PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY
Hello to all our friends and supporters,
In the last week, eight people affiliated with the RNC Welcoming Committee were arrested in their homes or picked up off the streets and charged with conspiracy to riot and furtherance of terrorism. The Welcoming Committee was a group that formed to facilitate logistics (food, housing, convergence center) around the 2008 Republican National Convention Protests in Saint Paul, Minnesota. You met at least one of these people who by their very action of coming to your town are charged with conspiracy. Most of them were arrested in the days leading up to the convention, and many had their homes raided by law enforcement. They were being held in the Ramsey County jail but as of Thursday [9/7/08] were all released on bail or bond. They are now facing serious criminal charges and the potential of a protracted and expensive legal battle.
This case is potentially dangerous not just for these individuals but for organizers and activists all over the country. It represents a seemingly coordinated effort between state and federal agencies to crack down on organizers as a way of intimidating and systematically repressing movement building in all its forms. It now falls to all of us to fight these charges not just for these eight people but to protect our friends, our movements and our communities.
Currently, our immediate need is for financial resources. We are asking for people to donate money or set up benefits in their own communities.
You can donate by going to www.nornc.org and clicking on the "Donate to RNC Welcoming Committee Legal Support" button.
To check out ongoing updates on the case visit www.RNC8.org.
Thank you so much for your support.
In solidarity,
The Friends of the Welcoming Committee
friendsofthewc@gmail.com
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