets and a myriad of other activists who have grown tired of the
exclusive electoral system and have opted to take to the streets to force
social change. Their tactics and principal political concerns vary, but all
wear more than a little disgust and rebelliousness on their brow. They have
shown up to confront war, inequality and bigotries of all kinds.

Although the protesters outnumber the delegates by several
fold, the latter have two powerful weapons on their side. The first is the
corporate media, which has either ignored those outside the Xcel Energy Center
or used loaded, misleading terms — “rioters” and “anarchists” are two of their
favorites — to describe them.

The second is the full power of the police and military
apparatus. Approximately 3,500 police officers, many of whom are from
surrounding counties, and hundreds of National Guard troops have been called in
to contain the protests. The level of repression has reached proportions beyond
what most could have ever imagined.

Aided by the FBI, local law enforcement began targeting the
protesters the weekend before the convention. The anti-RNC headquarters, called
the Convergence Center, and several homes of activists were raided (and
probably bugged) on Saturday and Sunday. Hundreds of people were detained,
including journalists and lawyers working in coordination with the
demonstrators. Several leaders, acting on tips by police infiltrators, were
snatched and arrested by plainclothes policemen. Among the first arrests were
four nuns.

Most of this activity — condemned as “unacceptable” by the
National Lawyers Guild — has less to do with collecting information than
inspiring fear and intimidation in its targets. It’s hard to say what other
purpose the lecherous police vehicles encircling activist meetings could have
had.

The first major demonstrations began on Monday — the first
day of the convention. About 10,000 protesters marched on a permitted route
around the state Capitol, while several hundred engaged in mostly peaceful
civil disobedience throughout the downtown area to block buses bringing
delegates to the convention. Riot police continually pushed back demonstrators
with pepper spray, tear gas, concussion grenades, rubber bullets and batons.
Most of the property destruction — grossly exaggerated by the mainstream press —
consisted in the establishment of roadblocks to stop delegate vehicles and the
police onslaught. Hundreds were arrested and many more were injured, while the
unfortunate few experienced both. There are several stories of arrestees
languishing in prison while being denied medical care.

Most commentators, including many liberals who claim
allegiance to the ideals of the protest, have harped on the “right” of the
Republicans to have their convention. The First Amendment applies to everyone,
or so the argument goes, even those with whom you disagree. Common sense,
however, tells us that free speech exists not in a bubble but is intertwined
within the unequal power relations in our society. It further informs us that
letting war criminals and robber barons carry on with their anointing ceremony
is intuitively absurd, especially for their millions of victims.

The Poor People’s March on Tuesday began on an ominously
gray afternoon, with hundreds of riot police and National Guardsmen lining the
streets as protesters, including the many families the demonstration was
designed to attract, marched to the capitol. Not content with this symbolic
show of force, the rapidly growing march then descended upon the Xcel Energy Center
itself, only to be confronted by pushy military personnel, snipers, helicopters
and the occasional “snatch arrest.” As over 1,000 people crowded nonviolently
near the barricades, the police unleashed their chemical weapons without
warning the crowd, forcing a stampede of people, many barely able to see or
breathe, to flee blocks away. Their reason? According to a police scanner, the
cops planned to “go in for the kill” because they were “sick of this shit.”

The chaos in downtown St. Paul during the convention has
placed large sections of the city under de facto martial law. Many bystanders I
spoke to, including some who vehemently disagreed with the protesters, were
appalled by the police brutality. A hotel employee who I spoke to on Monday
stated, “[The police] did way more to disrupt the city than anyone else.”

Even in the midst of incredible state violence, the
solidarity of those on the street — and their many allies — is hard to
overstate. Medics were always quick on the scene with aid, legal observers
vigorously documented illegal police behavior, and Presbyterian church ladies
handed out countless gallons of water to dehydrated protesters running from the
gas and batons.

The Republican National Convention will ultimately go on as
planned. But the physical power of the counter-convention on display this week
should give hope to the vast majority who stand to suffer from its policies.

Kyle Szarzynski ([email protected])
is a senior majoring in history and Spanish.