We don't need permission from anybody to stand up and fight for ourselves. If you don't want of fight for yourself, good. Across town, on the same very day, a local radio talk show host led a rally in support of the Philadelphia police. Many of the protesters coming to Philadelphia were active in Seattle and Washington during meetings of the World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund. Police brutality, the death penalty, economic rights for poor people and the global AIDS crisis are just some of the issues the protesters plan to raise during the four-day Republican gathering.
Police have additional worries.
The Jones incident and a recent fatal shooting of a unarmed man by Amtrak police at the railroad station could intensify the planned protests The capital punishment issue here is already mixed up with the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is on death row after being convicted of killing Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981. Protesters plan to take to the streets on behalf of Abu Jamal, who has gained a following as a black activist and author. Meanwhile, lawyer and talk show host Michael Smerconish plans a counter-protest on behalf of Faulkner's family. We filled out the necessary paperwork, and procured a permit so we can protest. The protesters would like that, of course.