Police searches turn up weapons and devices to disrupt traffic

I don't see one thing that the police seized that is illegal to have in one's home. I hope the Twin Cities has a dep pockets cause by the time the Courts get thru with them this will cost Millions in Civil Rights fines and damages. It's this type of heavy-handed behavior that caused the last big riots at a Convention. This is the Police stirring the pot and hoping for some action. They keep this up, they will only make things worse. Next thing you know they will send these folks to Gitmo using the so-called Patriot Acts.
Bush will be gone in 5 months but he is leaving behind a Police State as his legacy.

I think I have much similar stuff here at my place. Well, no kryptonite locks nor is there a gas mask…But, hey, I might be a dangerous radical, too! Good thing I don't live near the twisted cities.

Perhaps my house is not as well stocked as the previous two writers, but I normally don't just keep gallons of urine lying around for that “just in case” moment…. And although some may beg to differ, the use of homemade caltrops is not a protected Constitutional right. I do not support the RNC in Saint Paul, but also do not support people, many whom are outsiders, who intend to wreak havoc on Saint Paul by dousing it in their own urine.

shut up, you idiot. that was not urine, it was part of a permaculture program.

I don't care if the house had 500 gallons of urine! How in the heck could you tolerate such stupid vulgar behaviour from your own government! For your information homemade caltrops are protected by the constitution! Using your twisted logic I know I am certain I could probably go through your house right now and assemble probably a hundred items that could be labled as possible bomb making or weapons making material! Gee, I guess now whenever you flush your toilet I should send the SWAT team out to your house because you could be thinking of making stink and poop bombs! Christ give me a break!

What is it with people like you who find all sorts of twisted logic to justify this type of behaviour from our government? I do not think you would find this so acceptable if a SWAT team came busting into your house with assault weapons drawn, throwing you and your family to the ground, tying up your wife, your sister, hell maybe even your kids, taking all sorts of household and valuable items from your house, impounding your car and then to top it off, locking your sorry scared butt in jail for 36hours! I'm certain you would be singing a whole different tune under those circumstances. The last time I looked we were supposed to be living in a free country with a Constitution that is supposed to protect you from “unwarranted search and siezure”, “due process of law”, you know the kind of stupid stuff our founding fathers fought for us to have!

Whether you support the RNC is not your call, we have a right to freely assemble, protest, do all sorts of things that would iritate others, it's what a free country is all about. I was born in an eastern block country controlled by Communists, we came to the US in 1959 from a country that tolerated this and even worse from the government, I grew up in the US joined the service and fought in Vietnam. I have seen many examples of governments gone amuk and I tell you it always starts out like this when the people slowly lets their govrnment eat away at their civil liberties. Believe me it can happen very quickly and before you know it your house will be getting the pounding at the door in the middle of the night and when that happens it will be too late to say to yourself “if only I had said or done something sooner”…

Perhaps me drawing attention to the fact some deemed the confiscated goods “normal” touched a bit of a nerve with you folks. The fact I read the Minnesota Independent should offer another insight into my frame of mind, though I may have “twisted logic.” In my post, I never questioned people's right to assemble and protest or the legality of the police searches. I find it fascinating though that a five-line post could garner such a complete and extensive rebuttal and that I somehow morphed into a card-carrying member of the thought police. And I do believe that my support (or lack thereof, as mentioned in my previous post) is entirely my call. For your information, I will be marching in the peace demonstrations against the War, against the suppression of homosexuals, against the Republican Party machine. I just do not feel the need to throw around urine and disable buses to make my voice heard. Oh, excuse me, throw around “part of a permaculture program.”

I apologize if I sounded rude. I certainly applaud you if you are indeed being honest about attending PEACEFUL demonstrations. I only wish there were more of us who are motivated enough to actually get out and make our voices heard. My rant was't meant at all to be a personal attack. My response was motivated from what appears to me as “blanket acceptance” of the “official” story promulgated by the police. We should always keep in the back of our minds that misinformation is a tried and true tactic for controlling and misleading the public to accept policies that normally would never be tolerated by the public.

That said I would like to note that the persons responsible for this travisty of justice are not at all above lying to the public. This “police state” action was obviously intended to intimidate and to send a clear message to those who plan on demonstrating at the conventioin.

The charges laid against these activists seem to be typical of charges laid against demonstrators who encourage seriously disruptive acts (aka: riots). But not one charge laid appears to be related to use of weapons or intent to use weapons (which are serious felonies). See the original story:
http://www.twincities.com/ci_10339642?source=email

That leaves me to wonder if the reporter made a mistake. Is the list of stuff claimed to have been found actually (and only) the list of stuff police were looking for and had listed in their warrant. I ask because I can find no mention of police finding anything even close to such a long and odd list of things, except in these two stories. And I'm really trying to look hard.

I suspect this is just sloppy reporting, and a retraction is required.

Raids were inexcusable.
Can someone please explain to me the presence of buckets of urine, and 'homemade cltrops.
What is a homemade caltrop
where were these items found? in a hom? office? car?
thanks

Based upon the kryptonite, it seems like someone with superpowers may be among the outside agitators infilltrating the twin cities.

as for the stuff in that list -
except for the calitrops ( and I won't believe that till I see a picture of them at the scene )
and the gas mask and filter ( except I do have a dust mask and filter that would probably work, except for the eyes)
I have all that stuff in my house and I live up here on Vancouver Island - A long way from these conventions…

gragor

I have homemade caltrops too.

They are called forks. OH NO

i hate to burst everyones bubble but this particular raid is just one of many types of “test” scenarios for the government control over the local law enforcement and dealing with the public reaction to these no knock warrants. what they did in the twin cities was served no knock warrants first then while securing the premisis they detain everyone there and call in for a warrant to search for specified items. this can happen to any american citizen in any state at any time. they usually do it in the am so they dont have to get special approval for early morning raids (i.e.12:00 am to dusk ) and have to wake a judge for a signature unless they have hard evidence. other “tests” were hurricane katrina when officers from other states were brought in for support and they broke down doors in louisiana and started grabbing citizens firearms violating the second amendment rights of those local residents. i can go on and on people with all the instances that have happened since 9/11 to the present. i suggest all of you take a long hard look at what our government has done from then til now and how they have slowly disabled our constitutional rights by passing both patriot acts, eliminating posse cometatas in which they are now bringing home from iraq a special unit for crowd control and possible chemical,biological and small nuclear device attacks. why? are they trying to tell us that these attacks are next to come? dont be surprised if there is no election this year, they have already mentioned a postponement due to the financial crisis. wake up people its already here just be ready for it.

your sheepdog

captainah