Urgent! Defend the Right to Dissent at the DNC

Defend the right to freedom of speech and assembly!

Protesting is not a crime!

Denver Police Department & DNC: Stop violence against protesters

Drop all charges against arrestees

Police OUT of Civic Center Park

Hands Off the march today!

Sign the online petition to send a message to the Denver Police, the DNC, the Denver City Council, Congressional Leaders and the media to end the police violence against DNC protesters IMMEDIATELY! http://www.troopsoutnow.org/dnc08protestrights.shtml

In the past week, thousands of people from around the country have gathered in Denver to protest during the Democratic National Convention.

In the past few days, Denver police have engaged in deliberate provocations and violence against activists. On Monday night, they began beating and pepper spraying protesters and engaging in illegal mass arrests. On Tuesday, they clubbed and arrested Denver activist Carlo Garcia and Code Pink member Alicia Forrest.

Despite misrepresentations by the media and the Denver Police Department, the only acts of violence taking place in Denver are being committed by police trying to silence dissent. See the report on the Recreate 68 Alliance Press conference and other reports and videos on the Troops Out Now Coalition DNC-RNC at http://dncrnc.wordpress.com/ for details of police attacks on protesters.

It is shocking, with tomorrow being the 40^th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic 'I Have a Dream' speech, that the Democratic Party and the Denver Police are engaging in acts of violence against non-violent protesters. The true spirit of Dr. King is one of dissent and of speaking out against war, injustice and racism, and that is what the protestors in Denver are doing. They should not be criminalized by the city of Denver and the DNC.

We must take a stand against these attempts by the Denver Police to silence dissent. This has an impact beyond the protests in Denver: This is part of the ongoing struggle against the attempt by all levels of government--and both major parties--to criminalize dissent.

As we write, the Denver Police are surrounding Civic Center Park, dressed in riot gear and armed with automatic rifles, pepper spray, and clubs. The Recreate 68 has a legal permit for protest activity in the Park, and all of us have the right to voice our dissent without being criminalized. Today, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) will march to the Pepsi Center, followed by thousands of supporters - they have a right to march, and we stand in solidarity with them and demand "Denver Police - hands off the Veterans March!"

We demand that the police and the Democratic Party stop attacks on protesters. We demand that all of the false charges against arrestees be dropped. We demand that Denver police end their violent occupation of Civic Center Park.

Here's how you can help:

** Sign the online petition to send a message to the Denver Police, the DNC, the Denver City Council, Congressional Leaders and the media to end the police violence against DNC protesters IMMEDIATELY! http://www.troopsoutnow.org/dnc08protestrights.shtml

** Call the Mayor and Governor - demand that they stop attacking protesters:

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper

Phone: 720-865-9000

Ask for the Mayor's Office

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter

Phone: (303) 866-2471

** Forward this message widely - send it to your list serves, post it on your blog or social networking site, print it out and pass it on.

SEE VIDEOS, more photos, and press reports of the police attack on demonstrators, as well as video of the Monday March and Rally for Political Prisoners and the Sunday March and Rally to end imperialist wars and occupations at TONC's DNC/RNC BLOG at dncrnc.wordpress.com

• visit TroopsOutNow.org
• DONATE to keep us in the streets! Troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml
• visit our DNC/RNC BLOG at dncrnc.wordpress.com
• JOIN US @ DNC 8/24-28 & @ RNC 9/1-9/4!
  DNC: Recreate68.org RNC: MarchonRNC.org
• StopWarOnIran.org - Sept 27 Actions in 100 Cities

Troops Out Now Coalition
c/o Solidarity Center
55 W 17th St - 5C
New York, NY 10011
212-633-6646
www.troopsoutnow.org
info@troopsoutnow.org

Thousands stage anti-war protest march

CATHERINE TSAI and COLLEEN SLEVIN, AP, Aug. 27, 2008

DENVER (AP) — A column of people three blocks long, led by members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War, streamed from the Denver Coliseum on Wednesday in an anti-war protest march to the Pepsi Center, where the Democratic National Convention is being staged.

As many as 50 soldiers wearing army fatigues led the noisy but peaceful protest into downtown and toward the Pepsi Center as police and bystanders watched.

"We are the veterans! The Iraq War veterans! The anti-war veterans!" they chanted. "We are soldiers! Anti-war soldiers!"

Crowd estimates, generally around 2,000, were fluid as the group lost and picked up people along the way.

A sit-in was planned at the convention site.

Iraq Veterans Against the War wants Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to agree to an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. They also want full health care benefits for returning troops and veterans, and reparations to the Iraqi people for damage caused by the war.

The group sent a letter to Obama on Monday.

The protest march began after a reunited Rage Against the Machine ended a concert that drew an estimated 9,000 people to the coliseum.

Dozens of veterans, some in uniform, began the march in formation, chanting "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon." It is about 4 miles from the coliseum to the Pepsi Center.

People on motorcycles and bicycles joined those on foot. Some people held signs that said "US out of Iraq" with red handprints and "No War on Iran." A few had the numbers of lawyers written on their bodies in case they were arrested.

Behind the veterans, protesters yelled: "Troops out now!"

Jan Critchfield, 24, of Seattle said he served in Iraq in 2004, and after returning home, came to believe that the war was an "unlawful, immoral occupation."

He said now that he's back in the U.S., he thinks about what it's like for Iraqis living with U.S. forces in their country.

"I just can't imagine driving through my neighborhood at home and seeing a security checkpoint."

Critchfield said he joined the Army at 17 without much thought about the implications.

Jonny 5, Brer Rabbit and Andy Guerrero of the Denver group Flobots were with the marchers, as was Raymond "Boots" Riley of political hip-hop group The Coup.