Police Raid RNC Protest Convergence Center In Premptive Dust Up

Police Raid RNC Protest Convergence Center In Premptive Dust Up

www.nornc.org[/u rl]

Assitant Police Chief Bostrom has talked about the St. Paul Standard, and on the anniversary of last years’ critical mass police riot, we saw its true face. The ramsey county sheriff’s dept and the SPPD raided the RNC convergence space and detained over 50 people in an attempt to preempt planned protests of the rnc on Monday.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
[url=http://twincities.indymedia.org/alltags/rnc]twincities.indymedia.org

With over 50,000 protesters expected it sounds like the Police and powers that be are getting nervous.
They should be.

No Freedom. No Peace!

[url=http://www.nornc.org/2008/08/29/press-statement-from-rnc-welcoming-committee-on-convergence-center-raid-1130pm-friday-august-29/]www.nornc.org[/u rl]
(visit the link for the full news article)

From the Twin Cities Daily Planet:

“They said if you don’t show us ID and get your picture taken, we will arrest you and take you away,” said Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, who had arrived five or ten minutes before the raid began, planning to attend a meeting. “They never said what the basis for arrests would be. We were waiting for a meeting, for God’s sake! I cannot tell you how much like a police state that felt to me.”

Police break down doors in night-time raid on anarchist meeting

Authorities raid, search protesters' hub article on TwinCities.com/PioneerPress


On no no no no... this is not right. Nothing on the local channels yet, just breaking on the internet.






[edit on 30-8-2008 by yankeerose]

I hope these good folk give a small portion of the hell they propagate!

Peering into the future......I see....






[edit on 30-8-2008 by DisabledVet]

I can't get any of the above posted links to work, even via playing the URL's.

Anyone else?

reply to post by AllSeeingI


This is a disgusting abuse of power. Peaceful protests are not subject to raids and detaining and photographing of the members. Didnt China just jail two 70 year old women for applying for a protest permit? China also has designated protesting areas, i hope we dont get to that point.....wait we already have.

Source1

Source 2

Source 3

Source 4

From CNN:

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- Police raided a rental hall used by a group organizing protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday.

The RNC Welcoming Committee, which describes itself as "anarchist/anti-authoritarian," accused St. Paul police of trying to disrupt their protest planned for Monday, the day the GOP convention is set to begin.

While no one was arrested, the group said police temporarily detained and photographed at least 50 people who were inside the building.

St. Paul Police spokesman Tom Walsh said they were executing a search warrant.

"The cause for the search warrant is not public at this time," Walsh said.

www.cnn.com...

For me the line that I put in Bold tells it all. Since when can you execute a search warrant, but not disclose the reason, or for that matter, the search warrant itself? Shouldn't one be able to know what they stand accused of?

Looks like one step closer to complete fascism.

Habeas what?
DocMoreau

Here is "LIVE News From the Streets" from Twin Cities IndyMedia. They get live reports about what is going down right now, an excellent site with many links.

It looks like they are raiding all the "houses" various groups are staying at, they shutting down the houses with fire or safety violations.





[edit on 30-8-2008 by yankeerose]

Yawn...........

For one thing the "Renters" Don't need to see the search warrent. Only the Owner of the building does. (As far as i understand it)

As for them doing what they did..... Well we really are only seeing one side of the story here (The protesters) so everything else is speculation.

TBH.. I don't like it.. But what the hell can anyone do about it? Errr I should say What the hell IS anyone going to do about it?

I doubt many people are going to be willing to do what needs to be done.. Not anymore.. Too many people just don't care anymore.

Its the sad truth.

For those who can not link to the most relevant article I posted earlier, here it is...

Police break down doors in night-time raid on anarchist meeting By Mary Turck , TC Daily Planet August 30, 2008 “I heard somebody saying, ‘They’re coming, they’re coming!’ And feet pounding on the back stairs, pounding on the door saying they had a search warrant. They busted through the door. They’ve got their guns cocked at people.” Sammy Schutz held tightly to five-year-old Gabe, who had been watching a video with his mother and father and about 20 other people when the police stormed into 827 Smith Avenue in St. Paul, ordering everyone down on the floor. “All I could feel was Mama Bear—do whatever you want to do to me, but I need to get my son out safe. He was watching his dad get handcuffed. And he’s saying, ‘Mommy, mommy, why did they crash through the door?’” Gabe’s question remained unanswered. Ramsey County sheriff’s deputies said they were executing a search warrant, but would not show a copy of the warrant to lawyers or reporters. More than a dozen police vehicles , almost all unmarked, and more than 20 sheriff’s deputies and St. Paul police arrived at the building about 9:45 Friday night and were still there at 1 a.m., when I left. After handcuffing the people in the building (occupants said there were about two dozen on the second floor and “about 40 or 50” on the first floor), police processed them one by one. Each person was asked for identification, name and address, and then photographed. People who had been inside the building told similar stories of police entering with guns drawn. They said police rushed past the security desk on the first floor, and used a battering ram to crash through the second floor back door. “They said if you don’t show us ID and get your picture taken, we will arrest you and take you away,” said Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, who had arrived five or ten minutes before the raid began, planning to attend a meeting. “They never said what the basis for arrests would be. We were waiting for a meeting, for God’s sake! I cannot tell you how much like a police state that felt to me.” After each person was released after being photographed, exiting the building and crossing between police cars to a crowd of cheering friends on the sidewalk across from the building. No one was arrested, but sheriff’s deputies remained inside the building. Eventually, a city contractor arrived to board up the building, allegedly for unspecified code violations. St. Paul City Council member Dave Thune said he was trying to find out who ordered the building locked up and on what grounds. “This isn’t the way we do things in St. Paul,” Thune said. “I don’t want the city to get sucked into something that the sheriff’s office is concocting.” Thune said that someone had called in the city contractor and ordered him to secure the building, but this was not done according ot St. Paul city procedures. “Normally,” said Thune, “we only board up buildings that are vacant and ramshackle. The fire inspector has no idea what’s going on. He hadn’t been called. The person who is on 24/7 call was not called. I talked to him trying to find out who did issue that order and why.” The building at 827 Smith Avenue had been rented by the RNC Welcoming Committee as a “convergence space,” open to activists for meetings, eating, and just hanging out. Earlier in the week, a large downstairs room in the former theater held tables of literature and about a dozen computers, set up for free wi-fi access for visitors. Large maps showed downtown St. Paul streets. The kitchen was spotless, with stainless steel refrigerators and a gas range, looking like a commercial kitchen in a church basement. The second floor room, where Sammy and her family were watching a video on consumerism Friday night, had comfortable theater seats and space for meetings. A young man who would not give his name said that many people had asked to see the search warrant. After “what seemed like a long time,” someone was allowed to read the warrant aloud. His recollection, affirmed by at least two others, was that the warrant was very long and listed many items, including soap flakes, X boxes, paint, computer operating support manuals, caltrops, bleach, floppy disks with digital information, Molotov cocktails and many other items. Dave Thune reported that sheriff’s deputies hauled out literature and other items in boxes. Literature available in the Convergence Center earlier in the week included “The Struggle is Our Inheritance: A History of Radical Minnesota,” “Anarchy: A Pamphlet,” “a guide to 2008 antiRNC organizing,” and “Need to Know Basics: Coldsnap Legal Collective’s Minnesota Legal Primer for the RNC.” The activists had studied their legal rights, and said they repeated asked to see the search warrant, said they did not consent to searches, and asked to see their lawyers. At least one person on the second floor managed to dial a number for the National Lawyer’s Guild (NLG) as the police burst through the door. Though NLG lawyers arrived on the scene early, they were not allowed to enter the building and no one in the building was allowed access to lawyers. “Here we are in this country trying to fight terrorism,” said one activist, “and I experience it — a gun in my face!”

www.tcdailyplanet.net...

Well they are anarchists hell bent on destroying society right?

The police are probably being cautious so they can limit the damage, and then chase up on these members, round them all up and put them in prison for causing criminal damage or whatever.

Not a fan of what they are doing, but I can see why they are doing it.

I saw something on CNN about this I think. It said that they had weapons, rocks, metal shields, and buckets of urine (thats actually a rather creative idea). The people said that the urine was from a neighbor whose toilet didn't work

NO! I completely disagree. I'm a democrat, but this goes against the constitution of the USA. In order to have a search warrant, the police must have reasonable cause to suspect criminal activities. While they no doubt probably did, if these people owned the building in question, then they must produce the search warrant. They must clearly state what they are searching for, and where they are searching. PERIOD. Additionally, in my opinion, they should have asked to enter, and only used force after asking failed. Since they failed to do this, they should be responisble for any damage done to the property during the raid. I'm not a fan of anarchist, but we are presumed innocent until found guilty, we are protected against illegal search and seizure, and we have the right to life, liberty and the persuit of happiness. This stinks of violations of all that. While I admire the honest police out there, Someone should have standed up and said, hey, you think we are going overboard? I believe the police just opened themselves up to massive lawsuits. Lawsuits, that should not have happened, and only aid idiots that are bent on havoc.

camain

Apologies for posting a copy of this thread. Didn't notice it.

Anyways. Like I said in my version of this thread...

I work as a security guard. And I find it ironic that the police in Saint Paul can go bust a convention of protesters while the police in my town can't even bust a punk-kid middle-schooler for breaking into 3 cars and stealing stereos/radios in the parking lot of a YMCA I guarded (happened before my shift begun--before I got there), after they knew where he lived. I had an eyewitness chase after the kid on his mustang after catching him in the act. Most likely the old man who let the boy in his house played the "Can't search w/ out a warrant" card. And I guess it worked. (And I live in Texas. So much for "Texas-tough".)

On the other hand. (That I know of) Nobody got hurt in the raid in MN, right?

Or am I wrong?



[edit on 8/31/08 by Marked One]

www.startribune.com...W3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUX


Star Tribune: Police raids enrage activists, alarm others

"Aided by informants planted in protest groups, authorities raided at least six buildings across St. Paul and Minneapolis to stop an "anarchist" plan to disrupt this week's Republican National Convention.

From Friday night through Saturday afternoon, officers surrounded houses, broke down doors, handcuffed scores of people and confiscated suspected tools of civil disobedience."

[edit on (8/31/08) by AllSeeingI]

RawStory: 50,000 expected to protest RNC
"If you thought protests outside 2008's Democratic National Convention were loud and proud, you ain't seen nothing yet. So say organizers preparing for the 2008 Republican"

"We have word that people are coming on busses and carpools, people are flying in from all over the country"

CNN: Police raid headquarters of RNC protesters
"The RNC Welcoming Committee, which describes itself as "anarchist/anti-authoritarian," accused St. Paul police of trying to disrupt their protest planned for Monday, the day the GOP convention is set to begin. Although no one was arrested, the group said police temporarily detained and photographed at least 50 people who were inside the building."

Here are a bunch of videos uploaded by "Veracifier" on youtube, courtesy of theuptake.org; titles and videos as uploaded:


Police Raid Houses Connected With Planned RNC Protests


National Lawyers Guild: Police Raid "Preventive Detention"


Police Detain Journalists


RNC Eve: Let the Raids Begin!


A trio of journalists who have a track record of documenting police abuse at political conventions were stopped and searched during the early morning hours in Minneapolis. Police took their video equipment, cell phones, hard drive and notes about protests planned for next week's Republican National Convention.

No charges have been filed against the three, according to Mineapolis police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer.

Video by Ken Avidor


There are more. You can see them all by going to
www.youtube.com...
www.theuptake.org...

Police Raid 'Food-Not-Bombs' Protest Group In Search Of "Bomb-Making" Materials.

i don't know why so many people are shocked. we live in a police state, if we didn't, this would not be happening. get use to it. either stay in your houses or if you plan on protesting there will be police raids in your house and confiscation of your computers and papers. it's pretty simple really, this has been going on for a while and its not going to stop. and if you don't like it, move to a free country.