BAUMAN, PROTEST GROUPS TALK PEACE

It was spirited, but no one stomped out. And after a two-hour private
meeting, Madison Mayor Sue Bauman, police and protest groups generally
agreed to cool rhetoric about violence, cooperate to ensure voices are
heard and make sure everyone is safe at the U.S. Conference of Mayors
meetings here next month.

Bauman also promised to try to connect visiting mayors with protest groups
and their activities.

Those moves include reserving a room in the Madison Municipal Building for
groups, displaying information about their activities at a table at the
conference and exploring if protesters can camp at city parks or UW-Madison
land.

And, for the first time, the mayor later voiced frustration with the
exclusivity of the conference, its cost and its reliance on fund raising
from corporate interests.

The bottom line is the city will continue to meet with groups but brace for
all scenarios, Bauman said.

"I think we have to continue to be prepared and make sure no one is
overreacting," she said.

The meeting with Bauman and police was a positive first step, said activist
Tom Running, a spokesman for Cities for People, a new local group
sponsoring a series of alternative activities during the conference meetings.

Cooperation and getting the concerns of people rather than big donors
before the mayors could make the Madison meetings a "model" for the future,
Running said.

The conference is expected to attract more than 1,000 mayors and their
guests, federal Cabinet members, members of Congress, national media and
maybe President Bush to Monona Terrace from June 14-18.

Three main groups - Cities for People, Creative People's Resistance and Ben
Masel's pro-marijuana Weedstock.com - intend on making their presence felt,
too.

The potential for big demonstrations and the threat of terrorism after
Sept. 11 have inspired police to prepare for a "worst case" security
scenario, with an estimated cost of $670,000, seven times the amount
originally budgeted.

The protest groups have similarities and ties, and rail hard against
corporate influence on the mayors conference and its exclusion of the
public. Among nearly 40 conference sponsors are Phillip Morris Cos.,
Madison Gas and Electric Co. and the Wisconsin State Journal.

The protesters, however, can't be painted with a single brush.

Cities for People, a growing coalition of more than a dozen local
organizations including the Affordable Action Housing Alliance, Progressive
Dane and the Wisconsin Greens, is hosting a day of speakers, workshops and
music at the Labor Temple on South Park Street on June 15 and a parade
starting at State Street and Capitol Square the next day.

"We're gearing this as a positive experience," Running said. "We don't want
to surprise the police, and we don't want them to surprise us."

The group also is circulating a petition asking that Bush not attend the
conference and cause unnecessary security measures and costs.

Creative People's Resistance, organized in opposition to the conference, is
using the Internet to call for nationwide support for celebrations,
non-violent actions and mass demonstrations here.

The conference is on the events list of major anarchist groups.[

Creative People's Resistance wants to "empower citizens to confront issues
in their own communities," the group said in a written response to questions.

Masel, meanwhile, is appealing a city decision to limit his plans for a
rally with speakers and music to address drug polices, free speech and
other issues to the 100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The veteran activist said he saw "some positive movement" during Friday's
meeting, but he is opposed to restrictions on protests and intends to go to
court to have rallies on the 100 and 200 blocks of Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard.

So far, the police have singled out Creative People's Resistance as the
cause for concern and extra security planning.

The police have assembled a half-inch thick stack of information on the
group's Web site, Web links or handouts that suggest the potential of
property destruction and tangling with authorities, police intelligence
Capt. Luis Yudice said.

"We see a clear separation between CPR and the other groups," he said.

Creative People's Resistance said in a press release that it appreciates
assurances Friday of "a non-violent police presence," but the group said it
wants police to take specific actions to guarantee that authorities don't
overreact.

The city will continue to meet with the groups and ensure Madison's
tradition of accommodating free speech and protest, Bauman said.

"That the mayor of this city is willing to meet for two hours and 15
minutes late on a Friday says an awful lot," she said.

Weedstock.Com

Web site: weedstock.com

Plan: Rally against the drug war 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 15. Events also
include speakers and bands. Organizer Ben Masel applied for a permit to
hold rallies from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 14 and 15 in the 200 block of
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. He's been offered a permit in the 100
block but says he'll refuse it and is instead appealing the denial of the
permit for the 200 block.

Why: Masel, who leads the group that supports free speech and the
legalization of marijuana, said the rallies will address governmental drug
policies as well as other issues.

Creative People's Resistance

Web site: resist-the-mayors.org

Plans: A "mass demonstration and a number of non-violent direct actions
that will wake people up to the issues important to our communities."

Why: "We see the U.S. Conference of Mayors as an extension of the global
resistance against neo-liberalism (i.e.. global corporate culture) and
war-mongering that has exploded over the past few years. The fight here is
just as important as the fight against the WTO, IMF/World Bank, WEF, etc.
The same corporate powers that push globalization are fighting for access
to our local governments to push their agendas at home and abroad, and the
U.S. Conference of Mayors is the perfect place to do it..."

Cities For People

Website: www.citiesforpeople.org

Plan: People's Conference, June 15 at the Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park
Street). Event features music, panels, workshops, led by national and local
organizers, musicians, and elected officials. Community Parade forCities,
June 16, at the corner of State Street and Capitol Square.

Why: "Concerned that the interests of ordinary city residents are
increasingly being sacrificed to serve the agendas of the large
corporations and the rich, a coalition of community groups, faith
communities, labor unions, students, youth, and political parties has
assembled under the name Cities for People.