OntheWilderSide

UFPJ asks people to call Mayor Coleman and ask for calm from the police. And, to call your local media outlets and ask them to tell the story the right way – that the police are using excessive force.  I looked up e-mails for the council people and the fax for the Mayor to try to get my message across. My (similar) letters to them are below.

To call Mayor Coleman, as per UFPJ: (651) 266-8510

The motto for St. Paul Minnesota is displayed prominently on their web-site: Saint Paul The Most Livable City in America. Hope that the living is good…for everyone.

My letter to the Mayor, which I am trying to fax:

To: Mayor Coleman

Date: September 3, 2008

Re: Please ask that law enforcement release peaceful demonstrators from jail. Please ask the police in your city to use less force.

Dear Mayor Coleman,

What a unique situation you find yourself in. You are at the center of history. It appears you are at the center of something like the Battle of Seattle or the 1968 Democratic Convention and Police Riot. I hope that you can rise to the occasion, and help your police and your city remain calm through a focus on non-violence.

I ask that you release the non-violent demonstrators from jail. Especially people who were caught up in the excessive sweeps.

I would ask that you instruct the police to use less force, use less weapons, and to use those weapons less freely. I would ask that you try to disentangle the federal government from the streets where possible. We do not need a federal agent or the national guard running up against 17-year-olds learning to find their political voice.

Some of the photos of the police show the ridiculousness. And, eventually, these will be part of the image people have of your city. One photo I noticed was of all the allegedly bad demonstrators in their shorts, with their legs showing, juxtaposed with policeman covered from head-to-toe in black cloth and armor with masks. It is hard to have empathy for those police. It is kind of easy to see that the policeman are the one’s who created the feeling of oncoming violence. It also made me think of the police “What cowards” to see the flesh of the demonstrators, who made their whole bodies vulnerable for their message of peace, versus the police who like like medieval warlords.

I have to say that as someone who believes in non-violence, my chosen “weapons” are information, boycotts, and politics. I will be looking at your city as somewhere where history was made. And, depending on how the history gets made, I will direct my efforts to support or boycott your city, to donate or not to donate to local and congressional elections in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please help keep the demonstrators safe.

Peace and thanks,
Kimberly Wilder
New York

–

My similar e-mail to the City Council people. One of the City Council people was on Democracy Now! compassionately and wisely admitting that there were some problems with police.

Dear City Council People,

What a unique situation you find yourselves in. You are at the center of history. It appears you are at the center of something like the Battle of Seattle or the 1968 Democratic Convention and Police Riot. I hope that you can rise to the occasion, and help your police and your city remain calm through a focus on non-violence.

I thank the city council person who was on Democracy Now! admitting that there were some problems with the police handling of demonstrators. Words of wisdom and reflection from those in government is always helpful.

I would ask that you instruct the police to use less force, use less weapons, and to use those weapons less freely. I would ask that you try to disentangle the federal government from the streets where possible. We do not need a federal agent or the national guard running up against 17-year-olds learning to find their political voice.

Some of the photos of the police show the ridiculousness. And, eventually, these will be part of the image people have of your city. One photo I noticed was of all the allegedly bad demonstrators in their shorts, with their legs showing, juxtaposed with policeman covered from head-to-toe in black cloth and armor with masks. It is hard to have empathy for those police. It is kind of easy to see that the policeman are the one’s who created the feeling of oncoming violence. It also made me think of the police “What cowards” to see the flesh of the demonstrators, who made their whole bodies vulnerable for their message of peace, versus the police who like like medieval warlords.

I have to say that as someone who believes in non-violence, my chosen “weapons” are information, boycotts, and politics. I will be looking at your city as somewhere where history was made. And, depending on how the history gets made, I will direct my efforts to support or boycott your city, to donate or not to donate to local and congressional elections in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please help keep the demonstrators safe.

Peace and thanks,
Kimberly Wilder
New York

Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, Anti-War, Political Websites, presidential race, progressive politics, republican, US Politics Tagged: | Chris Coleman, law enforcement, Mayor Coleman, Minneapolis-St. Paul, police, Police Abuse, Republican National Convention, RNC