Activists around the country are getting ready to converge on Boston and New York for the Democrat and Republican Party conventions. Nothing really noteworthy happens inside these conventions--they tend to be three nights full of speeches making empty promises and days spent cozying up to donors and representatives of large corporations while real democracy takes place in the context of protests outside the conventions.
The Democratic National Convention will start next week Monday, with activists planning a variety of actions including a "democratic bazaar" highlighting a possible vision of a better world as well as a decentralized day of action on the day John Kerry receives the nomination. In addition to street protests, this weekend there will the Boston Social Forum hosting a number of workshops and discussions under the banner "another world is possible." For independent media coverage of the DNC protests, consult boston.indymedia.org and blackteasociety.org.
The Republican National Convention will take place from August 29 to September 2 and will feature a variety of actions from permitted rallies and marches to decentralized direct action. Media Mouse encourages people to go to NYC to participate in the "Mouse Bloc" on August 29 (mice must stick together), perhaps the most likely chance to be seen by delegates and possibly disrupt the normal business of the convention. The weekend before the convention will also host a "Life After Capitalism" conference consisting of vision-making and long-term strategizing beyond the "Anybody but Bush" sentiment.
As would be expected in the post-Miami FTAA world, the media and police smear campaign is in full swing against activists targeting both conventions. The New York Daily News has "reported" that "anarchy is a threat to [the] city" and that protestors are coming with plans to tear apart New York City. RNC Watch is tracking the fear campaign and posting relevant updates on RNC coverage, while in Boston even Comedy Central's Daily Show is getting in on the campaign, calling Boston anarchists "pussies."
