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Buy Nothing Day 1997:
Report from New Zealand: Portland/Wellington

From:  (Craig Rosebraugh)
Date:    Mon, 1 Dec 1997
Subject: BUY NOTHING DAT ARREST/PORTLAND
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 29, 1997

BUY NOTHING DAY ACTION ENDS IN ONE ARREST AFTER STREET BLOCKADE;
PORTLAND POLICE STATION SHUT DOWN!

Portland - Well over 100 activists protesting capitalism and celebrating Buy Nothing Day marched through the streets of Portland Friday encouraging shoppers to refrain from a excessive consumerist lifestyle.

Craig Rosebraugh, from the Portland based Liberation Collective was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for driving a vehicle holding some 15 television sets. The vehicle painted with slogans such as "One Less Car", "Ride A Bike", and "Smash Me" was pulled over in downtown Portland on suspicion a crime was about to occur.

Rosebraugh was then taken into custody and placed into a police vehicle as demonstrators circled the car locking arms. Portland mounted patrol began charging protestors attempting to remove them from the street and away from the Police car. Many protestors were stepped on and trampled by the horses during the event.

The police vehicle transported Rosebraugh to the Multnomah County Justice Center where he was held and questioned by detectives. As other activists began walking toward the Justice Center for support, Portland Police panicked and closed the entire Police Station for well over an hour. Police lines blocked both front and rear entrances and a bus was parked in front of one set of main doors to prevent media representatives from monitoring the situation inside. A full city block was then closed in front of the Police station as some 50-60 officers flooded the area.

Rosebraugh was released within two hours and the Justice Center was re-opened shortly there after. Rosebraugh, along with Portland's Copwatch and Liberation Collective plan to file formal complaints agains the city of Portland police department for false arrest, and excessive force.

Buy Nothing Day in Wellington

From:     (Supersonic Design)
Date:    Sat, 29 Nov 1997
Subject: Buy Nothing Day: Tel us all about it!
Buy Nothing Day, Wellington, New Zealand was a great success. The included a shopping-free-zone in an inner-city mall with a monument to the 'God of Obsolete Technology' made out of old photocopiers, TVs, computers and radios. This had money scattered at it's feet with a sign telling people they could take the cash if they wanted to. We had lots of handouts to give people, postcards, rubbish-action notices, 'no-junk-mail' stickers, letters to direct-mail advertisers offering our letterbox for $1000 per item, notices to shop owners enquiring as to the origin of their products, a cash-card cut-up and much more.

We had national coverage on radio and newspapers.

Good luck.
Manu Caddie

______.__________.____________._____._____.
PO Box 16148 - Wellington South - Aotearoa/New Zealand

Support BUY NOTHING DAY - 28 November 1997
http://crash.ihug.co.nz/~subsonic/crc/bnd.html
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