http://news.excite.com/news/uw/000807/university-57 Plans surround Democrat gathering Updated 12:00 PM ET August 7, 2000 By Linh Tat Daily Bruin U. California-Los Angeles (U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES -- 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 Los Angeles Police Department 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. (C) 2000 Daily Bruin via U-WIRE *** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Feel free to distribute widely but PLEASE acknowledge the source. *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The end is in the means as the tree is in the seed. - Mahatma Ghandi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Abraham Lincoln, letter to Wm. F. Elkins Nov. 21 1864 Arthur Shaw ed. The Lincoln Encyclopedia 40 {1950} "We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing it's end. It has cost a vast amount of treasure and blood.........It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic, but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. 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