An email from an old friend of my Dad's

Sorry about the text issues, i will try to get a better copy of this...this coming from a 60's war protester.....


Police Actions?
Apparently =here are cops all over the Twin Cities breaking into houses & =rresting people. In some cases, innocent people. That's what a lot of =mails are saying. Crazy!
The guy =n this story goes back to the Nixon years, protesting. I went to =eggars at this guy's house, Mike Whalen. John Storms fell in w/ him. ='ll tag on some more circulated emails [below]. Interesting =ead.
http://www.alternet.org/=lection08/97029
Chris =inding
651.442.9951 Cel =weekdays)






=/span><=span>=/span><=span>=/span><=span>=/span><=span>=/span><=span>=/span><=span>=/span><=span>=/span>
From: =/b>Gary Rue
Date: August 31, 2008 =:32:21 AM CDT
Subject: =NC


Date: August 31, 2008

Hello All,
I have NEVER done this before, but it =akes me so incredibly sad. Be careful out there.

just a note with a few links =o illustrate the state of affairs in our beautiful cities this weekend, =fter being invaded by an onslaught of police and military from miles =way. Even in south minneapolis, 10 miles from the green zone that has =een prepared for the republican party's convention in St. Paul, there =re helicopters overhead and police cars and vans from other cities =lowly circling our blocks. Houses have been raided, their owners =andcuffed in their own back yards, their computers =onfiscated.

This afternoon, Liz witnessed a swat team of heavily armed =olice/soldiers pull over a van full of young people, on Lake Street in =inneapolis, near the Global Market, apparently for committing the crime =f being young and driving through St. Paul with Texas license plates. =he swat team approached the van with assault weapons pointed at the =errified passengers, who were ordered to come out with their hands up =nd to walk backwards on the street while being herded into a group and =ancuffed. A woman who was with Liz began taking pictures, which =rompted one of the policemen to point his assault weapon at her, and =ell her she was too close. Here is a version of the story from twin =ities indymedia:

"A van full of activists from Texas was pulled over on Lake st. =nd 11th ave. in Minneapolis by police with drawn shotguns on Saturday =fternoon. Police ordered them out of the van at gunpoint, where they =ere handcuffed and searched on the busy sidewalk across the street from = dollar store, said Estaban, one of the detained activists. They didn't =earch the van. They were released after between 15 to 20 minutes, an =bserver said. The activists had been followed all the way from St. Paul =y two unmarked cars, allegedly from the Ramsey County Sheriffs =epartment, they were also assisted by Minneapolis police, Esteban said. =lso present were transit police and K9 units. Esteban said the police =idn't give a reason for the stop, or for their tactics of drawn guns. A =oliceman at the scene said the detainment was due to "bad =nformation."

Later this afternoon, our friend Mike Whalen was handcuffed in =is own back yard for a few hours, for the crime of offering his home to = Democracy Now journalist who was covering the convention and needed =ccommodation.

Here's a few links about that:
<=ont color="#0c1acd" style="color: #0c1acd">
=u>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wShi41LcoCg&feature=user

http://www.alternet.o=g/election08/97029
http://qik.com/video/249562

http://qik.com/video/249562=/u>

And the =onvention hasn't even started yet! I'm sure any of you currently in St. =aul or Minneapolis have your own stories, I thought it would be helpful =o circulate these, as a small attempt to help publicize how these =obscheits have been behaving this weekend. And it is all just a glimpse =nto what many folks around this country and around the world have to =eal with 24/7 from the neanderthals and their lethal toys.

Two questions that have =lagued me for years:
Is there no end to the numbers of people =ho take great pleasure in beating the shit out of other people?
=hy does it take 4 years, billions and billions of dollars, and two =ointless, grotesque coronations guarded by jackbooted armies to elect a =ucking president?

Thanks for being there, and keep your eyes wide open, as Johnny =ash sang. Or, as Andy Irvine sings (Marcus Turner's =ords):

"You may well =refer abstention but I feel compelled to mention
You'd do well =o pay attention when the Boys are on Parade"

The Boys are definitely on =arade…

Nick

Here's a forwarded letter from Andy Driscoll of KFAI radio with =ome further info:

------ Forwarded Message
From: Andy Driscoll
=ate: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:09:42 -0500

Hauling away protesters in advance.

I've just returned from taping =n RNC Welcoming Committee news conference outside the same old West =ide St. Paul building Fletcher's boys raided last night, kicking in =oors, weapons drawn, forcing everyone - including children – facedown =o the floor where they were handcuffed with large, sharp-edged, plastic =traps, searched, then released, one-by-one. Officers confiscated =everal computers, maps, programs and some money according to Lisa =ithian, who conducted the news conference. More on the news conference =tself later, but...

Several teams of sheriff's deputies and other police have =aided three or four private residences in Minneapolis and stopped =everal bicycle riders at gunpoint around both towns, arresting and =ailing several of them on "conspiracy" charges, mostly young men and =omen connected to the protest community.

Defense attorneys say these cross-jurisdictional raids =re authorized and coordinated by Homeland Security and encompass all =olice and sheriffs' departments, the FBI and the Secret Service. The =t. Paul Police were supposed to be "in charge" of any security outside =he Secret Service "red zone" around the Xcel Center, but it's quite =lear every police department in the Metro is under the coordination and =irection of a larger entity.

Gena Berglund, a National Lawyers Guild (NLG) attorney =oordinating legal observers and recorders calls this Homeland Security =peration the Fusion Center, a likely name for granting law enforcement =owers across all jurisdictions.

Fithian insisted that, in her 35 years of working in =ozens of local and regional venues "for radical change in this =ountry," she had never seen anything the likes of which is occurring =his weekend across the Cities.

Apparently, twelve to fifteen people have been detained =ithout charges filed and they can be held for up to 36 hours - not =ounting weekends and holidays - meaning that they could be held through =uesday unless their release is forced by a court, according to NLG =awyer Jordan Kushner, who spoke at the news conference.

Among the other speakers =ere:
Michael McPhearson of US Veterans for Peace, which is =olding its annual convention in a Bloomington hotel/motel. Police =fficers from several jurisdictions appeared at that gathering as well, =laiming to be scouting the facility for a their own use when, in fact, =he VFP group had reserved the entire space for the same period of time. =cPhearson was certain this was little more than police intimidation in =uch the same manner as he and his fellow soldiers used their uniforms =nd weaponry as intimidation of Iraq and Kuwaiti civilians during the =ulf War I and the current Iraq War.

Dave Bicking, Green Party activist and father of one of =he arrested people in this morning's Minneapolis raids, Monica =icking.

Coleen =owley, former FBI agent and whistleblower and organizer of next =hursday's Peace Island Picnic.

Ann Wright, former US Army colonel who said she has =erved in nearly every US-led military theater from Grenada to Iraq and =as never seen such an operation as this weekend's preemptory police =ctions.

All the =peakers spoke of the profound curtailment of civil, human and =onstitutional rights the police raids represent, and that every =itizen's right to dissent and petition their government is being =llegally quashed.

What came quite clear to me is that law enforcement must =nowingly be provoking the violence they warned city officials about in =dvance of the protest marches to come Monday and Tuesday mornings by =he anti-war and anti-poverty group sponsors. What may be aimed at =re-convention intimidation and preemptory arrests of protest leaders to =uell protesters' announced intentions to disrupt the convention has =nly fired up the very people police expected to put down.

A cynic might wonder if this =s all leading up to justification for a brutal confrontation between =ell-armed and armored police officers and unarmed and generally =armless marchers and dissenters.

Where the two major city mayors, the city councils and =ounty boards are throughout this extraordinary breach of Constitutional =ights is a matter for citizens to challenge - and the disgrace this is =ringing to the otherwise reasonable Twin Cities and Minnesota cultural =eritage is beyond understanding.

It would seem that, with little resistance, the elected =fficials of our cities have given governance over to a police state, =owever temporary, and to the paranoia that accompanies such an inbred =ulture as law enforcement, itself undeterred by the rule of law in =eeping the peace and protecting the Constitution.

The ripple effect in this =ommunity will last for years beyond the coming week - and the political =nd personal lives of citizens and our representatives will have taken a =evere turn for the worse. Was it worth all of this grief for the money =ou all insisted was coming to our fair city's and business coffers to =ully the very climate that made us so attractive in the first =lace?

I think =ot.

Andy =riscoll, Producer/Host Lynnell Mickelsen, Co-host Truth to Tell & =ivicMedia/Minnesota KFAI Radio, 90.3 Minneapolis/106.7 St. =aul/Streamed@ KFAI.org

651- 293-9039 / Fax: (same, call ahead) / Cell: 651-492-2221 =mail: andy@driscollgroup.com

TRUTH TO TELL

SEPT 1-4: REPUBLICAN NATIONAL =ONVENTION WEEK

TRUTH TO TELL meets the Republicans coming to St. Paul’s =cel, talks with the groups protesting them, and watching the cops =onfronting everyone. Listen as TTT and KFAI present special coverage of =he events inside and outside the convention arena. Our “reporters” =rom all walks will provide stories and interviews from marches, =ounter-conferences, rallies and insiders throughout the =eek.

OUR =CHEDULE:
* MONDAY, Sept 1- PM Hourly: News and field reports on =he anti-war March Against the RNC and others

* TUESDAY, Sept 2 – PM =ourly: News and field reports on the Poor People’s march, Peace =sland conference

* WEDNESDAY, Sept 3 – 11AM: TRUTH TO TELL – Live from the =onvention Center. GUESTS: TBD; News

* THURSDAY: Sept 4 – 6-10PM: LIVE COVERAGE – =iscussion and Analysis from KFAI and Xcel

KFAI Radio, 90.3 Minneapolis /106.7 St. Paul / Streamed@KFAI.org A CivicMedia/Minnesota =roduction Podcasts are available for all Truth to Tell shows:
=br> From: Pam Ellison Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:36:07 =0500

Andy et =l:
We are now living in "Minority Report" the movie Tom Cruise =ade a few years ago where they arrest people on suspicion they will =ommit a crime.

I agree wholeheartedly with you Andy, this IS OUTRAGEOUS!! What =EAL proof do we have that these people were a threat? Why is the =heriff of Ramsey County acting in this way in the City of St. Paul? Did =hief Harrington the Sheriff's assistance? Where is the line between =ity and County law enforcement? Who do we know that does not have paint =n their home or gasoline for their lawnmower, or a jar of pickles? Does =his mean we are all potential threats? So if we protest do we need to =ispose of all potential tools, containers, paint, fertilizer, rags, =.......?

More and more =eople tell me of instances where law enforcement is out of control, =his proves it in black and white. Our country and specifically =innesota in this case is out of control when these supposed criminal =earches are sanctioned by those in power.

State Fair goers that I talked with at the Minnesota =ndependence Party booth had several chilling tales from all over the =tate of Minnesota of so-called sanctioned, over-zealous actions enacted =ith chilling effects by law enforcement, no doubt sanctioned and =nshrined in the Patriot Act. Many more people contact me on a regular =asis and state stories that are similar.

I personally am one of those "crazy people" that would =ather take the risk of dying at the hands of an unknown terrorist than =ose my freedom and be detained, molested and tortured by my own =ountry's legal system that can heavy-handedly arrest, detain, molest =nd trample me and my just and thoughtful constitutional rights. I will =ake Freedom over Terror of the political kind any day of the =eek.

What you read =n today's paper is just the tip of the iceberg.

SEND A STRONG MESSAGE to =lected officials NOW by exercising your VOTE accordingly. We need =riminal Justice and Judicial Reform now! How much power does the Ramsey =ounty Sheriff's Office have? The question begs an answer, and certainly =fter the actions of last night and today, the question probably is even =ore poignant. Lets wake up people!!!! At some point we will all find =urselves at the mercy of Sheriff Fletcher or someone else like him if =e don't stand on the constitutional standards that built this great =ation. Your rights and mine of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly =nd right to privacy are trampled on every time an action of this nature =s taken. These tenets of the constitutional supercede partisan issues, =hey supercede ethnic issues, the SHOULD supercede ALL issues where =ustice is concerned.

I would hereby call that all the fine citizens of Ramsey County =etition the Ramsey County Commission to change the office of Sheriff to =n appointed position, rather than an elected one. We need the office of =heriff to respect the freedom of speech and rights of our citizens to =rotest within reasons. If the position were appointed, those acting as =heriff can be fired rather than waiting for an asleep electorate to =ake up to these types of actions chronicled in the morning paper, in =ime to elect the person out!

These detainments and arrests were clearly out of line when =hose detained and arrested were freed within two hours of their =etainments.

This is not the direction we need to go in our state or =ation.

I would =ncourage the media to track anyone who has made a dissenting opinions =bout this matter, to make certain they are not arrested or disappear =or their dissent, and widely report it if they are!!!

Because quite frankly, we ARE =t that point in Minnesota and across the nation. Amnesty International =tated in a recent mailing to me that they have identified over 50,000 =eople in American jails that remain imprisoned and tortured without =ause. This is our America!!!!! Are you willing to take a stand against =hese actions or will you ignore it until you are in =rison?

Pamela I. =llison

"The two =reatest obstacles to democracy in the United States are, first, the =idespread delusion among the poor that we have a democracy, and second, =he chronic terror among the rich, lest we get it."

- Edward Dowling, Editor and =riest, Chicago Daily News, 28 July, 1941
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