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Americans: Think you’re living in a healthy democracy? If you do, you need to explain how the following story fits into the democratic process:

Documents have now been discovered that reveal a systematic effort by the administration of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to suppress anti-Bush protests in Manhattan during the 2004 Republican Presidential Convention, with the explicit purpose of preventing anything “sensitive” that would embarass the Republican Party and George W. Bush.

Among the many documents obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice is the following email, sent to people working within the New York City Parks Department, instructing them to deny any protest permits for the period of the Republican Convention, even if they had already been approved and were ready to send out.

From: Francesca Bertolini
To: Lissette Moreno; Pamela Strickland, Ramon Cordero; Victoria Zink
Subject: IMPORTANT Republican National Convention Period

It is very important that we do not permit any big or political events for the period between August 23 and September 6th. This is the blackout of permits from PD for the Republican National Convention. It’s really very important for us to keep track of any large events (over 1000 people) and any rallies or events that seem sensitive or political in nature.

All these applications need to be reviewed by Betsy Smith and Alessandro Oliveri. Please give any applications that need attention for this period to me or to Rory and we will pass it on to the appropriate people.

Please watch also the permits that you are firming up and mailing out so that none get sent out accidentally. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. Please also go back through permits you have issued and try to make sure that nothing has gone out for this time.

Thank you,
Francesca

cc: Rory McEvoy

Another email, this one directly to Michael Bloomberg, reports on the effort to find legal justification for denying a permit to protest to an Arab-American group. It refers to an earlier call from Michael Bloomberg himself in which Bloomberg discussed the protest suppression campaign.

Think about this. Please don’t just shrug your shoulders and let it slide. In the United States of America, political protests are being selectively outlawed by Republican politicians with no other goal than to protect the Republican agenda from criticism.

This isn’t some crazy Oliver Stone conspiracy theory. There are documents that show us parts of this process to ban free speech as it was being developed and implemented.

Don’t forget that huge numbers of people were thrown into jail for defying Bloomberg’s ban on protest.

This is the kind of stuff we used to read about happening in places like Communist Poland, with Solidarity protesters put into prison for political motives. Are we going to let this kind of government attack on dissent take place? Will we allow our country to slide into despotism in this way?

There are too many efforts of this kind going on to describe any one of them as an isolated incident. Political groups are being watched. Our phones are being tapped. Secret prisons are being constructed. Our protests are being outlawed.

American democracy cannot survive when it becomes a crime for citizens to participate in the democratic process. Will you be among those who take a stand for freedom, or are you just too tired to give a damn?