a KBOO Community Radio volunteer
Portland, OR

Dear Mayor Coleman:

I am the St Paul Public Schools librarian who hosted you in the Mississippi Creative Arts Magnet library in May 2006, for the St Paul Reads “Esperanza Rising” art exhibit by 4th grade Mississippi students.

My father and his siblings all graduated from Central High School, and his family grew up on Selby Avenue. My daughter graduated from Central High School and was an anti-war activist at Central. Her first job was working as a youth organizer at Resource Center of the Americas. I understand your children also attend Central.

So, how would you have liked it if they had been present at a political action organizing office working on RNC related protest activities, and the authorities storm trooped their way into YOUR attic?

As a very long term political supporter of you and your administration, I am deeply shocked and disturbed by the raids today at 949/951 Iglehart, where personal friends of mine live who were hosting out of town independent media activists here for the RNC, and at the Convergence Center on Smith Avenue, in my West Side neighborhood.

I noted that not only did Dave Thune, St Paul City Council member come to the rescue of the Convergence Center, but that many reputable progressive groups like the Minnesota National Lawyers Guild came out quickly to condemn these anti-American actions by federal and local law enforcement authorities to suppress constitutionally protected political dissent here in St Paul and Minneapolis.

There is no excuse for your silence.

Unless you do something IMMEDIATELY to publicly denounce and do everything in your power to stop these fascist, jack boot tactics, I will do everything in my power to defeat you in the next election.

Janet Ryan
St Paul Public Schools Librarian
Member, St. Paul Federation of Teachers
Member, Education Minnesota