Seven reporters from the Urbana-Champaign IMC have joined thousands of citizens, independent reporters and protestors from around the world in Miami, FL this week to observe, report on, protest and shut down the summit for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

The FTAA is an attempt to extend to all of the western hemisphere the kind of so-called “free trade” already put in place in the US, Mexico and Canada by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). People from all over the hemisphere fear that the FTAA will only empower corporate power to move freely from country to country in search of cheap labor and raw materials, while denying the same freedoms to people.

U-C IMC reporters say that Miami has already become a police state in anticipation of the summit and protests. Police cruisers are stationed at nearly every intersection in Downtown Miami, while helicopters circle overhead, spotlights illuminating the night sky. Police harassment and intimidation of visitors and protestors already has been high. In one incident a group of about a dozen bicycle police closely followed all over Downtown two men who were distributing handbills that explain the reasons behind the protests against the FTAA.

Police from all over the country have joined police from Miami and Miami-Dade County, State Police and the Highway Patrol. According to Global Indymedia, at least 12 activists have been arrested for being on city sidewalks.

An Independent Media Center, the FTAA IMC, has been set up in Downtown Miami to provide resources for reporting on the Summit, the protests and the action in the streets. In addition to the website features and newswire there is an Internet radio station at the FTAA IMC, which is also being rebroadcast by multiple on-line, licensed and unlicensed stations around the world.

U-C IMC reporters will be calling in live reports from the streets of Miami. These reports will be posted to the U-C IMC website in text and audio form. Community Radio WEFT’s Mediageek Radio Show, plans to air a live interview with local IMC reporters this Friday at 5:30 PM.

You’re certain to hear more news from Miami on Democracy Now, airing 4 PM on WEFT, and Free Speech Radio News, which airs at 5:00 PM.