Repression in Miami: A model for Homeland Security?

Two weeks ago, Miami mayor Manuel Rodriguez called the police build-up in anticipation of the FTAA conference "a model for homeland security." With reports coming in of severe repression of free speech, police infiltrating the crowds dressed as protesters and creating the pretext for violence, and countless cases of activists injured by police batons, bean-bags, plastic and rubber bullets, and pepper gas, perhaps we have reason to fear a secured homeland.

As Leif Utne reports, the security detail, comprised of some 6,000 self-proclaimed "Robocops," is headed up by Miami Police Chief John Timoney, who also oversaw security at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in 2000. Brenna Bell, of the National Lawyers Guild and the Miami Activist Collective, called Timoney's handling of the Philadelphia demonstrations "the most violent police repression of protesters in this country in recent history, until yesterday." The repression in Miami, she continued, "shows that free trade agreements are not possible without this kind of violence."

With $8.5 million of Miami's security expenses came from the $87 billion Iraq spending bill, it's no wonder protesters are calling "occupied Miami" a "police state."

PLUS: What's so bad about FTAA? Take a look at its precursor, NAFTA, to get an idea: while "total trade among the three NAFTA countries has more than doubled, passing from US$306 billion in 1993 to almost US $261 billion in 2002," the Economic Policy Institute has found that "between 1994 and 2000, the U.S. lost more than 3 million jobs and job opportunities—equal to 2.3% of the labor force." These job losses are largely attributed to NAFTA, which caused many manufacturing jobs to move to Central and South America, where labor is cheaper and both labor and environmental standards are weaker.

AND: More on the police state. The ultra-conservative news site NewsMax reports that Gen. Tommy "We don't do body counts" Franks says that if the US is hit by a WMD attack, "the Constitution will likely be discarded in favor of a military form of government."