RNC Eight

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 [...]

Supporters of the so-called RNC Eight believe electoral politics is at the center of Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner’s decision to drop terrorism charges against the defendants. But the prosecutor — and gubernatorial hopeful — says she’s simply doing what it takes to obtain convictions in the high-profile cases.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office is preparing to drop terrorism charges against the so-called RNC Eight, according to a source close to discussions about the high-profile prosecutions. The group of activists, who have been accused of a criminal conspiracy to disrupt the Republican National Convention, will still face felony charges of criminal conspiracy to riot and damage property.

The charges that will be brought against the RNC Eight highlight the legal questions surrounding the nature of conspiracy, including a logic that legal experts say draws “perilously close” to prosecuting people for thought crimes.

The Duluth Central Labor Body, which represents roughly 17,000 workers, has unanimously passed a resolution opposing the prosecution of the RNC Eight (pictured). The measure also calls for repeal of the state law under which the defendants have been charged with criminally conspiring to disrupt September’s Republican National Convention (RNC). Describing the prosecutions as “politically [...]