Coming to NYC for RNC 2004? here's some tips that may be helpful to you (or not) based on observations on parades, rallys, protests, etc.

1) Expect the city and Feds to go all out with the number of cops on the street. Their key strategy is strength in numbers. They have Secret Service for Madison Square Garden security inside and out. NY State police to man checkpoints, and barricades. National Guard for patrol duties in all bus and train stations. Port Authority NY/NJ police for PATH subway trains, and the bus terminals. NJ state police on inbound NJ transit trains. MTA police for NY trains (LIRR, and Metro-North), and not to mention NYPD transit police roaming the NYC Subway. That leaves the NYPD (regular officers, police auxillaries, and police cadets) free to deal with protesters on the street.

2) Second key is geography.

NYC's rectangular street grid makes it very extremely simple to set up a chokepoint on any intersection that can be manned by just 2-6 cops, and backed up by a lot of roving police.


3) Third key is intelligence and surveillance

Expect a lot of police, and black federal helicopters hovering everywhere. There may be special CCTVs setup all around the city, in addition to DOT traffic cams (real-time viewable over the internet). During protests, police with simple camcorders (the Hanson accords be damned.) will be panning the crowds. sometimes the police will just approach and stick a camera in your face.

Expect undercover cops everywhere. In crowds, protest meetings, online etc. they seem especially interested in large groups of people wearing black. at the antiWEF in 2002, a small group of black-dressed people wielding shields and waiting to march along with everyone else were ambushed and arrested by police spraying pepper spray on everybody including bystanders.

Also look out for plain looking vans with black or mirrored windows roaming around the city. these vans are not there to deliver flowers.

4) Fourth key is tactics.

The NYPD is extremely fond of the use of cattle pens to control crowds. Cattle pens are basically small enclosed metal barricades that allow people to be immobile inside, and the police free to move around outside. expect cattle pens at every key rally points. expect midtown and times square to be a gigantic cattle pen with every single street lined with a metal barricade, and stationary cops on every block. Mcdonalds, and starbucks will probably have extra cops in front as will the RNC event locations and hotels.

Outside of rally points, the police will be onthe look out for breakout groups. they will follow them, and try and pen them in using police vans and scooters. police commanders will most likely use dead laws like jaywalking statues to harass and arrest people. they will use the mask laws to detain people wearing masks, even simple ski masks.

If you are carrying large posters, make sure they are affixed to cardboard fabric tubes and not on wooden sticks. the NYPD will confiscate the latter because they will say they can be used as weapons.

- Use of horses.

Will be used to it's worse extreme. during the antiwar rally on February 15, 2004. police horses were used to charge the crowds on the sidewalk near 54th st, 2nd ave, and were used to contain a large group of protesters who were all arrested in front of the library on 5th ave.

- Use of pepper spray and rubber bullets.

Absolutely yes on the use of pepper spray. no on use of rubber bullets.

- Use of city buses

These will be used as gigantic walls in places where they want to keep people out, AND to keep them out of view.

- Use of fire trucks

Expect to have fire trucks waiting outside key areas, and fire hoses unrolled just in case. although the FDNY doesn't like NYPD, they relish the opportunity to use the hose on protesters when the police ask them to.

- Use of garbage trucks, and dump trucks
to block streets.