The Republican National Convention landed in the Twin Cities. The narratives that have emerged are naturally varied and often inaccurate (in print anyway). Bedlam Theatre is bringing these various stories together asking for first hand accounts and performance September 18th—20th for Because We Still Live Here.
Because We Still Live Here: September 18-20 at Bedlam
This is what I saw:
On Monday Jeffry and I were part of a performance installation at the Capital. It was put together by the Unconvention, Creative Time (a NYC producing agent specializing in public art experiences) and the Walker Art Center. It was a magical queer love letter to the RNC spoken by a congregation of queer performers in the spirit of the first Christopher Street Liberation Day (with pink and yellow balloons).
The creator, performance artist Sharon Hayes, used 70 queer voices to speak a text of political, sexual and romantic desire. In Denver the piece was call Revolutionary Love 1: I Am Your Worst Fear. In St. Paul the piece was called Revolutionary Love 2: I AM Your Best Fantasy.
Revolutionary Love
The performance took place after the Stop the War march, a mostly peaceful collection of 10,000 (my favorite marchers were the Missile Dick Chicks).
These ladies come from Texas.
Following the march and the performance at 4:00 Jeffry and I attempted to head through downtown to Harriet Island and KFAI’s Take Back Labor Day event. As the delegate busses were pulling in, downtown St. Paul was completely sealed off by troopers. We followed the flow of pedestrians around downtown to a beautiful park off of Shepard Road opposite Harriet Island where we could hear Atmosphere crank and the crowd roar across the river. Ahead of us we could see the Wabasha Bridge—our ticket across the river, or so we thought.
Marking the scene were small handfuls of masked protesters, volunteer medics tending to those who were sprayed by police and many would-be concertgoers and park strollers. We turned around quickly and soon a line of police on bikes and horseback were closing us in. The police were joined by nearly 100 troopers in full riot gear and nine coast guard boats with what looked like missile launchers on deck.
This loosely connected group of about 100 was now isolated as other bystanders on the other side of the barricade looked on and the concert raged on across the river. Delegates from the Science Museum plaza had a bird’s eye view of the theatrical maneuvering. From an unmarked white van a megaphone stated clearly, “You are all under arrest, this a crime scene, sit down and put your hands above your head.” Jeffry and I immediately locked up our bikes.
We sat for an hour as individuals were violently pulled out of the crowd without resistance. Eventually the troops expedited the process by surrounding small clusters and escorting them off premises, arresting some.
As we were detained, a large two level river barge joined the company of nine coast guard boats, with guns drawn in the river. The river barge was adorned with a DFL flag at the stern and a large “Stop torture now” banner along its side. The two senior couples on board were making “see I told you so” gestures to the detained crowd.
Aggressive River Boat approaches detailed crowd
Jeffry and I were detained for an hour and then separated from our bikes for three hours. But the strangest thing (and what’s gone unreported) was the coast guards seizure of the river barge. I guess they were making their intentions to clear One of the coast guard boats was cruising along side the boat river barge, and eventually the two coast guard officers jumped onto the river barge and ran to the upper level where a new confrontation began.
Mos Def, Steve Earle and Atmosphere provided the soundtrack across the river
This opens up a wide debate about the nature of protest, anarchy, security and free speech. The week of the RNC anarchist groups made several bold moves to break the security stronghold, but they were met with concussion bombs and tear gas and were kept completely out of site of the delegates. The local press lumped the anarchists and the protestors into one group as though there are not separate agendas among the progressive movement.
My favorite comic element incident: the police invading a punk house and mistaking their gray water system for preserved shit (naturally to throw at the delegates).
Unfortunately the poor rhetoric of the McCain camp, the anarchist tactics and storm troopers have dominated the reporting, rather than the very radically progressive and positive work of thousands of artists and activists.
Such a masculine/theatrical display on the part of both the anarchists and the troopers jeopardizes free speech for all. There’s a great recap on PRI’s “On the Media” debriefing the RNC. They comment pointedly on the Republicans’ aim at the media and alternative press and the blunders of the police state. Check out the podcast from September 5th.
(Check out NYC Indymedia for more great shots, thanks for letting me use them!)
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