Republican National Convention

Brandon Darby, a Texas activist who it turns out was working for the FBI as an informant from within groups that protested the 2008 Republican National Convention, pleads his case in the Pioneer Press today and in a statement he released earlier this week. He is “CHS1″ (Confidential Human Source 1) in an FBI affidavit [...]

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.

St. Paul City Council member Dave Thune has long provoked passionate responses from both his admirers and detractors. He drew the ire of bar owners by championing a smoking ban (despite his own long-standing nicotine jones) and initially opposed expanding liquor-license hours during the Republican National Convention for fear of puking GOP lobbyists. So it’s no surprise that some residents might be interested in booting the liberal Democrat from office.

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 [...]

The Republican National Convention. For many, that week in September brings back memories of the acidic smell of tear gas and pepper spray, police in riot gear on every corner and thousands of protesters in the streets. A two hour documentary by the Glass Bead Collective and Twin Cities Indymedia, features disturbing, never-before-seen footage of the RNC and police actions against protesters in the streets of St. Paul. The entire documentary is available on the Terrorizing Dissent website.

A clever trailer puts Sen. John McCain accepting the Republican party nomination in front of images of tear gas and protester arrests.

Stanley and Karen Hubbard are in a league of their own when it comes to political contributions. In the first 18 months of this election cycle the couple doled out $163,500 to federal political candidates and causes — $40,000 more than the next most generous Minnesota household. Republicans have largely been the beneficiaries of their largesse, with more than 80 percent of that money ending up in GOP coffers.

Who occupies the other nine slots in Minnesota’s Top 10 political donors? Click inside to see.

Last night KSTP-TV (Channel 5) breathlessly reported that St. Paul City Council member Dave Thune sent a profane email to a constituent. Mike Costello, owner of Costello’s Bar & Grill, had fired off a note to Thune expressing disgust that the elected official had dared to participate in protests during last week’s Republican National Convention [...]

Over at Salon, Avi Steinberg has written a highly entertaining account of his time patrolling the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis, headquarters of the Republican National Convention, for a (unnamed) private security firm. He explores the perils of tight pants and Sarah Palin, the noshing habits of secret service officers and the unexpected joys of chanting “Rudy! [...]

Paul Schmelzer has compiled a remarkable set of Flickr photo essays culled from the pictures taken this week by MnIndy reporters and photographers who were covering the convention in the streets outside Xcel Energy Center.
We hope you’ll take a few moments to go through them. Thanks for your tips, comments and feedback through the week. [...]

Here’s a collection of some of the more striking people shots taken by MnIndy reporters and photographers during this week’s Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
Editor’s note: The best way to view this slideshow is to 1) click to start it; 2) hover your cursor over the image until the toolbar appears; 3) [...]