John Choi

There is a grassroots effort underway to draft Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher to run for governor. The campaign has set up Facebook and Twitter accounts to generate momentum for a gubernatorial bid. There’s also an online petition that Fletcher supporters can sign.
The “Draft Bob Fletcher for MN Governor in 2010″ Facebook page currently has [...]

There are a thousand stories in Minnesota’s 850 cities — and in most of them, it seems, City Hall is laying someone off. Winona is cutting its library director along with the school liaison officer and 10 others. Fergus Falls is firing Ranger, the police dog. Austin already cut its crossing guards but now is hiring them [...]

After three years as St. Paul city attorney, John Choi is seeking a promotion. Flanked by Mayor Chris Coleman and a cast of other high-profile officials, he announced today he’s running for Ramsey County Attorney.

A year ago the Republican National Convention opened at the Xcel Energy Center. The St. Paul Police Department pledged that protesters and Republican delegates alike would be welcome on the city’s streets. The reality was that roughly 800 people were arrested, primarily in mass sweeps. The contentious four-day gathering continues to play out in the state’s courts through both criminal cases and civil lawsuits.

At last month’s Duluth Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party convention, party activists passed a resolution, with just one dissenting vote, calling on Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner (pictured) to drop all charges against the so-called RNC Eight. The resolution is the latest proof that the controversial, high-profile prosecutions are having a damaging effect on Gaertner’s attempt to secure [...]

The St. Paul city attorney’s office is not faring too well in prosecutions stemming from the Republican National Convention in September. Of 672 initial cases turned over for potential misdemeanor prosecution, roughly 85 percent have been dropped due to insufficient evidence. And none of the few cases that have made it to court have resulted in a conviction.

Charges will not be filed against 323 people who were arrested on the Marion Street and Cedar Street bridges during the fourth day of the Republican National Convention, the St. Paul city attorney’s office announced today. Local civil rights activists say the failure to press charges is the latest evidence that many RNC arrests were frivolous.

The St. Paul City Attorney’s office has so far reviewed 241 potential criminal cases stemming from activities during the Republican National Convention. Nearly half of the reviews didn’t result in charges being filed owing to a lack of sufficient evidence. Of the remaining incidents, 48 have been resolved by either a guilty plea or payment of a fine, while 81 have been formally charged and are headed towards trial.

The Free Paul Demko Movement can now disband. The St. Paul City Attorney’s office has dropped a misdemeanor citation for unlawful assembly that I received while covering protests during the Republican National Convention.
A letter from City Attorney John Choi laying out the decision to dismiss the charge arrived in my mailbox today. It cites as [...]

With several members of the RNC8 — the people charged with felonies in conjunction with planned protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul last month — heading to court today for hearings in their cases, the Friends of the RNC8 are asking supporters to phone three local officials today to urge that charges [...]