St. Paul Police Chief: ‘It’s game day, finally’

St. Paul Police Chief says the cops are ready to roll for day one of the Republican National Convention. “It’s game day, finally,” said Harrington at a press conference this morning in downtown St. Paul. “This has been a lot like the world’s biggest wedding. Yesterday we were still doing wedding rehearsal. … We’re now right up to the day and we are ready.”

Iraq Veterans Against the War marched from the Capitol to the Xcel Energy Center this morning and one person was arrested. “He volunteered that he wanted, as part of his protest, to be arrested and we accomodated him,” Harrington said. What’s expected to be the biggest march of the RNC, sponsored by the Coalition to Stop the War and March on the RNC, is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at the Capitol.

Mayor Chris Coleman said that there are no plans for mass arrests. “If you’re here to protest peacefully you are welcome in the City of St. Paul,” he said at the press conference. “If you’re here to create civil disturbance, if you’re here to try to shut down the convention , if you’re here to engage in criminal activity, that will not be tolerated and we will deal with that.”