Friends of the RNC 8 -- RNC 8 Defense Committee

Free Spaghetti Dinner with the RNC 8 and Friends!

Webmaster — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:46:40 +0000

Free Spaghetti Dinner with the RNC 8 and Friends!

Tuesday, March 16

6-7:30 p.m.

3104 16^th Ave S., Minneapolis (basement)

It’s spaghetti time! Come enjoy a delicious meal prepared by the RNC 8 and friends. Vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan options will be available at our community meal.

Free Taco Bar, Tuesday February 16th

Webmaster — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:02:50 +0000

Free Taco Bar with the RNC 8!

Tuesday, February 16

6-8 p.m.

3104 16^th Ave S., Minneapolis (basement)

Join us for our monthly FREE and festive meal served by the RNC 8 and friends. This month enjoy some “black bloc beans” and other delightful taco fillings.

As always, vegetarian and vegan options will be available at our community meal.

2/28-3/2: Events with Ex-Political Prisoner Dhoruba Bin Wahad

Webmaster — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:57:23 +0000

**Political Repression and State Violence, from Minneapolis to Palestine**
a talk by Dhoruba Bin-Wahad

In November 2009 Dhoruba Bin-Wahad, a former U.S. political prisoner, leader the Black Panther Party, and member of the Black Liberation Army, was detained and deported from the West Bank of occupied Palestine by Israeli authorities. He had been invited to attend a conference on political detention by the Palestinian Authority.

Dhoruba spent 19 years of a life sentence in jail for a crime he did not commit. He was a target of the FBI’s COINTELPRO, was arrested in 1971 and had his conviction overturned in 1990.

He will discuss historic and current struggles against social injustice and state violence in the U.S. and in Palestine, with a specific focus on political prisoners and institutions that repress social movement mobilization within communities fighting oppression.

Join a wide array of Twin Cities organizations to hear this powerful speaker, who challenges conventional wisdom and inspires people to embrace social change.

***Schedule of Events***

Sunday, 02/28, 7pm
Community Dinner with Dhoruba
Walker Church, 3100 16th Ave S, Mpls
Vegan/vegetarian options
$5 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds

Monday, 03/01, 7pm
Lecture followed by Q&A
5 Blegen Hall, University of Minnesota
Free

Tuesday, 03/02, 11am
Lecture followed by Q&A
Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University
1536 Hewitt Ave., St. Paul
Free

Sponsored by the American Studies Dept. (UofM), Black Law Student Assn. (Hamline), Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Criminal Law Student Assn. (Hamline), Critical Legal Studies group (Hamline), Dept. of African American and African Studies (UofM), Dept. of Political Science (UofM), EWOK!, Hamline Chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild, Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Latino Law Student Association (Hamline), Law Democrats (Hamline), MN Global Justice Project, MN Chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild, RNC 8 Defense Committee, Scholars for Academic Justice, Scott and Carrie Support Committee, WAMM Mideast Committee, Women’s Student Activist Collective

Video: We’re Getting Ready… For Court!

Webmaster — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:51:15 +0000

In the summer of 2007, an Anarchist/Anti-Authoritarian group ironically named the “RNC Welcoming Committee (RNC-WC)” released a satirical video entitled, “We’re Getting Ready.” The video sparked a quarter-of-a-million dollar investigation by the infamously humorless Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office into the RNC-WC. Almost a year and a half later, eight organizers face conspiracy charges. They’re getting ready for trial, and invite anyone with a heart still beating to come.

We’re Getting Ready For Court

(What are you doing?)

Trial Starts October 25

(Watch Video at YouTube | Blip.TV | Indybay.org)

Watch more videos: RNC8.org/videos

Results from February 2nd Court Hearing

Webmaster — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:54:27 +0000

Results from February 2^nd Court Hearing

Yesterday, the RNC 8 and a courtroom full of supporters sat through a hearing regarding several motions that had been filed in the previous months. While the proceedings were less than riveting, there were some surprising results. Even our old friend Bob Fletcher couldn’t resist showing up briefly to watch today’s hearing. Biggest news of the day? The trial date is set for October 25, 2010, so mark your calendars now.

There will also be a number of new motions heard in May, so mark these dates as well: May 3-6, 13, and 14. During these days, the lawyers for the 8 will argue motions such as ones to suppress evidence seized during the preemptive raids prior to the RNC, and the probable cause motion as a part of evidentiary hearings that will include testimony from witnesses. More information will be available as the dates approach, but court support will be needed as always.

In addition to scheduling the hearing and trial dates, Judge Teresa Warner granted the motion to use a jury questionnaire. This questionnaire will hopefully result in a more thorough examination of the jurors. She also took under advisement other motions regarding payments to FBI informants, and the discriminatory motion. The motion re: IndyTACT was withdrawn and may be refiled at a later date. We hope to receive favorable rulings on those soon and will let you know when we hear the results.

As the pre-trial work proceeds and the trial date approaches, we need all the help and support we can get to fight these bogus charges! Now is a perfect time to get involved. Come to the next RNC 8 Defense Committee meeting to get plugged in:

Sunday, February 7, 3:30pm
Walker Community Church (in the basement)
3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis

RNC 8 to Argue First Amendment Motions During February 2nd Hearing

Webmaster — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:15:05 +0000

RNC 8 to Argue First Amendment Motions During February 2nd Hearing

Defense Motions Will Highlight Issues of Illegal Preemptive Raids and Improper Prosecution

Contact: Melissa Hill (RNC 8 Defense Committee), 612.886.4565, Attorney: Bob Kolstad, 612.387.2508

E-mail: press@rnc8.org

ST. PAUL, Minnesota — On February 2, 2010 before Judge Teresa R. Warner, the RNC 8 will have a full day of hearings on up to 13 motions, many regarding the suppression of materials found at preemptive raids seeking to disrupt the activists. The eight defendants were arrested before the Republican National Convention in September 2008. Their arrests followed many months of police infiltration and surveillance of their group, the RNC Welcoming Committee, which helped organize lodging, food, medical and legal aid for those protesting the convention. These motions will highlight the political motivations behind the unlawful raids and unjust charges of conspiracy. The February 2nd hearing will be held from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. in Room 131-B in the Ramsey County Courthouse on Kellogg Boulevard in Downtown St. Paul. Supporters will also host a free lunch during the noon recess at Central Presbyterian Church, 500 Cedar Street in St. Paul.

One of the most interesting motions to be argued asks to compel discovery about a fictitious anarchist group manufactured by police: “Indy TACT (Temporary Anti-Capitalist Team).” Retired Bloomington Police Officer Richard Greelis admitted in his post-RNC memoir, Cop Book, that this inflammatory group was a creation of his police department, with the goal of adopting a sector of St. Paul in which to encourage illegal activity. Therefore, the defendants have filed a motion for additional discovery regarding this group and its role in creating an environment of police repression and entrapment. (See http://tinyurl.com/RNCcopbook.) This and other motions to be heard Tuesday could potentially reveal as-yet-unknown information about the nature of confidential RNC informants.

During the hearing, the defendants will also argue a number of motions impacting their upcoming trial, including a motion for dismissal of the case because the State violated their First Amendment rights. The State has disclosed a series of documents from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department suggesting that the police singled out defendants due to their political views and writings. For just one example, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department opened an investigation on co-defendant Luce Guillen-Givins based on publicly available, Constitutionally protected political writings and a “criminal history” that only included charges later dismissed by the courts.

According to the motion filed on discriminatory investigation and prosecution, the State manufactured these conditions by opening an investigation based on perceived political beliefs, and later pursuing an arrest and charging the defendants with criminal conspiracy based upon their politics and not the defendants’ actions. This type of abuse by the Sheriff’s office raises serious questions about why the State is prosecuting the RNC 8 because of their radical political philosophy and writings.

Additionally, the Defense filed motions to suppress the content of the illegal raids on the Convergence Center at 627 Smith Ave., a communication center and several residences. During these raids, the State seized numerous computers, literature, documents, and standard household cleaning and maintenance items. The search warrants were based on incomplete information provided to judges, including the fact that one of the alleged RNC-WC members of concern to FBI informant Andrew Clark Darst was in fact an informant for the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department. “These raids were sinister intelligence gathering operations and preemptive political disruptions under the guise of defending the public good,” said RNC 8 co-defendant Garrett Fitzgerald. “This prosecution is an effort by the sheriff’s department to continue its cock-a-hoop narrative, and cover its tracks to hide their own outrageous behavior.”

The defendants also filed a motion regarding their rights to utilize a jury questionnaire in order to expedite the jury selection process, ensuring it is fair to all those involved and that the jurors’ biases are fully known.

The RNC 8 and RNC 8 Defense Committee continue to host events every month, including an upcoming free community meal at Walker Community Church on March 16 at 6pm. For more info on the RNC 8 and upcoming events, visit: http://rnc8.org.

Links to February 2nd Motions:

· Joint Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Probable Cause and Request for Florence Hearing: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/mtn-pc.pdf

· Memorandum for Joint Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Probable Cause and Request for Florence Hearing: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/memo-pc-jnt.pdf

· Defendants’ Joint Motion to Utilize Jury Questionnaire: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mtn-questionnaire126.pdf

· Motion for Suppression of Evidence Obtained Through Illegal Search and Seizure at 627 Smith Ave., 2301 23rd Ave. S., 3240 17th Ave. S. and 3500 Harriet Ave.: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/motionforsuppression.pdf

· Notice of Motion and Motion to Suppress 627 Smith Ave. Raid : http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/motion-to-suppress-convergence-center126.pdf

· Motion for Suppression of Communication Center Raid: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/motion-to-suppress-comms-center126.pdf

· Memorandum re: Suppression of the Raids Brief: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/memmotiontosuppressfranks1-26.pdf

· Supplemental Exhibits to Suppression of the Raids Brief: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/suppexh100125181131-1-26.pdf

· Defendant’s (Luce Guillen-Givins) Motion to Suppress Evidence from Unlawful Search and Seizures: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/luce-mtn-suppress.pdf

· Memo in Support of Defendant’s (Luce Guillen-Givins) Motion to Dismiss based upon Discriminatory Investigation and Prosecution: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/luce-memo-ep-and-attachment.pdf

· Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Based on Discriminatory Investigation and Prosecution: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/mtn-ep.pdf

· Motion to Compel Discovery re: Indy-TACT: http://rnc8.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/indycomp100129093428.pdf

Background on the RNC 8 case:

The RNC 8 were preemptively arrested in a series of raids by heavily armed SWAT teams on the weekend before the Republican National Convention convened in St. Paul, Sept. 1-4, 2008. The criminal complaints are based on the allegations of “CRIs” (confidential reliable informants) and an undercover Ramsey County Sheriff’s deputy, who infiltrated the RNC Welcoming Committee and conducted surveillance on the political activists more than nine months before the Republicans met in St. Paul.

The continued prosecution of the RNC 8 represents the government’s attempt to criminalize dissent and scapegoat a group of dedicated political organizers for an over-the-top security regime that turned St. Paul into a police state for the week of the Republican convention.

The RNC 8’s case continues to highlight the problematic prosecution of dissent by the State. In the interim, on April 8, Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner dismissed “terrorism” counts against the RNC 8. The eight defendants still face felony charges of conspiracy to commit riot in the 2nd degree and conspiracy to commit criminal damage to property in the 1st degree.

The RNC 8 may be available for media interviews and all inquiries and requests can be sent to the contact information above.

For more information, go to: RNC8.org

- 30 -

Letter from the RNC 8 - January 2010

Webmaster — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:42:47 +0000

January 2010

Dear friends, families and supporters,

The last time that we wrote, we were only weeks beyond the 2008 RNC, and still figuring out how to navigate our case with a sense of collectivity and integrity. Now, more than a year after the fact, we find ourselves in a sort of limbo. Day to day, we don’t feel the intensity of repression that we did in the weeks surrounding the RNC, yet the trial looms somewhere in the distance and we’re not really free to move on. We return to court on February 2nd, and may come out of the hearing with a trial date certain. While it’s hard to remain upbeat about the prospect, we hope to make the final push towards trial energizing for ourselves and our supporters alike, and we feel certain that a strong show of court solidarity will make a huge difference in the outcome of our case.

The past year has been difficult, both in dealing with our own situation and in watching as State attempts to subvert and disrupt anarchist movement gain steam, following well-established patterns of repression against dissident political movements throughout history.

In late 2008 and 2009, Ramsey County prosecuted more than a dozen felony cases resulting from the RNC. Abusing their unchecked power to slap on charge after unfounded charge as a way of coercing people out of exercising their right to trial, and with the constant threat of terrorism enhancements, prosecutors extracted numerous plea agreements from individuals who came to the RNC protests outraged at this oppressive system and willing to take a conscientious stand against it.

During the fall of 2008, well-known and controversial radical activist Brandon Darby was outed as a paid FBI informant. This happened as a result of his entrapment of Brad Crowder and David McKay, two young men who traveled from Texas to MN for the RNC protests. Though Brad and David both eventually plead guilty to federal charges of making and possessing Molotov cocktails, facts surrounding the case and testimony given during McKay’s initial mistrial make it clear that Darby went out of his way to create the unlikely scenario in which the crimes were committed. Darby, whose crimes of conscience will go unpunished, has already robbed two people of their freedom, but the extent of his cooperation and the damage it has done to our community remains to be seen.

In April of 2009, Indiana residents Tiga Wertz and Hugh Farrell were arrested and charged with racketeering as a result of their work organizing against I-69, the US segment of the NAFTA Superhighway. I-69 will displace small farmers, wreak environmental destruction, and facilitate the movement of goods and capital at the expense of the continents’ poor and working people. Tiga and Hugh are still awaiting trial, which will likely not start before 2011.

Late this fall, two friends and comrades of ours in Minneapolis, Carrie Feldman and Scott DeMuth, were subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in Davenport, IA, which is investigating a 2004 Animal Liberation Front action at the University of Iowa. Scott and Carrie were teenagers in Minnesota at the time of the ALF raid, and though they have no information to give about it, they refused to cooperate with the grand jury on principle. They were both jailed on civil contempt on November 17, 2009, and two days later, Scott was indicted under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA). He is currently out awaiting trial and Carrie remains jailed in Iowa, where she may sit for another nine months. Carrie and Scott’s involvement in RNC organizing, their affiliation with known antiRNC organizers, and materials seized in RNC raids, have all been used so far in prosecutorial attempts to vilify them and their politics.

Scott is only the seventh person ever charged under the AETA. In February of 2009, four people in Santa Cruz, CA, became the first AETA indictees, accused of first-amendment protected activities including leafleting and chalking sidewalks. Last spring, BJ Viehl and Alex Hall in Utah were also charged under the AETA in relation to mink liberations. BJ recently plead guilty, citing the improbability of a fair trial in such a heavily conservative state, and will probably be sentenced in March. Alex is still awaiting trial.

The same day that we go to court here for our next hearing, Jordan Halliday will start trial for felony contempt of court, a charge he is facing after months of incarceration on civil contempt for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury in Utah.

This fall, comrades from the Tin Can Comms Collective sustained a raid and two arrests at the G20 mobilization in Pittsburgh. After returning to their home in Brooklyn, NY, the two arrested were subjected to yet another raid, this time on their house. State charges related to the G20 were subsequently dropped under circumstances that suggest the existence of an active federal investigation of Tin Can’s activities.

Needless to say, anarchists have taken quite a few hits this year. Yet these cases are only one manifestation of the systematic repression of movements for social change. Even as anarchists have yet again become a primary target of State repression, the U.S. continues its war on Black and Puerto Rican revolutionaries, and their allies.

In January of 2007, charges were brought against eight former Black Panthers (the San Francisco 8) for the 1971 murder of a police officer.

The case, re-opened with post-9/11 anti-terrorism funds, is based on information extracted through torture. Several of the the SF8 are former or current political prisoners. By summer of 2009, most charges had been dropped or drastically reduced in plea agreements. As of this writing, the last remaining conspiracy charge was dropped, leaving a single charge against Cisco Torres.

In recent months, the State of Pennsylvania has engaged in a new push for the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal, falsely convicted of the murder of a police officer in1982 and held on death row ever since. His supporters across the globe are mobilizing, yet again, to prevent this- our movements have kept him alive thus far, and it falls on us yet again to prevent his State-sanctioned assassination.

Meanwhile, the Puerto Rican independence movement- which has won the release of most of its political prisoners over the past decades- is preparing a final push for the release of two of the remaining three, Carlos Alberto Torres and Oscar Lopez Rivera.

At this moment, dozens of political prisoners sit in U.S. prisons and jails, many of them having been there for decades and some who may never get out. The State would have us believe that political prisoners do not exist in this country, which holds a full quarter of the world’s incarcerated people in its prison plantations. It is our common commitment to a radically transformed world that they intend to subvert with every new arrest, detention and prosecution, and our only defense is an acknowledgement of the fact that this is happening day in and day out, and a commitment to fight it at every step of the way.

As we look towards what could be the final stage of our own case, we’re left to ponder the impact of our work. It is our hope that our supporters also support every person named in this letter, and every target of State repression left unnamed. Whether we’re acquitted or convicted come trial, the greater measure of our success will be the extent to which our case builds the movements to which we belong.

See you at trial,

the RNC 8

Court Solidarity and a Free Supporters’ Lunch on February 2

Webmaster — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:16:36 +0000

The Hearing:
9 AM to 4 PM with a break for lunch.
Ramsey County Courthouse, Room 131-B
15 W. Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul

The Lunch:
11:30 to 1:30 (or somewhere in between)
Central Presbyterian Church
500 Cedar Street, St. Paul

As we announced previously, the RNC 8 will be in court all day this coming Tuesday, February 2. The courtroom can easily hold 50 people, and we’d like to fill it up in a show of solidarity. If at all possible, come early so the cops don’t take all the good seats. If you can’t stay all day, come for part of the day. (Unlike the defendants, you can leave anytime!) Wear your RNC 8 t-shirts and buttons, and please be sure to turn off all cellphones and be respectful inside and outside the courtroom.

Once the judge breaks for lunch, we’ll gather for a supporters’ event at Central Presbyterian Church, a few blocks north of the courthouse at 500 Cedar Street. PB&J(ustice) sandwiches and other fare will be served, and you’ll be treated to a very special video premiere you won’t want to miss! It’s all free to supporters of the RNC 8.

The RNC 8 defense team currently has at least 14 motions on the table to be decided upon, many dealing with first amendment issues, the evidence gathered in the preemptive raids, and the undercover informants. Although none are as crucial as the successful motion for a joint trial, and many are longshots within the criminal injustice system, the arguments on Tuesday could well reveal some interesting information. We may also get a better idea of the eventual trial date; currently Judge Teresa Warner is reported to be looking at dates in May and June.

Anyone wishing to carpool or willing to assist with driving should show up at Walker Church (3104 16th Ave. S., Minneapolis) by 8 AM on Tuesday. Carpools will leave shortly thereafter — as soon as all the riders are divided up. We’ll see you then!

Support the RNC 8 at Minnesota Precinct Caucuses February 2

Webmaster — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:29:33 +0000

February 2 isn’t just the next court date for the RNC 8–in Minnesota, it’s also the evening of each political party’s statewide precinct caucuses. For our liberal and progressive friends and supporters, the caucuses represent an important opportunity to build support for the RNC 8 and raise awareness of the repression of political organizing.

Ramsey County Attorney and gubernatorial candidate Susan Gaertner is not among the top contenders, but recently announced she will ignore the party’s official endorsement and run in the Democratic primary. She has failed to listen to the repeated requests of Minnesotans to drop ALL charges against the RNC 8, including through thousands of petition signatures, rallies outside her events, and resolutions passed this time last year.

Therefore, we ask you to take two actions at your local precinct caucus on February 2:

1) Distribute the “Susan Gaertner and the RNC 8″ Fact Sheet or other RNC 8 literature at your caucus. You can download the one-page fact sheet yourself at our website: rnc8.org/info. (If you need copies provided, contact us at info@rnc8.org ASAP and we’ll see if we can get you some.)

2) Introduce a resolution opposing the charges against the RNC 8 and a resolution in favor of repealing the Minnesota PATRIOT Act. See our sample resolution language below, which you can use or modify. You can download a DFL resolution form here and bring the completed form to your caucus.

To find your local precinct caucus for the DFL, enter your address here. For the Green Party, check here. All DFL caucuses begin on February 2 at 7pm; Green caucuses begin at 6:30.

Thanks from the RNC 8 Defense Committee for your support of the RNC 8 and for continuing the fight against the suppression of dissent.

* * *

SAMPLE RESOLUTIONS:

The text of these resolutions derives from the language of a resolution passed by the Duluth Central Labor Body in March 2009. The body represents 17,000 workers from various trades in the Twin Ports area of Minnesota and Wisconsin. (Interestingly, the DFL’s 2010 state convention will be held in Duluth April 23-25.)

RESOLUTION OPPOSING CHARGES AGAINST THE RNC 8

WHEREAS, a free society is one in which people can organize collectively to improve their lives without fear of persecution by their government, and

WHEREAS, progressive movements for social change have historically suffered state intimidation and repression in our efforts to organize, including but not limited to the unconstitutional arrest of Minnesota labor organizers under “criminal syndicalism” laws of the first half of the 20th century, and

WHEREAS, the criminal conspiracy charges filed by Ramsey County, Minnesota prosecutors in September of 2008 against eight preemptively arrested organizers of Republican National Convention protests in Saint Paul (known as the “RNC 8″) are still being pursued, with no evidence that the defendants committed any act of violence and with no alleged victim,

BE IT RESOLVED that we oppose the politically-motivated criminal charges against the “RNC 8″ Republican National Convention protest organizers.

RESOLUTION IN FAVOR OF REPEALING THE MINNESOTA PATRIOT ACT

WHEREAS, a free society is one in which people can organize collectively to improve their lives without fear of persecution by their government; and

WHEREAS, changes to the Minnesota criminal code under the so-called Anti-Terrorism Act of 2002 threaten political speech by defining acts that “further terrorism” so broadly as to encompass civil disobedience designed to “disrupt or interfere with the lawful exercise, operation, or conduct of government, lawful commerce, or the right of lawful assembly,” including strikes, union picket lines, and other collective actions to defend peoples’ rights; and

WHEREAS, the first criminal charges under this law were filed by Ramsey County prosecutors in September of 2008 against eight preemptively arrested organizers of Republican National Convention protests in Saint Paul (known as the “RNC 8″), with no evidence that the defendants committed any act of violence; and

WHEREAS, due to public outcry, the “RNC 8″ are no longer charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act but still face pending felony conspiracy charges of a political nature,

BE IT RESOLVED that we call on Minnesota state legislators to repeal section 609.714 of the Minnesota criminal code (”CRIMES COMMITTED IN FURTHERANCE OF TERRORISM”) in order to prevent future politically-motivated repression of political and community organizing in the state.

FREE Spaghetti Dinner, Tuesday, January 19

Webmaster — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:44:19 +0000

It’s almost time again for the next community meal cooked by the RNC 8 and friends! Please join us on Tuesday, January 19 to warm up the January night with a free spaghetti feed at Walker Church:

FREE Spaghetti Dinner with the RNC 8
Tuesday, January 19
6-8pm
3104 16th Ave. S., Minneapolis

As always, vegan and vegetarian options will be available - as will a selection of Defend the RNC 8 t-shirts, arts and crafts, and much more. Connect with the RNC 8 and friends over good food before the upcoming court date on February 2. We’ll see you there!

And mark your calendars: the following monthly dinners are slated for February 16 and March 16.