john choi

from the open publishing wire: Recently, the City of St. Paul filed new charges against four individuals arising from incidents that occurred during the 2008 Republican National Convention. Nearly a year has passed since the RNC, so this begs the question: why has the City of St. Paul suddenly decided to file these?  

5/21-22: David McKay setenced to 4 years.  Coverage: Sentencing David McKay and Spinning the Media (CRASS) | Towards a More Empowering Militancy

5/19: The Star Tribune reports that FBI snitch Andrew Darst, convicted of assault earlier this year, avoids jail time in what appears to be a back room deal. Hennepin County prosecutor John Halla failed to show up for the sentencing by known racist judge Dan Mabley.

St. Paul City Attorney John Choi's record went from 1 RNC conviction to none over the weekend.  Medic Sean McCoy was convicted of public assembly without a permit and levied a $50 fine earlier this year.  Attorney Bruce Nestor then filed a motion for a new trial, which was granted on Friday.  Nestor believes it is unlikely the state will continue the prosecution.  However, in his decision (see PDF), Judge Edward Wilson rejected the argument that St. Paul's 25-person assembly ordinance is unconstitutional.  Meanwhile, 17-year-old Keith Smith goes to trial at 1:30 Monday at the Juvenile Justice Center at 7th and St. Peter in St. Paul.  The city appears to be prosecuting Smith, whose iconic stand (or sit) in front of police lines and subsequent injuries (pictured) made headlines,due to his likelihood to sue.  Read on for more court dates coming up fast. UPDATE: Smith was given an actual trial date in July.  The prosecutor seemed to indicate that he is continuing with the case due to the possibility of civil litigation.

RNC Analysis--Where's There's Smoke... Anarchism After the RNC: "Such a brutal reaction might lead us to believe that 'we must be doing something right.' After all, where there's smoke, there's fire, right?"

Crimethinc Releases RNC Analyses | FBI Infiltrated Iowa Anti-War Group Before RNC | Crowder Receives Two Year Sentence (McKay 10am Thurs.)| Open Letter to Susan Gaertner from Susan Mahoney | RNC 8 Protest Gaertner Fundraiser | Jesse James and the RNC Others | Still Healing from the RNC? Event June 7

mccoy-decision.pdf

St. Paul City Attorney John Choi has a 1 for 10 (or 1 for 34, depending on how you look at it) record in RNC misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor convictions; only Sean McCoy, a Montana street medic, was convicted on a single charge out of 10 defendants and 34 charges brought to trial thus far.  Judge Edward Wilson sentenced McCoy last month to a $50 fine plus an additional $31 in costs for the conviction on one count of Public Assembly Without a Permit.  Yesterday, McCoy and National Lawyers Guild attorney Bruce Nestor filed a motion asking the court to order a new trial.

UPDATE 5:30PM: Single arrestee has been bailed out; he was arrested for "disorderly conduct" by Minneapolis Police.  Besides the one arrest, RNC 8 solidarity events this weekend were called a success and were well-attended!  Large police presence included St. Paul Police in Minneapolis plus general confusion, taxpayer money waste and tired old tactics on the part of the boys in blue. Look for a full feature with photos and video on TCIMC in the coming days.

Notes from RNC8 Solidarity Day: Nigel Parry letter to Police Chief Dolan, Flagstaff AZ anarcho-pillowfight=Teh Awesom!! Philly forms RNC8 Support Committee! Coleen Rowley: Thousands Who Petition Susan Gaertner Include "Minnesota 8" Draft Resisters Much love!

BREAKING 2:45PM: Police still around Walker Church, St. Paul leg of tour called off. Coldsnap has arranged bail and the arrestee will be out in a few hours. Feature story coming up.

BREAKING 1:35PM Sat 3/28: Many police vehicles around Walker Church.

BREAKING 12:30 PM Sat 3/28: At least one arrest on Tour De Fletcher ride. People expecting to continue to Walker Church around 1 PM. Details sketchy. Updates here & to twitter.com/tcimc as available.

Friends of the RNC 8 has called for a National Day of Solidarity with the RNC 8 on March 28, when events will be taking place nationwide. Locally, on Friday afternoon, supporters will deliver a first batch of petitions to drop the charges to Susan Gaertner's office in downtown St. Paul. On Saturday, a bike ride is planned to leave from Powderhorn Park in the morning to visit the sites of Sheriff Bob Fletcher's pre-emptive raids last August. The "tour de Fletcher" will include a stop for lunch and conclude at the site of the anti-RNC convergence center in St. Paul.

More News: Dave Mahoney trial set for June 1 | St. Paul wastes scarce resources for $50 fine | Two more RNC defendants acquitted; reduced charges for third | David McKay found guilty--court report from 3/17 | Macalester dorm raided in February in hunt for RNC evidence | Duluth Central Labor Body passes resolution for the RNC 8 | RNC '08 Report (read more below)

Recent acquittals and dropped charges highlight the continued waste of taxpayer funds in pursuing RNC cases

Press Release from Community RNC Arrestee Support Structure, March 23rd, 2009

TCIMC Update 3/20: Sean McCoy, a street medic from Montana, was found not guilty today on the charge of fleeing a police officer but guilty on assembly without a permit (the St. Paul ordinance mandating a permit for political events of 25 or more).  St. Paul City Attorney John Choi's big win? A $50 fine plus court costs (for a total of about $130).  Two other charges against McCoy were dismissed earlier in the week by the judge for lack of evidence.
 

This just in: on Friday afternoon, St. Paul City Attorney John Choi dropped 323 charges stemming from the mass arrests on September 4 at the RNC, according to the Pioneer Press. However, another story indicates Choi may be forwarding 2 cases to Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner for felony charges.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, FBI informant and RNC Welcoming Committee infiltrator Andrew Clark Darst (aka "Panda") had a hearing in Hennepin County District Court on felony burglary and assault charges. Darst's hearing was postponed until March 16, the same day as the re-trial of David McKay is set to begin. Considering the hung jury in the first McKay trial, the revelations about Darst's violent behavior, and pending civil litigation actions from CRASS, the state - and particularly the FBI, when they aren't "spying" on anarchists in Powderhorn Park - seems to be on the defensive.

RNC 8: Luce Guillen-Givins and Jordan Kushner discuss the RNC 8 case on Democracy Now! (VIDEO, AUDIO, TRANSCRIPT) | FBI Informant Andrew Darst Faces Break-in Charges | RNC 8 Legal Update and next court dates

Dustin Matchett is first RNC Arrestee Sentenced to Jail: Letter from Dustin | Support Blog | Benefit Show for Dustin Friday

Civil Litigation: Betsy Raasch-Gilman Sues Sheriff Bob Fletcher | City of St. Paul settles Mick Kelly suit | CRASS Civil Litigation Workshop Sunday | Notice of Claim Mardi Gras Action Tuesday | Why STP City Attorney John Choi is a Danger to Public Safety by Nigel Parry

Dear Mayor Coleman,