Anti-Flag Q&A: Police at Ripple Effect “dangerous”

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Radical punk band Anti-Flag headlined the Ripple Effect Tuesday at the St. Paul Capitol Grounds, where Rage Against the Machine were physically barred by police from taking the stage to perform a surprise set. Rage performed two songs on a megaphone out in the audience, and much of the crowd turned around to march on the RNC. We caught up with Anti-Flag singer-guitarist Justin Sane and drummer Pat Thetic backstage at the Target Center Wednesday to get their side of the story. Q: So what happened Tuesday? Continue Reading

Best of the RNC, outside the ‘green zone’ edition

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On a day that Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman declare the RNC a “great success” (”nothing burned!”), we look back at the best of the RNC, including real-life delegate quotes, police ineptitude, nonsensical signs, and bird porn. Oh, my! Best example of police ineptitude/confusion: Three riot cops, standing outside of Dorothy Day Center, a homeless shelter surrounded by a fence, ask, “Is this Rice Park?”
Biggest waste of time and money: Riot cops, State Patrol, ATF, and the Secret Service investigating the “tossing of a firecracker” in 7th Street Place on Day 3 of the RNC. Most ridiculous and unnecessary use of riot cops: At 11th and St. Continue Reading

Journalists on RNC policing: ‘Dark days for press freedom in the U.S.’

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As crews picked up after the RNC in downtown St. Paul Friday morning, a handful of local and national journalists went to City Hall and delivered 50,000 signatures pressuring St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and the city and county attorneys to immediately release journalists who were recently arrested in connection to convention protests and to drop all charges against them. Nancy Doyle Brown (pictured at the microphone above), a media reform organizer from the Twin Cities Media Alliance, said she and others want to send a message that “journalism is not a crime.” Journalists have “been detained and arrested, subjected to raids, pepper-sprayed and more simply for showing up to work. These have been dark days for press freedom in the U.S.,” she said. Continue Reading

RNC Police: Looking backwards

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by Grace Kelly on MN Blue • I am an equal opportunity critic, More thought and reflection will be needed, however here is the first pass at looking at the police effort before looking at other efforts.

Cabbages and Kings is a multi-author TC Daily Planet blog that offers space to interesting but hard-to-categorize blog submissions, in the sole discretion of the editors.

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A strong showing for dissent and democracy

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by Joe Nathan • 9/5/08 • What a terrific week for all who treasure democracy! Having spent time marching (peacefully, non-violently) on the streets of St. Paul last week, as well as reading literally hundreds of emails and watching vastly different interpretations of events, I’m even more sold on America.

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The night I got arrested

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The police shouted again, unintelligibly, from the megaphone. Something about we had to leave or we would be arrested…. I wasn’t particularly interested in getting arrested. I started to walk toward the side… “You are all under arrest,” said the megaphone, more clearly this time. Continue Reading

Press freedom at issue after RNC

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On the morning after arrests of more than a dozen journalists, journalists and advocates for freedom of the press delivered a strong rebuke and call for action to city officials in St. Paul. Twin Cities Media Alliance organizer Nancy Doyle delivered a letter with more than 50,000 signatures to St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, St. Paul City Attorney John Choi, and Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner’s offices. Continue Reading

Minneapolis council members call for investigation of RNC police

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Minneapolis City Council Members Gary Schiff and Cam Gordon issued a call this afternoon for an independent investigation of police actions during the Republican National Convention (RNC). Read their full statement below the jump. Today’s call follows two earlier statements on RNC policing statements from city council corridors in Minneapolis and St. Paul. On Tuesday, Gordon and City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden decried police intimidation that chills free speech and called on authorities to provide a safe space for political expression. Continue Reading

Attorneys for Minnesota Nine call criminal charges ‘outrageous’

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In the days leading up to the Republican National Convention, a series of police raids led by the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office resulted in the arrest of eight people for allegedly conspiring to disrupt the political gathering. On Wednesday the individuals were each charged with a single count of “conspiracy to commit riot in the second degree in furtherance of terrorism.” The criminal complaint details a far-ranging plot by members of the RNC Welcoming Committee that included plans to kidnap delegates, attack cops with urine and molotov cocktails and ultimately bring the convention to a halt.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. A ninth individual was also arrested earlier this week and is named in the criminal complaint, but has not yet been charged. All but the latter suspect have been released on $75,000 bail. Yesterday afternoon attorneys for the alleged co-conspirators held a press conference to rebut the charges. Continue Reading

‘If you are on this bridge you are under arrest’

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I was going to call it a night. After nearly three hours of observing the cat-and-mouse game between protesters and police the scene was starting to get tiresome. (Best protester chant of the night: “You’re hot, you’re cute, now take off your riot suit.”)
I planned to meet a friend for a drink at the Great Waters Brewing Company in downtown St. Paul. But this notion was foiled by the fact that dozens of cops in riot gear were blocking the bridge at Rice Street and John Ireland Boulevard. Continue Reading