FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
Nancy Mancias, CODEPINK RNC coordinator, 415-342-6409
Jodie Evans, co-founder, 310-621-5635
Jean Stevens, national media coordinator, 508-769-2138
CODEPINK to "raise a ruckus" at Republican National Convention in St. Paul!
WHAT: CODEPINK to bring peace message, hard questions to RNC
WHEN: Aug. 30 to Sept. 4
WHERE: Republican National Convention, St. Paul. CODEPINK meeting space: The Black Dog Cafe, 308 Prince St., St. Paul
ST. PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS – For the past five days, the leading anti-war
group CODEPINK made headlines from The Denver Post, Salon.com to the
Washington Times with their vivacious, creative peace message at the
Democratic National Convention in Denver.
At this week's Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities,
nearly 100 members of the women-initiated group will make more
headlines with vibrant demonstrations, creative costumes, songs,
banners and hard questions for delegates and politicians gathered
there. Some of our major events include:
On Sunday, Aug. 31:
*From 1 to 2 p.m., CODEPINK
members will march, ride pink peace bikes, sing and rally down Nicollet
Mall to Loring Park in Minneapolis, in the Liberty Parade 2008, a
nonpartisan musical celebration of shared values – liberty, freedom,
justice and free speech. (For more details, visit http://www.libertyparade2008.com/site/).
*From 5 to 7 p.m.
they will host the "Reclaiming the Constitution" event at the RNC's
Civic Fest at the Convention Center at 1301 2nd Ave. S. They'll carry
an enormous paper Constitution – carried by several people at once --
and celebrate freedom of speech by saying "Dissent is Patriotic!" "We
Want A Peace Candidate!" "Close Guantanamo!" "Restore Habeus Corpus!"
and "I Miss America!"
*At 9 p.m. CODEPINK will host its
"They Spy, They Lie, We Pay, They Profit!" protest outside the
AT&T Salute to Screen Actors Guild at the Fine Line Music Cafe at
318 First Ave N. Minneapolis. We'll protest Republicans passing of the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillence Act (FISA) that gave telecoms like AT
& T (unconstitutional wiretapping and access to our communications
without a warrant. (We'll host this again 8 p.m. Weds. outside an AT
& T event at Brit's Pub at 1110 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis).
On Monday, Sept. 1:
* At 7:30 a.m., CODEPINK will
"drop" huge banners with "Build Bridges, Not War!" messages off of the
overpasses over highway 94E and 35E, perfectly timed for when
Republican delegates are bussed through to St. Paul to the Excel
Center.
* At 11 a.m. CODEPINK will host the a "Pro-Life,
Pro-Democracy" pink rally within the anti-war march and rally at the
Assembly at Cass Gilbert Memorial Park (at Cedar St and Sherburne Ave.)
in St. Paul. They will march to the Xcel Center at 1 p.m. Their
parade will be non-confrontational, with puppets, colorful props and
banners meant to inspire curiosity and hope for change.
On Tuesday, Sept. 2:
*At 7:30 a.m., CODEPINK will "Pink Slip" McCain on Wabasha bridge in St. Paul.
*At 9 a.m.,
the "Peace Builder" team in hard hats and tool belts will construct" a
cardboard and fabric platform for peace and security. They'll carry it
down Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.
*At 7:30 p.m., they will
stage a protest with the Rainforest Action Network, Oil Change and
other groups outside a Big Oil fundraiser at Epic Entertainment, at 510
1st Ave. N Minneapolis, to demonstrate against the Republican's
devotion to the interest of Big Oil companies instead of the American
people. Wearing yellow "Support Our Oil Companies" ribbons, waving
"Freedom Flags" (flags with the logos of the major oil companies) and
showering our fellow delegates with millions of "Oily Dollars, "
CODEPINK will mock Republicans support for more oil wars, surging gas
prices and obscene profits for Big Oil, drilling everywhere regardless
of consequences, and "no" to clean and renewable energy funding.
On Wednesday, Sept. 3:
*At 10 a.m. Wednesday, in full
costume, CODEPINK will host a "Women Say No To War Pageant" at 5th St.
and Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, right outside the Republican National
Committee's "welcome rally" for John McCain.
On Thursday, Sept. 4:
*At 1 p.m., wearing in pink
police uniforms, peace "gardeners" gear, "pink slips," and formal "I
Miss America" gowns, CODEPINK will raise a ruckus to "Bust McCain"
around Peavey Plaza, near the delegate hotels.
*At 5:30 p.m.,
CODEPINK members and friends will form a human peace sign in Harriet
Island Park (Plato Blvd.) in St. Paul, to be photographed from the sky
as a beautiful, living art image. It'll be as powerful as our "Make Out
Not War" image created at the DNC (view it here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/codepink-dnc-make-out-not_b_121533.html).
For more CODEPINK RNC events, and to check for updates, please
visit our online DNC and RNC calendar, updated frequently, here: www.codepinkalert.org/conventioncalendar
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CODEPINK, founded in 2002, is a women-initiated
grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in
Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into health care,
education and other life-affirming activities. We reject the Bush
administration's fear-based politics that justify violence, and instead
call for policies based on compassion, kindness and a commitment to
international law. With an emphasis on joy and humor, CODEPINK women
and men seek to activate, amplify and inspire a community of
peacemakers through creative campaigns and a commitment to
non-violence. www.codepinkalert.org.
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