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A bike tour of sites that had been raided by police in the days before the Republican National Convention (RNC) attracted the interest of…police. That’s apparent from a video of the tour, which took place on Saturday.
The video, taken by Twin Cities Indymedia, documents tour stops with cops-on-bikes in tow, a luncheon at a Minneapolis church with a parking lot full of police vehicles, and a musical (but “awkward”) petition-presentation to Ramsey County District Attorney Susan Gaertner with someone the TC Indymedia identifies as a plainclothes officer making his own video recording.
The events were in support of the RNC8, the eight individuals who face felony terrorism conspiracy charges from arrests made at pre-emptive raids before the RNC took place. Friends of the RNC8 are asking Gaertner to drop the charges.
In the video, famed FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley presents Gaertner with an appeal from famed Pentagon whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, among others. Don Olson, a member of the Minnesota 8, a group who vandalized a Vietnam War-era draft office, told Gaertner, “We actually did something, but they didn’t do anything.”
TC Indymedia said 50 riders (not “rioters,” as it sounds like on the video) took part in the Tour de Fletcher, named for Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher, the man behind much of the law enforcement at the RNC.
After estimating the post-luncheon contingent at seven or eight remaining bicycles, a St. Paul police officer is shown issuing a radio message: “They’re not very forthcoming on information so I guess they don’t want to be safe on their bicycle ride.”
Police made one arrest for disorderly conduct, according to the video.
In a letter to Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan, bike-tour participant Nigel Parry wrote:
You are making the Cities a scary place to live. We should be able to go about our Constitutionally-guaranteed business, our political associations, and our vegan potlucks without this kind of—frankly—pervasive and fascist intervention.
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4 Comments »
Comment posted March 30, 2009 @ 6:54 pm
Thank you Minnesota Independent for covering this. (and Star Trib/Pioneer Press wonder why people don’t buy their paper anymore).
This story really sickens me, especially when I see the pictures. The police have NO RIGHT to trail the bike riders, especially the St. Paul police. What the H was the St. Paul cop doing in Minneapolis? They don’t even have the excuse of the Republicans being in town. Do they think because the bike tour was done in the poorer part of down that they can get away with this?
I hope all those on the ride sue the City of Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Police Dept for harassment!
Shame on so called progressive, DFL Mayor Rybak and the City Council members who condone the action of Chief Dolan, and the Minneapolis, and St. Paul Police Dept. They have had 2 days to speak out and they have not done so. They are silent so they are complict with the PD’s actions.
Only Cam Gordon has spoken out about the illegal action of law-enforcement during( and before) the RNC, and even after all the video, testimony and pictures.. Mayor Rybak and City Council, and even the whole DFL party has been silent. But they the can not hide under “special event” excuses this time,, this was just a bike ride on a sunny afternoon, that included friends and family, young and old, and even had lunch at a church. Shame on the Minneapolis PD, St.Paul PD, and City leadership.. and especially on the DFL party for the inaction and silence.. you might as well be Republicans
Comment posted March 30, 2009 @ 7:11 pm
Vegans = terrorists, obvs.
I think if you want to ask serious questions about the health of our democracy, a better story can be found in studying the process and abuse of process in both parties. Talk to the Ron Paul delegates about the MN GOP convention. Talked to the Ron Paul delegates to the RNC. Watch the flow of flow of money, the wining and dining of state delegations, like the Sunlight Foundation did.
If there is no real opening for democratic representation in the major parties, and the big national convention spectacles that rally consensus among the two parties faithful that symbolically represent millions of primary voters are a sham, the arrests of a few bellicose Green Party bloggers threatening to shut the whole thing down is a useful distraction for the real powers that be.
This still isn’t East Timor or Aceh under Suharto. This isn’t Burma in 1988. Maybe the fact that these RNC8 types can’t mobilize a hundred thousand our a million peaceful protesters like some have in these more obviously repressive societies is a sign that there is nothing to protest. Or maybe it is a sign that the ugly spirit has really already triumphed here,
Comment posted March 30, 2009 @ 7:43 pm
Thank you Ann Galloway for speaking the truth. Shame on those who claim the role of leadership and have pledged to defend our Constitution yet are too small to speak out when law enforcement, supposedly also official defenders of the people, are harassing citizens. This reminds me of being in a bullying situation as a youth when I saw those with authority pretend to not see the abusive behavior of certain students who were constantly picking on others. Today we have efforts in schools to stop the bullying. We also need the adults to act maturely. Wake up people, wake up “leaders” be alive, be real, say the truth and defend the Bill of Rights. I am ashamed to know that so many people in positions of authority are too adhered to their own comforts to not defend our Constitution and our Bill of Rights.
Comment posted March 30, 2009 @ 11:05 pm
Our singing wasn’t very good but it wasn’t exactly a crime! So I’m not sure where they got the “reasonable suspicion” that is supposed to be required for police action. That used to be the law anyhow.
We got better by the second song: “This Land is Our Land”. That would be important for everyone to remember.
The “Minnesota 8’s” and our group (of Daniel Ellsberg, Pete Seeger, Ray McGovern, Pat Humphries, Sandy O., Ann Wright, Medea Benjamin, David Rovics and myself) statements on the right to dissent are posted at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/coleen-rowley/minnesota-still-adversely_b_180391.html
Impeccable Liberal cites some places that don’t have that right. Let’s not let that happen here.
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