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Photo: Chris Steller
Gov. Pawlenty isn’t the only one feeling a chill at the one-year anniversary of events around the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul. The RNC cast a few odd shadows at a forum for candidates seeking to replace Pawlenty in Minneapolis this morning.
First there was the little clutch of protesters huddling in the rain under an awning outside Mercado Central, where Minneapolis City Council Member Gary Schiff (Ward 9) hosted seven DFL candidates or could-be candidates at his regular “Breakfast with Gary” meeting.
A big banner reading “Dissent is not a crime/RNC8″ was hoisted merely on word that Ramsey County Attorney (and DFL gubernatorial candidate) Susan Gaertner had been invited to the event. (Protesters angered by her prosecution of RNC protesters have dogged her at public appearances as far away as Chicago.)
She didn’t show, but they stayed anyway. Were they transferring their protest to St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman? Not really, said one, even though he’s not their “best bud.”
As the event wound down, Schiff read the last submitted question and called for final statements from Coleman and the other gubernatorial aspirants: Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, state Sen. John Marty, state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, state Sen. Tom Bakk, and former state Rep. Matt Entenza.
That brought howls of protest from Ward 12 Minneapolis City Council candidate Charley Underwood and Michelle Gross, a founder of Communities United Against Police Brutality, that no questions about law enforcement had been allowed. “Please respect the process,” Schiff repeated into the microphone.
Last, in his closing remarks, Coleman compared himself favorably with the previous administration in St. Paul with words that seemed to conjure up (unintentionally) images of the days during the RNC when much of Coleman’s city was fenced off to his own constituents:
My predecessor put tens of thousands of dollars of security equipment to lock the community out of his office.
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5 Comments »
Comment posted August 28, 2009 @ 5:27 pm
Coleman hid his head and allowed the sheriff and all the interlopers (FBI, HSS, Secret Service, CIA) plus a Coast Guard gunboat and a spook helicopter gunship without cause, turn St. Paul into a barricaded city. For shame Chris, get out of the governor’s race before you are booted out. Susan is a disgrace to the legal profession. No regard for the US Constitution, her lips firmly on the sheriff’s backside as she prosecutes people falsely arrested, their property stolen just because some cop thinks they might say something to irritate the Republicans. She claims the Nuremberg defense – they made me do it. Not a single prosecution of dozens of very well documented cases of police brutality. Susan, cowardice and lack of judgment are not qualifications to be governor of Minnesota. Quit before you are completely shamed.
Comment posted August 29, 2009 @ 1:18 am
Thank you for covering this. Let me tell you about Mr. Schiff’s “process.” People were graciously allowed to submit questions on index cards, which Mr. Schiff then screened to decide which ones would be safe enough to be presented to the candidates. The few topics allowed were designed to elicit “me, too” responses from the candidates–one literally could not discern a scintilla of difference between them. As for Mr. Schiff’s assertion that I didn’t follow the process–that’s just plain false. I submitted a well-worded question on the index card provided. He did all he could to avoid having to ask it. The event lacked even the smallest hint of democracy and smacked of scripting and stacking by the DFL.
Some candidate forum, indeed. Are the candidates so afraid of the real issues and their own constituents that they have to tightly script these phony events?
We have at least three active FBI investigations of police departments in Minnesota. This is in the aftermath of grotesque police brutality against protesters and others during the RNC. It’s not like these things are a secret but perhaps asking our gubernatorial candidates about them is just too impolite.
Comment posted August 29, 2009 @ 6:57 pm
Dissent is not, in truth, a crime. Minnesota & the U.S.A. look more and more like Kirk Anderson’s *Amnesia* in his superb *Banana Republic* book. Gaertner needs to drop the charges against the Eight, the legislature needs to repeal the Minnesota version of the Patriot Act. Oh, and the intrusive, Peeping Tom “security” cameras that were installed for the RNC need to be removed. I remember that “Rita”, in Kirk Anderson’s *Banana Republic,* holds up a sign in front of a camera saying “Stop Spying On Me!” Really. Are we trying to emulate North Korea? Let’s return Minnesota to the pleasant place that it was when I moved here in the early 70’s.
Comment posted August 30, 2009 @ 11:09 am
Call in on September 1st to ask that Susan Gaertner end this nonsense and stop sabotaging her own campaign:
County Attorney’s Office: 651-266-3222 | Fax: 651-266-3010 | RCA@co.ramsey.mn.us
Campaign Office: 651-645-2010 | info@susangaertner.com
You can also send questions to theuptake.org for her debate at the state fair on Tuesday!
More info: http://rnc8.org/2009/08/susangaertner-call-in-state-fair/
Comment posted September 4, 2009 @ 9:13 pm
Hey Michelle Gross
Did anyone ask Mayor RT “Teargas” Rybak or indeed Councilman Gary Shciff about their support of the “Free Speech Committee” (which had no public voice allowed) about his/their support of Minneapolis resolution 2008R-248, which gave the police authority to use tear gas, rubber and plastic bullets, mace etc during the RNC?
Or did their pre screened “process” not allow that?
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