Subscribe to our RSS feed
Follow us on Twitter
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner was in Chicago Friday to receive the “Norman Maleng Minister of Justice Award” from the American Bar Association. The ABA cited Gaertner’s use of DNA evidence to review old cases and efforts to combat domestic violence in bestowing the honor. But not everyone on hand was there to celebrate Gaertner’s accomplishments as a prosecutor.
A group of activists and lawyers showed up to protest the Ramsey County Attorney’s handling of the so-called RNC Eight prosecutions. The protesters carried signs that read “Hands off the RNC8″ and “Justice Means Drop the Charges on the RNC8,” and handed out literature to passersby.
The eight activists were arrested for plotting to reap chaos during the Republican National Convention last September. They were initially charged with conspiracy to commit riot in the second degree in furtherance of terrorism and conspiracy to commit criminal damage to property in furtherance of terrorism. But the more incendiary terrorism charges were dropped in April. The eight defendants still face up to five years in prison if convicted.
Gaertner is seeking the DFL endorsement for the 2010 governor’s race. But her handling of the RNC Eight cases has raised the hackles of some party activists.
Chicago Indymedia was on hand at Friday’s protest and shot this video:
Leave a comment
Become a fan on Facebook
1 Comment »
Comment posted August 6, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
I really want to thank you guys at MN Independent for your coverage of the RNC, both then and now. The mainstream media, of course, covers none of this. When there are pro-democracy comments to stories in the legacy press, the right-wingers respond with catcalls that we should all “get over it” or “get a life.” Loss of freedom to an American, however, is not trivial. Too many people have suffered and even died to give in so quickly. The crass intimidation of legal protest by the storm troopers was not Gaertner’s fault, but the perverted use of the legal system to enforce tyranny is. Why does she continue prosecution of baseless cases on the basis of Bob Fletcher’s imagining only? Why doesn’t she use some of the 6,000 plus hours of videotape to ferret out the crimes of the police themselves, like illegal mass arrests, like pepper spraying of those following police orders or of those already handcuffed and subdued? Why doesn’t she prosecute illegal searches, illegal confiscation of goods or even illegally covering the badges and ID with those storm trooper outfits? Gaertner is not acting as the people’s lawyer. She is acting as a tool of oppression, and she deserves not one democratic vote.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Leave a comment