Archive | Government RSS feed for this section

Unpermitted Dissent in the Streets of St. Paul

Published on September 1, 2008 in Government, Police

Decentralized, unpermitted protests took place throughout the streets of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota on September 1st to mark the start of the Republican National Convention (RNC). Following the permitted demonstration organized by The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, various items were pulled into the streets, some corporations had their windows broken, and people danced without permission. There were mass arrests by the police who deployed a wide range of weaponry, including concussion grenades, tear gas, pepper spray, batons, charging horses and hard rubber bullets. Read More and View Photos | More Photos

photo gallery >>

Permitted Dissent in the Streets of St. Paul

Published on September 1, 2008 in Government, Police

On September 1st, over ten thousand people marched in the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota to protest the Republican National Convention while demanding peace, justice and equality. The permitted demonstration, with over two years of planning, was organized by The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War. The Coalition is made up of more than 130 organizations, including anti-war coalitions in the U.S, immigrant rights organizations, trade unions, low income and community groups. Read More and View Photos | More Photos

photo gallery >>

Three People Quickly Arrested in the Fourth Sector of St. Paul

Published on September 1, 2008 in Government, Police

Shortly after 11:00am on September 1st, three people were arrested in the streets of St. Paul near Seventh and Goodrich. This portion of town has been dubbed “Sector 4″ by groups protesting in the streets on this first day of the Republican National Convention.

A group of people were followed by St. Paul police in their car. Some people in the group began to push garbage cans down a residential street. More police quickly arrived on the scene, jumped out of a black tactical van, pepper sprayed the group and then tackled three people. Three people in the group were handcuffed, searched and taken away in the back of police cars. Read More and View Photos

photo gallery >>

Labor Organizing and Independent Media are Not Crimes

Published on August 31, 2008 in Government, Labor, Media, Police

On August 31st, members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) were accompanying their fellow worker, Erik Forman, to his first day back on the job at Starbucks in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Erik was recently fired for labor organizing, although that was not the official explanation given by Starbucks.

Police from Plymouth, a town outside of Bloomington, prevented Erik’s supporters from getting off the light-rail and entering the mall. Erik was eventually allowed into the mall so he could get to work, although he was late as a result of all the police harassment and misinformation.

My friend David and I caught up with the group of people that were turned away from the mall. David recorded a video interview with Jake Bell about the day’s events and the future plans of the Twin Cities branch of the IWW. A Metro Transit Police officer drove past us in an SUV. The interview was finished and as we were walking away, the police officer turned around and drove to the spot where the interview was conducted. At that point the officer appeared to be looking for an unattended item that may have been left behind. No such items were found, but the police officer decided to follow us for about two miles.

Neither labor organizing nor independent media are against the law, but both activities are being repressed in the Twin Cities, and elsewhere. Read More and View Photos

photo gallery >>

Veterans for Peace Lead Funeral March in St. Paul

Published on August 31, 2008 in Counter Recruitment, Government

On August 31st, the day before the Republican National Convention (RNC), Veterans for Peace held a rally in front of the state capitol building in St. Paul, Minnesota followed by a solemn march. Families of US soldiers and other marchers carried tombstones with the names of dead US soldiers. Meanwhile, the names of murdered Iraqis were read out loud and people responded, “We Remember.”

Towards the end of the march, organizers gave people the option of continuing along the police approved route or to engage in civil disobedience by towards a caged off area. A handful of people, including two women in their 70s, either rolled under or walked around the police fence and were eventually arrested. Read More and View Photos

photo gallery >>