Tear gas fired into crowd at Kellogg, MnIndy reporter hit

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Four blocks of Kellogg Blvd in St. Paul broke into chaos late this afternoon as riot police fired canisters of chemical agents directly into the crowd. MnIndy’s Jeff Severens Guntzel was there and relayed his account of what happened. For a complete list of articles on the RNC, go to our RNC 2008 page. Following an alert about an RNC Welcoming Committee “convergence,” he walked to Kellogg to find four blocks starting at Jackson filled with protesters who were dancing to the Dead Kennedy’s
“California über Alles” playing on a stereo. Continue Reading

One big march

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5 p.m., downtown St. Paul – Thousands of protesters marched from the Capitol to the Xcel Center this afternoon (September 1), largely without incident. The crowd gathered at the Capitol during the morning, stepping off to march about 1 p.m., after listening to speakers who denounced the war in Iraq and a variety of other Bush administration policies. For a complete list of articles on the RNC, go to our RNC 2008 page. Hundreds of police in full riot gear lined St. Continue Reading

St. Paul’s High Bridge closure leaves only one route across the Mississippi

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For a complete list of articles on the RNC, go to our RNC 2008 page. With about 45 minutes to go at tonight’s SEIU Labor Day picnic and concert at St. Paul’s Harriet Island, a City of St. Paul sign-crew truck put “Road Closed” signs at both ends of the only remaining open bridge connecting downtown to the island. The worker speculated that the aim was to prevent or delay the concert attenders from returning back to downtown, the site of numerous clashes between protesters and police today. Continue Reading

RNC by the numbers: More than 150 jailed on day one

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For a complete list of articles on the RNC, go to our RNC 2008 page. As of 8 p.m. this evening, 163 protesters had been processed through the Ramsey County Jail. This includes 73 felony arrests, 42 gross misdemeanors and 48 misdemeanors, according to the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. Arraignments will be held beginning at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Police estimate the crowd at today’s protest rally was between 8,000 and 10,000. Continue Reading

Green hat uprising: National Lawyers Guild tries to halt police raids

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Members of the National Lawyers Guild filed a motion Sunday in Hennepin County District Court to stop what guild attorneys called unconstitutional actions by local police officials. The motion for a temporary restraining order comes after several days of targeted raids by law enforcement officials at locations housing people planning on protesting the Republican National Convention in St Paul. Police have also detained and taken cameras, notebooks and other reporting tools from several citizen journalists who work to document interactions between citizens and police. For a complete list of articles on the RNC, go to our RNC 2008 page. “This has to stop,” said St. Continue Reading

Police presence rattles medical professionals volunteering to help out during RNC.

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A training session for doctors, nurses, and other help professionals came to an abrupt halt Saturday when police entered the building. The Northstar Wellness Collective rented space in a church on the 600 block of Jackson St. in St. Paul to aid protesters and others during the Republican National Convention. For a complete list of articles on the RNC, go to our RNC 2008 page. Continue Reading

Rumors circulating of possible police sweeps in Minneapolis this weekend

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Could a roundup of anti-RNC activists be on tap for this weekend in Minneapolis? Update: Police release confiscated cameras, cell phones, computerAccording to the Star Tribune, three journalists got most of their confiscated property back from police on Wednesday. Police returned confiscated cameras, cell phones and computer, as well as most personal belongings. The Star Tribune quoted Vlad Teichberg, one of the journalists, as saying: “We can actually do our work. In some ways, we are very, very happy.”But it’s not over yet.”Days ahead of the Republican National Convention, members of activist groups are feeling the heat from authorities. Continue Reading

Still praying, still protesting

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Char Madigan will be praying for peace during the RNC this year, a continuation of a career of prayer and protest that goes back more than thirty years. On July 4, 1976 in the Phillips neighborhood, near Portland and Franklin, Char Madigan started her peace activism. Out of her own apartment along with Rita Steinhagen and Laura Geyer, two other sisters of St. Joseph’s of Carondelet, she gave her personal phone number to the police and Chrysalis, a battered women’s shelter, to help anyone in need in her neighborhood … people on the run, new in town, etc. Hope CommunityThis brief history is taken from Hope Community’s Web site.Hope Community began as a place for people to gather in community. Continue Reading

Truth commissions, ‘Poor People’s March’ to shine light on poverty

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On the heels of a statewide bus tour which exposed the reality of Minnesotans living in poverty, the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign will hold truth commissions in Minneapolis leading up to the Republican National Convention.The national coalition of poor people’s organizations, which includes member groups from Minnesota, kicked off its Poverty Bus Tour Aug. 1 in the Twin Cities. Since then, coalition members have stopped in 18 communities from Taconite to Owatonna. In each town, the group has hosted discussions and media events designed to expose the real toll of poverty, including the lack of adequate housing and health care. This week they’ll convene a similar tour of the Twin Cities. Continue Reading