Rob writes:

FTAA Countdown in Miami

Threatening dissenting trade representatives with serious repercussions and promising those countries who open their markets to northern capital with friendly treatment, US trade representative Robert Zoellick has confidently predicted a successful round of negotiations in Miami. Absent from his confident calculations is the 20,000 protesters who will be on hand for days of demonstrations in opposition to the establishment of a Free Trade Area of the Americas. Fresh off a victory in Cancun we’re determined to make this round of capitalist talks another glorious failure.“Miami is the Magic, Providing Light to the Sun,” proclaims banners lining Biscayne Boulevard. Ironically, within a week’s time trade representatives from 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere, along with their corporate leaseholders, will be meeting deep within the conference rooms of Miami’s Intercontinental Hotel, far removed from the light of day.

Miami is buzzing with anticipation for the coming conflict. Workers downtown greet one another on the sidewalks and in coffee lines asking if one has gotten the weekend off because of the protests. At Denny’s a diner asks her friends, “Why they got to protest here?”

The Miami Herald – which has provided free ad space for the FTAA conference – has been doing their best to heighten confusion over what this is all about. The Knight Ridder publication has been indoctrinating the local populis with warnings of violent anarchists and assurances of impending doom due to the nihilistic black blockers. Daily articles offer exposes on the benefits of free trade and, not so subtly, argue for the selection of Miami as permanent headquarters for the administration of the free trade zone. And this is the objective media posed to report on the coming manifestations.

Meanwhile, local law enforcement has been ramping up on preparations for a Shock and Awe campaign. A number of arrests have already been made for suspicious loitering and obstructing the sidewalk. Hordes of bicycle police parade downtown, acclimatizing themselves to group formation, and fully costumed riot police practice their maneuvers in back alleys and empty lots. Tear gas and water canons are rumored to be the weapons of choice for the local troops.

Miami police jefe Timmony is well known for his pre-emptive strikes and violence while he was employed as top cop in Philadelphia during the Republican National Convention meeting in the summer of 2000. Local Miami organizers augmented by out of town convergence veterans have made a determined effort to show the media and the population of Miami that it is law enforcement, Timmony at the helm, who is bent on violence, not the protesters.

Splitting downtown from hip South Beach Miami is Biscayne Bay. A mile long causeway connects the two. The distance mentally for the populations though is light-years. Whereas, downtown is giddy with the coming showdown, in South Beach the navel gazing continues unabated. The shop windows along Washington Avenue display the usual high priced, gaudy crap. The cost, quality, and aesthetic of these goods shows yet again that capitalism is truly “fo’ suckas.”

Back on the mainland, a convergence center has been set up in a run down North Miami warehouse. Here the movement’s personality shines. Everything is free and everyone is busy. A week before the protests and tight logistical teams have already set up a functioning Indymedia center with print, video and radio production facilities. In another corner of the space, the medical collective is busy making sure we’re prepared to handle the sick and wounded in the coming days. Others are hard at work organizing protest and direct action events, housing, and legal assistance.

The organization and celebration of the anti-capitalists is already in full effect. We’re planning for success.