Reportback- Stop the Grand Jury Witch Hunt

Ok, 17 degrees and 200+ people came out to the protest on Tues. That is a testiment to our spirit as a movement and our strength and solidarity as a community. I'm really glad to have been a part of this national demonstration against FBI repression and I know these #s are just #s but I was impressed. Over 50 cities held protests in solidarity with the 9 new subpoena recipients and in Mpls we had one hell of a presence. We chanted "From Minneapolis to the Middle East, we demand justice, we demand peace!" and "1,2,3,4 we don't want your bloody war 5,6,7,8 we will not cooperate!"

I was MCing the demo, and I got to do my poem An Open Letter to the FBI, which was awesome. We used a real sound system, so it was very clear (and very loud). Political theater. Soap boxing at it's finest! I really enjoyed the oppertunity to tell "the man" my bit, and the crowd loved it, and I am a happy activist. On the steps of the federal building I told the FBI to fuck off. It was pretty sweet.

It was also really good to see so many people there with us, and to have their support. There were a lot of faces I haven't seen at a protest in a while, and people I've never seen before. The original 9 "honor role" activists were all present and at one point they gathered for a picture. I thought about how far that picture would go. It's important to remember in all of this that standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people is what got us here in the first place. And as we consider our friends in Chicago we also consider our friends in Gaza and Colombia and Afghanistan and Iraq (I could go on). For our part, I think we did a good job of keeping the focus of this protest on the bigger picture and our role in that. End the war AND the witch hunt.

So, I don't know. Go team. If Minnesota can turn out a crowd of 200+ people in below freezing weather it's because we give a damn. We give a damn all year long. And I can't wait to start organzing summertime fun. I think a few out door concerts and ice cream socials are just what this campaign needs (you know what I mean?).