REALLY REALLY FREE TRADE MARKET

MIAMI - In a fenced-in park area under the metro rail in downtown Miami, on the corner of NE 8th and NE 1st Ave, the "Really Really Free Trade Market" got under way starting shortly after noon on November 21st. Several hundred activists converged to gather goods and services, with the goal of creating a free open-air bazaar as a means of strengthening opposition to the FTAA and by celebrating an alternative way of life and a better world.

Shortly before noon, there was a "discrepancy" between protestors and police as to which side of the street the permit--or the event--was intended for. Four or five police were on hand, stating that the permit was intended for the opposite end of NE 1st Street, not in front of the Miami arena as the activists had planned. Their argument was that the space was private property. A group of about thirty protesters that had arrived early to organize the affair were hesitant to move away from the area and down the block, since the area they were told to move into was fenced and only had two entrances. The event organizers raised the concern that they were afraid of being trapped in by the police. "We want this to be an event that attracts locals and that they can feel comfortable coming to," said one unidentified activist.

The Miami Community Relations Board was present to mediate the dispute and was successful in doing so. The event went on and no arrests were reported

IMC spoke with the head of the Community Relations Board, Miguel de la O. De la O stated that the Community Relations Board in conjunction with the Good Will Ambassadors make a point to work locally with community members, negotiating and maintaining peace where needed in the city.

"We offered to embed Good Will Ambassadors into the event today in order to keep things nice and calm. This is a great, loving event."

The Good Will Ambassadors are volunteers made up of local working class citizens who take time off work to help where they are needed. Besides keeping watch for the crowd, the Ambassadors assisted in stopping traffic so pedestrians could cross the street into the event.

The need for a community based third party, and the concern of the activists regarding police intent to move the event to a fenced in area highlighted the tension and conflict that had been escalating between protestors and police for days. Though police did not enter the event, they could be found driving back and forth snapping photos and, at one point, a contingent of 40 bike police and about 20 foot patrol paid a "visit" to the entrance as well.

When IMC asked Miguel de la O his feelings regarding the presence of protestors in his community, he responded saying that "If the protestors weren't here, people wouldn't give the FTAA a second thought."

The "Really Really Free Trade Market" had a positive vibe. Booths set up giving out free food and people sang, danced and played instruments. Others handed out free hugs and massages. A drum circle broke out and one man passed out free candles. A sign on a tree read "free stilt lessons & dance moves."

POLICE ATTACK ACTIVISTS AT MIAMI-DADE COUNTY JAIL

The experience of those at the "Really Free Trade Market" contrasted sharply with those who rallied in the afternoon in front of the Miami-Dade County Jail to show solidarity to those activists arrested on November 20th. About 300 protesters gathered in the parking lot across from the Court House at 14th Street and Northwest 12th Avenue chanting of “Let them go! Let them go!” Police eventually attacked the peaceful protesters in a brutal show of force. [An Indymedia report on the police action at the Jail] [Indymedia photos at the Jail] Shortly before the police actions, Baltimore IMC observed the protesters peacefully sitting in a small parking lot across from the jail. A few held banners facing a long line of officers in riot gear. Traffic was impeded by police orders, not by the protesters. As we left to work on articles, feeling confident that it was a peaceful situation with plenty of other media present, IMC observed officers in riot gear blocking more lanes of traffic and roads into the jail area. Groups of protesters on foot recounted that the police gave the peaceful protesters a mere three minutes to leave and that those that escaped did so by sprinting away.


CONVERGENCE CENTER--CONCERN OVER POLICE RAID

Thursday evening (November 20), after Miami police brutally swept protesters northwest of the area where the AFL-CIO march/rally took place, there was concern that the Convergence Center would be raided. According to Mike McGuire, a spokesperson for the No FTAA activists, organizers were able to avert a raid that night through the efforts of union officials and political supporters. By Friday evening (November 21), these supporters were out of town, in one case for personal reasons. And a police helicopter was circling the building again. One Baltimore IMCer went for a ride with a member of the Convergence 'Comm Team'--we'll refer to this person as 'Comm X'--around the perimeter of the area to scout police presence.

At 6:00pm, protesters had locked themselves inside of the Convergence Center after six or eight police vehicles full of riot cops drove east on 23rd Street with lights flashing. People thought the building was about to be raided. But by 6:04pm, the gates were reopened and some went outside milling about. Then, at 6:56pm people were momentarily frightened by the sudden presence of a Fire Department ambulance, which was later learned to be responding to a call by medics on behalf of a neighborhood person who was dehydrated.

Driving around the perimeters, our Comm X was attracted by the presence of plain white cargo vans which usually appeared connected to local business. However, at 6:42pm at 20th and N. Miami Streets a string of police vehicles were observed--four vans and three cruisers, about 40 officers, according to Comm X. These were likely the police vehicles which had driven east on 23rd at 6:00pm, waiting for further orders. After running some errands to safe houses, Comm X returned to the Convergence Center passing 23rd and N. Miami--the police vehicles were now gone. We returned around 9:00pm.

At the Convergence itself, the helicopter continued to circle and police cruisers would occasionally drive by during the night. The license plates of suspicious-looking, unmarked vehicles would be reported by Convergence security working the ground in coordination with lock-outs on the roof.

Also present at the Convergence were reporters from the corporate media--Channels 4 (WFOR/Miami Herald), 6 (NBC), 7, 10 (Eyewitness News). Workers from two of the media vans set up their work televisions for activists to view the coverage of the arrests of 60 activists at the Court House during the peaceful jail solidarity event earlier that day. The presence of the corporate media may have been a factor in averting a police raid on the 21st.

Protesters hold press conference
After 9:00pm, a press conference was held in front of the Convergence Center with Bill Dobbs (Stop FTAA media team), Timi Gerson (Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch), Jessica Lawrence (Independent Media Center), Liz Highleyman (Medics Team), and Marc Steier (Miami Action Defense/National Lawyers Guild). Dobbs talked about the state of fear created by the Miami Police Department through its handling of the protests saying that "The city's reputation is marred by the unprofessional conduct of Chief Timoney."

Timi Gerson said the early closing of the meetings was a "huge crisis in the NAFTA model" and the multinational corporations which benefit from it. The FTAA meetings were forced to scale back on the range of provisions discussed and reschedule another attempt in February. Why did this happen? "Because of the massive social movements in opposition in Latin America and the Caribbean," according to Gerson. She also commented on the massive police actions in Miami noting the irony that the police actions are a sign to the rest of the world that "there is massive resolution here in the United States" against the FTAA. After the press conference, Gerson told Indymedia that it was "clear that the talks would fall apart two days prior" to the ministerial meetings when preliminary meetings occurred [See the report by Lori Wallach of Public Citizen]

Jessica Lawrence talked about experiences of peaceful protesters at the Court House where 60 were arrested. Lawrence, who was dragged by her hair, said people were told by police they had three minutes to disperse. A small group of people sat down in the "nonviolence tradition," while most tried to walk away with hands raised. The police did not give people enough time to disperse and began pepper spraying--"I heard people screaming from the pepper spray," she said. Lawrence reported that members of the independent press were arrested and called the police action "an abomination, completely illegitimate." [See the report by Ana Nogueira on the arrests of media reporters]

Liz Highleyman said that the medics treated hundreds for the effects of tear gas and pepper spray. The medics estimate 30 injuries, including many head injuries, from the police actions, which included, according to Highleyman, the "pepper spraying of those being cared for in a 'Wellness Center'." [See a report on the experiences of an injured activist]

Marc Steier began by noting "I was lucky. I was arrested yesterday so I can talk today." The Miami Police have engaged in "brutal, unlawful tactics" showing a pattern, the responsibility of which "reaches the highest levels," said Steier. According to Steier, some bails were set at $20,000, many at $5,000. By the 21st, 25% of the misdemeanor charges had been dismissed. [According to the Direct Action Contingency legal team, more than 250 arrests occured overall]. Steier also talked about the importance of media at protests and how the police prevented the establishment of a media center at the Bayside Shopping Center. [See the Urgent Call to Action on the arrests]

See also:
Democracy Now! report on the arrests at the Miami-Dade County Jail www.democracynow.org/article.pl
Jeremy Scahill's report "The Miami Model: Paramilitaries, Embedded Journalists, and Illegal Protests" in CounterPunch www.counterpunch.org/scahill11242003.html and Naomi Klein's report www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031125.wnaomi25/BNStory/Intern in Globe & Mail

Photos of the Jail Solidarity Action on November 21 ftaaimc.org/en/2003/11/1830.shtml