Indy TV#15: Critical Resistance and the Prison Abolition Mov't
This week, Rochester Indymedia Interviews two organizers Helia Rasti and Jonathan Strebling-Uss, both with Critical Resistance, a movement to abolish the prison industrial complex. Thousands will gather in Oakland California this weekend to celebrate ten years of Critical Resistance and stategize for a future a without prisons. The conference will be broadcast live on thousandkites.org and check out the new CR10 website. http://www.criticalresistance.org/
From Denver to St. Paul: From One Twilight Zone to Another
DENVER, August 28 – Welcome to the twilight zone where clouds part, weapons are put away, anarchists weep with joy over electoral politics, Ron Kovic pushes away a Code Pink woman during a photo shoot with riot cops because the shoot “was just for service people—people who've served our country,†riot cops taking group photo shoots of each other, demonstrators congratulating police for their “professionalism†and, amidst the heavenly light, Jesus(!)—no, wait—it's IVAW negotiating with Denver's “finest†in order to deliver a note to the Democrats! For the record, I've decided to eat meat and renounce veganism, vote Democrat, wave American flags, and buy a hummer.
Read the full article by clicking here.
RNC: Unconstitutional Repression EXPOSED
Come view new video footage from the streets of the Twin Cities – proof positive of our nation's most recent and brutal repression of activists and journalists alike. We will be joined by members of our community, recently returned from the RNC, eager to reflect on their experiences and share their stories with you! Please come and give them the audience they deserve! An open discussion will follow.
Wednesday, Sept. 10 • 7 p.m.
St. Joseph's House of Hospitality
(402 South Ave., Rochester)
Food Not Bombs to offer a meal
*Suggested donation: $10 (or what you can) for legal defense fund
Sponsors: Declaration of Peace, Food Not Bombs, Rochester IndyMedia, Rochester Against War
*Unable to attend but want to contribute?
Send your checks to:
Minnesota Chapter, National Lawyers Guild
3547 Cedar Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55407
OR
Coldsnap Legal Collective
c/o Berglund & Magnuson, PLLC
1595 Selby Ave. (Suite 102)
St. Paul, MN 55104
RNC 8 Charged as Terrorists Under State Patriot Act
In what appears to be the first use of criminal charges under the 2002 Minnesota version of the Federal Patriot Act, Ramsey County Prosecutors have formally charged 8 alleged leaders of the RNC Welcoming Committee with Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism. Monica Bicking, Eryn Trimmer, Luce Guillen Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Robert Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald, and Max Spector, face up to 7 1/2 years in prison under the terrorism enhancement charge which allows for a 50% increase in the maximum penalty.
Affidavits released by law enforcement which were filed in support of the search warrants used in raids over the weekend, and used to support probable cause for the arrest warrants, are based on paid, confidential informants who infiltrated the RNCWC on behalf of law enforcement. They allege that members of the group sought to kidnap delegates to the RNC, assault police officers with firebombs and explosives, and sabotage airports in St. Paul. Evidence released to date does not corroborate these allegations with physical evidence or provide any other evidence for these allegations than the claims of the informants. Based on past abuses of such informants by law enforcement, the National Lawyers Guild is concerned that such police informants have incentives to lie and exaggerate threats of violence and to also act as provocateurs in raising and urging support for acts of violence.
Video: Lawyers' Conference Interrupted by Riot Police | Detainee alleges torture in Ramsey County jail | RNC Welcoming Committee Unmasked Press Conference, 9/4/08
Additional Information: I-Witness Video: 2008 Republican National Convention Round-Up | RNC-WC: PostRNC and beyond, Staying plugged in: a mini-update | Use of Force Against RNC Protesters “Disproportionate,†Charges Amnesty International | Rights of Journalists on Public Streets | Call to Support RNC Arrestees | Donate to Legal Defense at www.nornc.org
Unprovoked police action at the RNC
I am out in St. Paul, MN at the RNC. Yesterday at the Poor People March, I was standing watching some Mexican Indigenous dancers when a rush of about a dozen police in riot gear take down a woman standing five feet away from me. There was nothing she was doing and the event as a whole was peaceful until the police arrived.
After taking her down violently, they proceeded to handcuff her and take her out to the road surrounded by riot police. The woman who I later found out was Wendy Binion from Portland Indy Media was repeatedly stating "I'm not resisting, I'm not resisting".
Additional Information: Interview with Wendy Binion, Portland Indymedia, 9/5/08
Video: Final Dispatch from the RNC: It's the End of the World as We Know It and I Feel Fine
A letter home from the RNC
August 30, 31, and September 1 — Hey there awesome folks in my hometown whom I miss very, very much!
Writing to you from an undisclosed cubby in St. Paul at 3:30am on Monday, September 1st. It's been a really intense day and an equally intense week leading up to our trip to the RNC. At the DNC we saw police brutality up close; demonstrators were tear gassed, pepper-sprayed, beat-up, rubber-bulleted, preemptively arrested, detained, intimidated, harassed, heckled, and controlled. While there were a few demonstrators snatched up by police and a couple raids—with over 100 arrests at the Monday anti-capitalist demonstration—it didn't prepare me for pre-RNC police bullshit where after getting in around 4am, I was awakened at 8:00am to the news that 3 houses were being simultaneously raided and cameras were needed at those sites ASAP.
Additional Information: Violence and cruel treatment directed at protesters by police; Journalists targeted for arrest, harassment, intimidation and surveillance
Pre-emptive Media Repression In Twin Cities Prior to Republican National Convention
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (August 30, 2008) – FBI and Minneapolis police continue attacks on independent journalists in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention, obstructing coverage of important concurrent events. On Saturday morning an FBI officer and a chief deputy from the Douglas County Sheriff’s dept. along with approximately 30 St. Paul police officers bearing firearms, tasers, pepper spray and at least one AR-15 surrounded a house where members of I-Witness Video Collective and journalist Elizabeth Press from Democracy Now were meeting. National Lawyer’s Guild Legal Observer Sarah Coffey was detained in handcuffs outside the building while acting as a liaison with the police. Occupants of the building did not consent to a search and were forced to lock themselves in the building. At approximately 3:00 p.m. (CDT) police officers tried to serve a warrant that had the wrong address. After being denied entry they stormed the building through the attic by gaining access to an adjacent property. The warrant covered all of journalistic equipment including privileged notes, computers, cameras, video tapes and communication devices. People inside were forcefully detained, photographed and police made a record of their names and addresses. After a 45 minute search the police released all detainees and left without seizing any of the equipment. Five other members of I-Witness video who were not present at the house were also simultaneously detained. Three of them detained as they were riding their bicycles a mile away from the scene of the search and the other two as they were driving in a car. The three-hour detainment stopped the media group from documenting three other raids happening simultaneously against activist groups in Minneapolis and St Paul. This follows an incident from earlier this week when three members of Glass Bead Collective were illegally detained and had their equipment and notes confiscated by the Minneapolis police. I-Witness Video is an independent media group using video to protect civil liberties. During the 2004 Republican National Convention in NYC, video evidence provided by I-Witness Video exonerated 400 arrestees by exposing lies stated by the NYPD in sworn legal affidavits.
DemocracyNow! and Air America Replaced by Sports: 950AM Changes Formats
On Sept. 9, 950 AM changed from an AirAmerica affiliate to an ESPN affiliate. 950 AM gave the Rochester area a different point of view on the radio - a point of view quite different than other points of view given to people on other radio stations and on the television. Democracy works best when voters are well-informed with many different points of view. It frightens me that this format change is taking place two months before a major election.
Additional Information: DemocracyNow! comes to Rochester!
RNC Denies Iraq War Veterans
In the early hours of Monday September 1st a formation of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) marched to the gates of the Xcel Center at the Republican National Convention in St. Paulm MN. Wesley Davey, a retired St. Paul police officer and Iraq veteran, led the group.
Upon their arrival, Mr. Davey was escorted through the police lines carrying a tri-fold American flag, a document addressing the needs of returning service members, and a copy of the U.S. Constitution to be delivered to a representative of the McCain campaign.
Unfortunately, after about a half hour of being directed from one person to another—all claiming to lead him to someone who could help him—Mr. Davey was led right back out the door, his offerings still in his hands. He and his fellow veterans had been turned away.
Additional Information: Iraq Veterans Against the War
Police Raid RNC Not Welcome Convergence Space, Multiple Homes
Over the last two days, police in the Twin Cities area engaged in an extremely aggressive show of force against protesters at the RNC. The list of targets is extensive:
- Raid on the RNC Welcoming Committee Convergence Space (NY Times Article)
- Raid on multiple homes, including Food Not Bombs Space
- Democracy Now and IMC Journalists Detained
- The garage and car of leaders of Citizens United Against Police Brutality was apparently broken into
In most cases it appears that police entered the scene with guns pulled and handcuffed everyone in attendance. Fortunately, Unconventional Action Rochester reports everyone is safe and out of jail.
Video/Audio Reports
- Audio Interview: Raids Friday Night
- Video Report: House Raided by Police
- Video Report: Police Raid Green Party Activist's House
The RNC Welcoming Committee responded by saying: "We now know how St. Paul intends to respond to the people exercising our rights of free speech—with an abuse of power, "said one spokeswoman to the crowd of mostly young people at Powderhorn. "But, we also have our power to act and we call on the community to stand with us and condemn these actions. We will not be stopped by these raids. We will be in the streets on Monday." (full article)
