Update on Miami protests

According to reports on the IndyMedia website tracking the activities in Miami during the FTAA meetings, it appears that around 5:00 pm East Coast time, police were using tear gas at the Wellness Center. "Outside decontamination spaces at Wellness center had to be shut down because tear gas is lingering. "

From a report:

As top trade officials from 34 nations negotiated the extention of the "free trade" agreements binding North America to the rest of the continent, protesters, also in Miami, Florida, took to the streets in a massive display of opposition to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) pact. The demonstrations, ranging from civil disobedience to a large permitted march organized by the AFL-CIO, were met with police intimidation, unlawful restriction of the right to protest, and violence.

The demonstrators have come together in opposition to the FTAA for a wide variety of reasons, although a common thread is that demonstrators believe that the FTAA is not simply a trade pact but instead is a direct threat to people throughout the continent: a threat to working conditions, social and cultural development, the environment, and the ability of countries throughout the continent to self-govern under the increasing influence of the American government and corporate interests. There is conflict within the trade negotiations themselves, as well, as countries like Argentina and Brazil are pursuing a fair agreement in which America lifts its agricultral protectionism in return for the concessions the US demands.

...As the demonstrators gathered in greater numbers on Thursday, the police began aggressively declaring the demonstration an "unlawful assembly" and assaulting the participants with physical attack, including hitting them with batons and bicycles, with chemical weapons, including what seemed to be tear gas, pepper spray, and an unknown chemical, as well as tazer (electric devices that cause pain and unconsciousness) and rubber bullet attacks.

...There were many reports of police intimidation, including a report that some demonstrators were followed by men (apparently police officers) dressed as protestors (including an anti-FTAA t-shirt) who carried a 9mm pistol on his lap and told the demonstrators "you don't want to fuck with us."

The police blocked streets, denying the movement of the early morning march as well as blocking union vans attempting to join the AFL-CIO march later in the day. Throughout the day, the police have herded demonstrators into contained areas on the streets, where they then proceeded to demand the demonstrators disperse, as well as fire tear gas, water cannons, and physically attack protesters with batons.