Obama, interrupted
Posted: Friday, August 01, 2008 11:21 AM by Mark Murray

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli and NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- About seven minutes into his remarks here, Obama was interrupted by a handful of African-American demonstrators, who stood up in the last row of a section of bleachers behind him and held up a sign that said: "What about the black community, Obama." It had a link to a Web sitewhich calls itself the "Online Voice of the International African Revolution."

Protesters clash with police over New Orleans demolitions
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Thursday December 20, 2007

Violence broke out in New Orleans on Thursday after police shut the gates of City Hall against protesters who were attempting to enter a City Council meeting that was expected to approve the demolition of 4500 units of public housing. When about 100 protesters broke through, police began using pepper spray and tasers and even engaging in fistfights with the demonstrators.

MSNBC spoke to Judith Brown-Dianis of the Advancement Project, an organizer of the demonstration, who explained that the City Council normally allows people to stand in the aisles and at the back but had arbitrarily set a strict limit on the seating capacity in order to exclude the protesters. She said the violence could have been avoided if the police had just let people in.

"What's behind this is a new vision for the city," Brown-Dianis told MSNBC. "That means fewer poor people in the city. There's a lot of money going into this.".... (video below the fold)

Protest activities announced By Paul Flemming November 24, 2007
Here are some of the events of the week announced by organizers on Friday:

• 6 p.m., Sunday at Free Spirit Community Church in Springfield for a mass meeting.


• 7 p.m., Monday at Providence FGME Church in Springfield for a political forum.


• 7 p.m., Wednesday at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Panama City for a prayer meeting.


• 7 p.m., Friday, at the Glenwood Community Center in Panama City for a youth rally.


• 9 a.m., Dec. 1, beginning at Redwood Cemetery for a march to the Bay County Juvenile Courthouse, with a rally set for 11 a.m. at the courthouse.

PANAMA CITY — Six weeks after the verdict in the Martin Lee Anderson case, ministers and activists announced a week of events to mark their outrage at the outcome.

Seven former drill instructors and a camp nurse were cleared of all charges in the death of Anderson, a Panama City teen who died Jan. 6, 2006, after he was struck, kneed and forced to breathe ammonia capsules at a Bay County juvenile boot camp...

FSU, FAMU students walk out in reaction to verdict
October 12, 2007 By Jim Ash Florida Capital Bureau Chief
TALLAHASSEE -- Some students walked out of classes at Florida A&M University and Florida State University today to protest the not-guilty verdict handed down in the trial of seven boot camp guards and a nurse accused of manslaughter in last-year's death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson.

"I just got several phone calls. Please let everyone know that we are not organizing this, these people walked out on their own. The kids are just mad." said Vanessa Baden, an organizer for the Student Coalition for Justice....

Photo slideshows at the Tally Dem here and here...
audio of protestors chanting...
more news and video below the fold...

While searching for videos of the student walkout protest of the Martin Lee Anderson Bay County boot camp manslaughter vedict, I ran across this old video of the March 2nd 2004 March on Tallahassee by local film maker and former Tallahassee IMCista Ian Weir.

"Two years after the Bush administration's abysmal response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, conservative policies are continuing to fail the people of New Orleans and the Gulf region. Visit www.ourfuture.org to learn more."

United Nations Independent Expert on Rights of Migrants Continues U.S. Fact-Finding Mission in Florida

Florida Visit Includes Investigation of Migrant Conditions in Immokalee and Haitian Detention and Deportation Policies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 9, 2007

CONTACTS
Paul Silva, ACLU, (212) 549-2689 or 2666, media@aclu.org
Brandon Hensler, ACLU of Florida, (786) 363-2700

IMMOKALEE, Fla. The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed the official fact-finding visit to the United States by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants. The ACLU is among several groups and individuals selected to meet with the Special Rapporteur to testify about the conditions of immigrants and migrants living in the United States....

5-1-07 LAPD ASSAULTS IMMIGRATION REFORM DEMONSTRATORS
Towards the end of what would otherwise have been a peaceful march and rally, LAPD riot police fired rubber bullets into a crowd of immigration reform demonstrators in Los Angeles Tuesday, May 1, 2007... (more videos below the fold)

National Immigrant Solidarity Network, ActionLA Coalition
Statement on LAPD Brutally Attacks May Day Immigrant Marchers at McArthur Park
May 1, 2007 10:00 PM PST

National Immigrant Solidarity Network and Action LA is outraged to learn that at about 6:30 PM, May 1, the LAPD fired rubber bullets and tear gas into crowds of hundreds of people at the May Day rally in McArthur Park. This was after the police had declared an unlawful assembly. Most of the people present did not hear or know about the police declaration..

UFPJ Stands with Immigrant Communities to Challenge Bush’s Policies at Home and Abroad

On May 1, immigrant communities and rights groups across the country will vigil, march, boycott and rally for justice. Last year, more than a million marched on May 1 for immigration law reform.

In solidarity, United for Peace and Justice urges our member groups to join the May 1 activities in communities near you. We join the call for justice for immigrant communities as we challenge the Bush administration’s policies both at home and abroad. http://www.fairimmigration.org/events/