Plans surround Democrat gathering

By Linh Tat

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Los Angeles, a city known for its hustle and bustle lifestyle,
is now busier than ever.

With the Democratic National Convention a week away, law
enforcement officers, UCLA student groups and hospital staff are
gearing up for their roles in the upcoming week’s events.

The LAPD and other law enforcement agencies have plans to deal
with expected demonstrations, some of which student groups will
attend. Meanwhile, hospital staff members plan to volunteer their
services to protesters who get injured on the street.

“(Protesters are) going to flat-out cause confusion and
chaos, but make no mistake about it ““ they are not
confused,” said Lt. Tom McDonald of the West LAPD, at a
meeting of Westwood Village merchants Aug. 4.

Protests are scheduled so each day of the DNC will focus on one
theme. On Aug. 14, demonstrators will demand “Human Need, not
Corporate Greed.” According to McDonald, demonstrators will
gather in Century City and Westwood, where they believe most of the
economic power lies.

Joining the protests will be 10 to 15 graduate students from
UCLA’s Environmental Coalition. According to Nikki Pyles, a
staff member of the coalition, the group will hold a street theater
in Santa Monica Aug. 13 and will be downtown during the week to
protest the WTO and demand corporate accountability.

Other student groups attending the week’s organized events
include MEChA and the African Student Union.

Karren Lane, chair of ASU, said members are dissatisfied that
some Democrats support measures that negatively affect the African
American community.

For example, Lane said propositions 209 and 21, which banned the
use of affirmative action in hiring and admissions policies and
allows juveniles to be tried as an adults, affect many African
Americans.

“We want to be out there as a visible reminder to
politicians there are African Americans who do have a political
voice, and they are accountable to that voice,” Lane
said.

She said though most African Americans are democrats, some party
members still fail to look at the poor conditions in schools
comprised predominantly of minorities.

A protest against police brutality is scheduled at
Westwood’s Federal Building Aug. 16.

No official protest zones are in place in or around Westwood,
McDonald said, though places like Occidental Petroleum, Bank of
America, Gap, and Starbucks are expected to be the sites of several
demonstrations in the Village.

Unlike last year’s World Trade Organization protests in
Seattle, national labor unions have said they will not demonstrate
during the DNC since they support presidential candidate Al Gore.
Local unions, on the other hand, are planning protests.

McDonald would not disclose the LAPD’s operations plan,
but he said police will not come out in riot gear.

In addition to demonstrators, the LAPD must watch out for
possible looting by street gangs. Using the Los Angeles
Lakers’ championship as an example, McDonald said,
“Individuals may take this not as a time to celebrate or
demonstrate but as an opportunity (to loot), and we have to be
aware of that.”

While thousands are expected to be demonstrating outside the
Staples Center, others will work to help make the DNC run
smoothly.

Melanie Ho, president of Bruin Democrats, said an estimated 50
student volunteers from the organization will drive officials and
other dignitaries around town and greet them at their hotels during
the DNC week. Others may even work inside Staples Center.

“A good number of students will have choice volunteer
positions during the convention because they have been volunteering
throughout the summer,” Ho said.

In addition, Bruin Democrats will assist the California Young
Democrats with its conventions and youth caucus.

“Students our age are definitely qualified to make
decisions and to become politically active, but we need to read and
keep ourselves informed,” Ho said.

Besides nominating a presidential candidate, Democrats will
decide the party’s platform during the convention. Ho said
she would like to focus on issues of poverty, the increasing income
gap, and campaign finance reform.

“We as Americans and the Democratic party need to look at
the way campaigns are run and ensure that everyone can participate
despite their background or affluence,” Ho said.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors at UCLA Medical Center, which does
not expect an influx of patients seeking treatment for injuries
resulting from riots, will volunteer outside the hospital, said Dr.
Marshall Morgan, director of the Emergency Medical Center at
UCLA.

“There’s a volunteer effort to create a kind of ad
hoc, unofficial mechanism for taking care of potential injuries
that occur on the street,” Morgan said. “They have a
feeling there will be a lot of minor injuries on the
street.”

L.A., which averaged one demonstration per day the past year,
experienced fewer than 10 protests last month, according to
McDonald. He said this is because most protesters are preparing for
the DNC.

While city officials estimate that 30,000 to 60.000 protesters
will be present throughout the week, McDonald said he would not be
surprised if 90,000 demonstrators show up ““ twice the number
that showed up to protest the WTO in Seattle.