The Republican National Convention. For many, that week in September brings back memories of the acidic smell of tear gas and pepper spray, police in riot gear on every corner and thousands of protesters in the streets. A two-hour documentary by the Glass Bead Collective and Twin Cities Indymedia features disturbing, never-before-seen footage of the RNC and police actions against protesters in the streets of St. Paul. The entire documentary is available on the Terrorizing Dissent Web site.

A clever trailer puts Sen. John McCain accepting the Republican Party’s nomination in front of images of tear gas and protester arrests.

The documentary features interviews with local activists, lawyers and media personnel who were arrested, including Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman.

From the documentary’s producers: “Featuring first-person accounts and footage from more than forty cameras on the streets, ‘Terrorizing Dissent’ focuses on the story of dissent suppressed. People charged with ‘conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism’ speak out against the government’s campaign to manipulate media coverage and label civil disobedience and community organizing as terrorism.

‘Terrorizing Dissent’ shows the results of the $50 million the Department of Homeland Security gave to local authorities for security — a large chunk of which went to weaponize the police — and the $10 million insurance policy contract between the RNC Host Committee and the City of St. Paul, which shattered Minnesota’s civil compact between protesters and police.”