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On Thursday, August 26, four friends from different walks of life took a deep breath and... jumped. Two of them literally. Months before, the team of compatriots, gripped by a sense of urgency and fear at the thought of another four years under the Bush administration, made the decision to unfurl a message that would strike at the hearts of millions of Americans - most importantly, those hanging on out on the fence, undecided about the role they will play this November. Cesar Maxit, 28, David Murphy, 31, Terra Lawson-Remer, 26, and the Bay Area's very own Becky Johnson, 25, took a courageous leap of faith last Thursday morning, when they scaled almost seven stories down the side of the Plaza Hotel in New York to drop some knowledge on the world at large. The architect, law student, seminarian and teacher call themselves Operation Sibyl, after an ancient Greek work for a fortune teller - and prophetize they did. The crew raised enough funds to rent a room at the Plaza, from which they began their operation at 5am on the 26th. At 6:15am they began rappelling from the 11th floor of the Plaza Hotel. After an excruciating three hours, during which local police were slow to respond, the group unfurled their banner at 9:30am, per their exacting calculations. With a bold arrow pointing backward labeled, "BUSH", and an opposite arrow pointing the way forward, labeled "TRUTH", the 2400 square foot banner presented a dramatic visual message that spoke volumes about the the past four years and the potential for four more of the same.
While the length of time from the beginning of the operation to the end speaks to the group's efforts to make safety a top priority, as well as a conscious effort to avoid property damage, the NYPD and the City Prosecutor's Office don't appreciate Sibyl's thoughtfulness. Becky Johnson even went as far as recommending to a policeman intent on getting them off the roof right away that he leave the intervention to trained emergency staff, as opposed to risking his safety and theirs. He ignored her suggestion - and then proceeded to stick his leg through a rooftop skylight, cutting his leg. This bit of clumsiness has skyrocketed the four's charges from misdeamonor offenses to outright Class D felonies, which could garner them up to 7 years in prison, should they be convicted. Operation Sibyl's lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt, calls the charges "bogus". In an interview with the SF Bay Area IMC, Lefcourt affirmed that this was obviously a calculated tactic to dissuade citizens from protesting and exerting their First Ammendment rights. He confirmed that at present, all four protesters are on equal footing, and there does not seem to be a move on the part of the prosecutor to single any one person out - especially as at least one member has a prior protest conviction. They are currently slated to appear before a Grand Jury on November 30, and Lefcourt says he is going to push for the 2 misdemeanors and 2 felonies to be dropped all together. "(We) are not trying for a downgrade - we want all the charges dropped all together." Read the Full Story
The SF Bay Area IMC will continue to keep you updated on the story as it unfolds. In the meantime, even though Attorney Lefcourt has graciously donated his services pro-bono, Operation Sibyl has already amassed a pile of bills, which are only an indicator of the ones that will continue to come after Lefcourt's time. Contributions can be sent to:
Operation Sybil, c/o Gerald Lefcourt, 148 East 78th Street, New York, NY 10021.
Contributions are not tax deductible.
PHOTOS: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Democracy Now! interview w/ Lawson-Remer
Amidst heavy police presence, 5-600 people rallied outside the Starbucks on 36th & Madison in Manhattan. Protesters marched to another store 2 blocks away; and then returned to the original rally spot. Police proceeded to surround the march before it reached the store, arresting two of the main union organizers. Photos: 1 | Report with audio interviews 1
At the World Trade Center, hundreds gathered to the tolls of bells that symbolize solidarity and unity against the Republican National Convention. Participants, facing four directions, encircled the site and rang at least 2,749 bells for 9/11’s victims.
Aug. 27–Sep. 2:
A-Noise8/27: New York's Critical Mass kicked off a week of action against the RNC - Upwards of 6,000 bicyclists descended on New York's Streets, snarling traffic throughout Times Square and the East Village. Police Altercations - It is reported that a total of 256 Critical Mass riders were arrested -- including 7 indymedia journalists. Police surrounded approx. 100 bicyclists after they got past Times Sq. They also attacked and arrested an undetermined number of bicyclists in front of St. Mark's Church later in the evening. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 Reports: 1 | 2 Video
New York City 8/27:The multitude of banner drops, events and protests surrounding the Republican National Convention in NYC has begun. A Critical Mass bike ride is underway in Manhattan right now! Listen to the A-Noise broadcast from NYC for live updates throughout the week. The 4pm (PST) broadcast will be part of the launch of the Critical Mass Radio Network. The DNC2RNC march arrived yesterday (see photos here). They had been marching for 258 miles calling attention to the overwhelming similarities between the Democrats and the Republicans. Tomorrow, the March for Women's Lives begins at 11am (EST) (full schedule of events here), and the big UFPJ march will occur on Sunday. Check back here for photos and reports from the events.
8/26 United for Peace and Justice Announces March Route, Denounces NYC Secreting Away "The Commons." This morning Democracy Now and other news outlets are reporting that the permit for Sunday's rally in Central Park was denied, so the march will go to Union Square, although no post-march rally has been organized. DN's coverage focused on the fact that the struggle for the permit has overshadowed media coverage of who the protesters will be and why they will be protesting. Corporate media reports: Judge Bars Protests From Central Park Poll of NY'ers says they support demand for Central Park permit
8/25/2004: A picket line marched outside of the state supreme courthouse on the 24th to "demand a permit now." Photos | Video There was another picket line on the 25th: Video, as a ruling today is expected.
8/23/2004: Today the Federal District Court in New York City refused to order Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York to grant a permit for the August 29th civil rights and civil liberties rally on the Great Lawn of Central Park in New York City. The National Council of Arab Americans and the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition brought this suit. However, United for Peace and Justice had a hearing in state courtscheduled for Tuesday, August 24, seeking a court order to hold the rally in Central Park. In a statement, UFPJ made it clear that the outcome of ANSWER's federal case had no direct bearing on UFPJ's case in New York State Supreme Court.
Not in Our Name has called for More than a million in the streets when the Bush team meets!" in spite of the fact that NYC has made a practice of denying permits to protest organizers (Flyer).
United for Peace and Justice and a variety of other organizations are also organizing for this demonstration; UFPJ's slogan is The World Says No the Bush Agenda. A call has also been put out to Reclaim the Park, whether or not there is a permit to hold the rally in Central Park.
8/16: A press conference was held today at 2pm at SF City Hall, and in cities all over the country, to announce that the organizers of the August 29th protest will continue to demand a permit to hold a rally at Central Park on that date. They are also calling for people who cannot go to New York City to protest the RNC to organize local demonstrations on August 29th
8/11United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) and other organizations have announced that the West Side Highway is an unsuitable location for the planned 8/29 rally to take place on the eve of the Republican National Convention. UFPJ have reapplied for permits for Central Park, the originally desired location, and have stated their commitment to marching past Madison Square Garden. (Read the statement from UFPJ) According to Democracy Now's 8/11 show, the recent permit requests were rejected.
ANSWER and the National Council of Arab Americans plan to file a Federal lawsuit to support the right of assembly in the Great Lawn of Central Park. Last week, Not in Our Name announced that although UFPJ had originally accepted the West Side Highway location, it would be mounting a legal challenge to try to win the originally desired rally location. On August 18th, United for Peace and Justice announced that it had filed its lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court over New York City's denial of the use of Central Park for the rally.
Read more about actions during the week of the RNC Convention, as well as calls for specific contingents on the 29th, in more of Indybay's RNC Coverage
8/05/04: The DNC2RNC March is a 258 Mile Movement from The Boston Common to Madison Square Garden; stopping, rallying, and spreading resistance the entire way. The March left the day after the DNC ended. Nearly 90 people rallied at 9am, ate breakfast provided by Seeds of Peace, and held a circle chant where they all met each other by saying their names and having the group repeat them. At around ten in the morning the march was off. The police escorted and the first day had little tension. (DNC2RNC marchers journal updated daily) Report from Starhawk
Nearly one hundred activists committed to countless social justice causes will take to the streets and highways during the course of the march, between leaving the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Boston on July 30th, walking 258 miles, crossing 4 states, and arriving in New York City on August 26th just in time for the Republican National Convention. The RNC takes place from August 29th to September 2nd. They arrived in Providence, Rhode Island on August 2nd, entered Connecticut on August 5, with a plan to spend 2 days in Hartford, CT and will have an event with the Stonewalkers-9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows on August 16th and 17th in New Haven. The route scheduled entry into New York State on August 23rd and will end in New York City, accompanied by a bike bloc, organized by Time's Up, an environmental, direct action organization.
One hundred sixty miles of the journey went through Connecticut. The Mad Hatters Independent Media Center of Danbury, CT has been doing widespread coverage, including a daily update from the walkers' travels. Seeds of Peace accompanied the walkers with its biodiesel bus, providing food throughout the walk. Participants slept at parks and churches. Local progressive organizations have co-sponsored programs at most stops.
DNC 2 RNC Democracy Uprising I Portland Indymedia DNC & RNC coverage I More Indybay RNC 2004 Coverage
Indymedia.org coverage | Audio: RNC Not Welcome Interview
[ Boston Indymedia | Bl(A)ck Tea Society | Boston Social Forum ]
[ NYC IMC | NYC Grassroots Media Coalition | RNC NOT WELCOME | Counter Convention | RNC Watch ]
[ Mad Hatter IMC | Families for Peaceful Tomorrows | Seeds of Peace | Time's Up ]
Although state officials at first brushed off complaints and criticisms, Attorney General Bill Lockyer has been investigating Diebold at the request of Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, who accused Diebold of breaking California election laws and lying to state election officials. Diebold was late delivering printed ballots, and its core vote-tabulating software tended to give thousands of optically scanned votes to the wrong candidates in certain circumstances. In the March primary, Diebold shipped hundreds of hastily assembled and barely tested voter-card encoders that broke down in the early hours of Election Day at about a third of Alameda County's polling places, temporarily shutting down electronic voting there. Last year, Diebold attempted to force Indybay to remove links to leaked internal memos. Past Diebold coverage
Several different groups in the Bay Area organized contingents for the protests against the Republican National Convention in New York City this summer. Direct Action to Stop the War and Reclaim the Commons held meetings to mobilize for direct action related to the Shout Heard Round the World call to action. (Flyer) Another contingent from the Bay Area is made up of people of color and white allies. A third group is organizing a Radical Queer Affinity Group. See Indybay's Calendar for reportback dates.
Not in Our Name Bay Area has been meeting on Wednesdays in Oakland to help organize "More than a million in the streets when the Bush Team meets!". NION activists from the Bay Area have played a key role in the struggle to win a permit to hold a demonstration in New York City's Central Park on August 29th (the permit was denied). They called for supporters nationwide to join them in exercising their First Amendment rights. Indybay Coverage of the RNC Protests