Mick Kelly

Let the litigation begin. Eight lawsuits have been filed in U.S. District Court claiming civil rights abuses by police officers during events surrounding the Republican National Convention in September. The civil suits accuse officers of physical and sexual abuse, illegal searches and seizure of property, and wrongful detainment. Says one of the lawyers handling the cases, “This is just the beginning.”

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.