Starhawk and the RNC Police Raids
As St. Paul, Minnesota, gears up to host the Republican National Convention, local law enforcement agencies are engaging in a series of draconian crack-downs on local activist centers and homes (including the local homeless-feeding Food Not Bombs chapter) in hopes of intimidating groups planning to protest the convention. Pagan author and activist Starhawk, who is there with the Pagan Cluster to protest, files this report on the raids.
“One by one, protesters trickle out. Now we get more pieces of the story. The cops burst in, with no warning. They pulled drew their guns on everyone—including a five year old child who was there with his mother, forced everyone down on the floor. It was terrifying. They had a warrant, apparently, from the county, not the city, to search for ‘bomb making materials.’ They were searching everyone in the building, then one by one releasing them as they found nothing. They continue to find nothing, as we wait through long hours … And now it’s morning. I wake up to the news that cops have been raiding houses where activists are staying, bursting in with the same bogus warrant and arresting people, including a four year old child. They’ve arrested people at the Food Not Bombs house—a group dedicated to feeding protesters and the homeless. They’ve arrested others, presumably just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Looking at the latest from progressive news-wires, it is clear that a campaign of harassment and intimidation is being employed to stifle protest, and find members of the anarchist “RNC Welcoming Committee” that are planning to “crash” the convention on the first day. Bruce Nestor of the National Lawyer’s Guild says the raids are politically motivated sweeps that are unique in Minnesota’s history.
“We’re not in this country yet where we’re having mass detentions of people like this, so it really is about sending a message. I think what it really is designed to do is to send a message to people who agree with some of the viewpoints of people organizing activity and to say – you know what? You can write an email, it’s okay to write a letter, to vote, but don’t go out in the street, don’t organize public activity, because do you want us bursting into your house? Do you want to be associated with people who are getting arrested? It’s designed to somehow say these aren’t citizens engaged in the exercise of political freedom, but that they’re kooks, they’re freaks, they’re dangerous, stay away from them, don’t get involved.”
Starhawk is asking people to call the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul to protest the treatment of non-violent protesters by law enforcement officials. If things keep going in this direction, it may make the actions against protesters in Denver look quaint by comparison. Are these harbingers of the McCain/Palin ticket? After all what does a president who cozies up to Christian conspiracy theorists, equates his opponent with the Antichrist, and appoints a VP with dominionist ties care if some Pagans, anarchists, hippies, and progressives get locked up, harassed, and have their civil rights suspended?
16 responses so far
Starhawk is just playing the victim once again, trying to manipulate the media to feeling sorry for her. As someone who was in several of the D.C. WTO and Iraq War protests a few years back, I saw her manipulativeness first hand. When you hear that she’s being targeted by the police, you can be sure that it’s because she and her black block have done their share of targeting as well. An innocent protestor she most certainly is not. I just wish more people would catch on to her.
It’s heartening that there are still people of conscience willing to take real risks, and good to see engaged Pagans enacting their religion in the social sphere. Also challenges people to get of the butts and make their religion more than an indentity ploy or pretty-plaything. Earth-centered and humanist values seem increasingly to require actual political engagement. In this climate, why else would they be taken seriously? Without that, how are they anything more than comforting escapism?
In reply to Anonymous’ post, this isn’t about Starhawk, this is about law enforcement being manipulated to harass innocent and mostly peaceful protesters – Starhawk’s only calling on support to get the cops back in line.
“…it is clear that a campaign of harassment and intimidation is being employed…”
Yeah, it couldn’t POSSIBLY be that law enforcement has received a credible bomb threat. It’s not like nutcases weren’t in Denver with rifles and cyanide or anything….
No, they’re just picking on the poor radicals.
“that law enforcement has received a credible bomb threat”
So they are searching for the hypothetical bomb at the homes of pacifists? Of people who feed the homeless? Of “hippie” houses that are being used by the press?
Telling that they haven’t found a single bomb or bomb component. Also telling that they confiscated soup as a possible “home-made pepper spray”.
Feltrex, sadly it most certainly IS all about Starhawk. She plays the non-violent activist to the public, but behind the scenes cooperates with groups of people (all in the name of ‘action diversity’, mind you) that are only interested in spreading chaos via destruction of property, vandalism and petty larceny. As a liberal, I find it reprehensible that this is the public face of pagan activism.
During the DC protests, activists close to Starhawk (like Lisa) deliberately got pepper-sprayed because it made a good photo opp. Then it gets posted to Indymedia and other places to foment outrage amongst couch activists. These folks are just as adept at manipulating the media as any on the far-right.
Beware what you read in all of the media. The folks on the fringes are playing games with us.
I am not sure why anonymous is posting comments not using his/her name…what’s up with that?
I have worked first hand with Starhawk, and I have not once seen her or her cluster using a victim ploy.
As Noam Chompsky has said in his documentaries on civil disobediance, it is the responsibility of citizens to participate in democracy. And voting and writing letters are not enough. As he has said, political protest is a responsibility of all citizens. The response of the police are dictated by the organizers and politicians of the convention. Living in Denver, I well know that the organizers of the convention and the city of Denver officials decided what lines to draw for police response. The same is true for the RNC.
What the protestors for the RNC are providing for Americans is a dramatic view of the ethics and politics of the in power Republicans. We need to all pay attention.
Soup as homemade pepper spray? LOL
Do you know if anyone’s actually been tried for anything relating to this, or do the police just raid their homes and charge with a misdeamor to justify it?
I’ve heard lots of different things – accounts are trickling in. In addition to the raids that Starhawk is talking about, apparently today police arrested some journalists and at least one person has been seriously injured from a rubber bullet fired by police. There are a number of diaries at the Daily Kos that are following the story.
As someone who knows Starhawk, I am appalled to see people writing about her like this! Get more info before you draw such a ridiculous conclusion!
It’s happening all over the country. It’s just at the main convention sites that are getting the most notice and media coverage.
greenowlmother, my earlier comments were based on my observations and experiences from several actions. Like most folks, I started supporting her work from a position of idealism. Then I started seeing who she was associating with. I understand her emphasis on building alliances, as she discusses on her website. But I fail to see how destruction of public property via vandalism helps build a new world.
My impression is that these are groups of people who are only interested in serving themselves and their own sense of self-importance.
As for Starhawk, I find it difficult to take her seriously when she’s made a very good living for herself through publishing. Doesn’t she own a home in the wine country of California? So it’s OK to use the system to become wealthy and then whine about how oppressive that same system is? Sorry, that actually sounds a bit irrational to me. But these self-described radicals don’t seem to hold a high value of rationality, now do they?
Anonymous: your total lack of ANY specific citations reduces your credibility to zero. CAn you privide any backup for any of your nonsensical charges? You know, like court records showing a valid conviction for criminal acts?
During the DC protests, activists close to Starhawk (like Lisa) deliberately got pepper-sprayed because it made a good photo opp.
Please tell us how, exactly, one “deliberately gets pepper-sprayed.” Again, your failure to describe specific events does not inspire confidence in your reporting.
Beware what you read in all of the media…
And what are YOUR sources?
Anon,
Smearing the reputation of others without identifying yourself and being willing to publicly stand behind those comments with your real name is pathetically cowardly. If you have something to say that is based in any real experience, have the decency to put your name behind it. Otherwise, no one is going to care what you say or respect it. If you have evidence or are even just willing to tell us who you are and stand behind your comments, then I’d be willing to listen until what you have to say. Until then, you are just another internet crank to be ignored.
Looks like Anon doesnt have a Reply, seems sometimes people just have to haters on others online to make themselves look big..
I think Anon was assuming no one reading this blog or the comments would actually know Starhawk or would have ever worked with her and apparently quite a few do and have.
Ladies, if you had bothered to read all of my posts, you would know that I have marched with Star. I’ve also taken her nonviolent resistance training and attended meetings for planned actions. I choose to not identify because criticism of Starhawk is not looked upon with favor within reclaiming… where she can do no wrong.
I stand by what I wrote earlier. She’s only interested in promoting herself. But that seems to be the path to success and money with well known pagana.