busts in MN already
Aug 31 2008 19:45
Quote:
Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets. Last night, members of the St. Paul police department and the Ramsey County sheriff's department handcuffed, photographed and detained dozens of people meeting at a public venue to plan a demonstration, charging them with no crime other than "fire code violations"...
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/30/police_raids/index.html
Sep 1 2008 22:09
#2
are criminal anarchists different from liberal shaggy-headed anarchists?
Quote:
Thousands of anti-war protesters marched on the site of the Republican convention in St Paul Monday, in an effort to force John McCain and the Republican party to confront lingering popular opposition to the US engagement in Iraq.The protesters were a diverse coalition of veterans of wars in Iraq and Vietnam, pink-clad feminists, shaggy-headed anarchists, a group of "grandmothers against the war," and more than 130 other liberal groups.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/01/uselections2008.republicans2008
Sep 2 2008 12:52
#3
from Anarchist Black Cross:
Scores arrested at Republican Convention as anti-war protest turns violent
Sep 2 2008 14:28
#4
Quote:
As of 10:30pm today, the arrest tally from Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office was: 284 total; 130 felonies; 51 gross misdemeanors; 103 misdemeanors. The jail is seemingly severely backed up and not everyone has been booked or processed, so these numbers clearly don’t represent the total arrestee count for the day. These numbers also do not necessarily include the numbers of arrestees whose identifications have not been verified.
http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/sep/please-support-rnc-arrestees
Sep 2 2008 14:46
#5
Isn't the story with these things (and similar to the RNC New York) that there are huge amounts of arrests, mainly to clear the streets and that the actual conviction rate is less than 10%?
Sep 2 2008 16:57
#6
That's usually the case, true, however i can't think of any recent cases with that many felony busts. I imagine most of them will be reduced or dropped but still it's not good.
Sep 2 2008 23:53
#8
David in Atlanta wrote:
...I imagine most of them will be reduced or dropped but still it's not good.
No, it's not. It's a way of harassing people and discouraging others from joining in to protest. It keeps people tied up with the law and gives them a record, so that next time (if they're willing to take the risk) the penalties will be harder.
Sep 3 2008 01:23
#9
Sep 3 2008 21:14
#10
A truly surreal image!
Sep 3 2008 22:12
#11
Felony charges have huge repurcussions in the states, in terms of future job prospects, travel, etc., yeah?
And then obviously, " It's a way of harassing people and discouraging others from joining in to protest. It keeps people tied up with the law and gives them a record, so that next time (if they're willing to take the risk) the penalties will be harder."
Sep 3 2008 22:33
#12
that's an amazing pic david.
shorty wrote:
Felony charges have huge repurcussions in the states, in terms of future job prospects, travel, etc., yeah?
oh yeah.
Quote:
In the United States felons often face additional consequences, such as the loss of voting rights in many states; exclusion from certain lines of work and difficulty in finding a job in others; prohibition from obtaining certain licenses; exclusion from purchase and possession of firearms, ammunition and body armour; and ineligibility to run for or be elected to public office. In addition, some states consider a felony conviction to be grounds for an uncontested divorce. These, among other losses of privileges not included explicitly in sentencing, are known as collateral consequences of criminal charges. Finally if a felon is not a U.S. citizen, that person may be subject to deportation after sentencing is complete.
Sep 3 2008 22:40
#13
Shorty wrote:
Felony charges have huge repurcussions in the states, in terms of future job prospects, travel, etc., yeah?
A felony conviction pretty well screws up your life.
See Collateral Consequences
Sep 6 2008 09:32
#14
RNC Welcoming Committee Unmasked Press Conference, 9/4/08: video
Part1: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/05/18533336.php
Part2: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/05/18533347.php
Part 3: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/05/18533352.php
Picture links:
Poor People's March:
Part 1: Rally, Repression, Resistance
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2008/09/99688.html
Part 2: Marching on the XCel Center
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2008/09/99712.html
From Labor Blockades:
Part 1: Rally & Breakaway.
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2008/09/99581.html
Part 2: RNC Blockaded.
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2008/09/99603.html
Part 3: Battle for the Streets.
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2008/09/99625.html
The cops targeted a couple of anarchist outfits, Food Not Bombs and Communities United Against Police Brutality. Excerpt from Democracy Now!:
"Armed groups of police in the Twin Cities have raided more than a half-a-dozen locations since Friday night in a series of preemptive raids before the Republican convention. The coordinated searches were led by Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher but conducted in coordination with federal agencies.
"Five Minnesotan activists are still detained on probable cause holds, which means they can be held for thirty-six hours without charge, excluding weekends and public holidays. According to this timeline, they won’t be released before Wednesday. The sheriff called them 'criminal anarchists who are intent on committing criminal acts before and during the Republican National Convention.'
"The raids and detentions have targeted activists planning to protest the Republican National Convention, as well as journalists and videographers documenting police actions at protests. Groups directly affected by the raids include Food Not Bombs, the RNC Welcoming Committee, I-Witness Video and Communities United Against Police Brutality."