Raid

One year ago, on May 12, 2008 the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa was raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  389 workers were arrested, most from Guatemala.  After arrest, they were taken to the local fairground and held in shackles for three days without significant access to lawyers.   Under those circumstances, 297 signed plea bargains despite the speed and dubiousness of their arrest.  These were not arrests for undocumented status but for criminal charges of fraud due to the use of false social security numbers.  The fact that these were criminal charges was used by law enforcement to justify the speed and opacity of the raids.

During the hearings, workers were shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles.  They were processed in groups of ten.

Account by interpreter of hearings after Postville raid

On Friday afternoon, a press conference will be held at St. Paul City Hall to announce the first lawsuit stemming from the pre-emptive raids on anti-RNC organizers. Laywers representing Mike Whalen of St. Paul will seek $250,000 in damages from the raid on Whalen's duplex on Iglehart Avenue August 30. The raid turned into a tragic comedy of errors when the SPPD and assisting agencies - apparently targeting I-Witness Video - came with a warrant for the wrong address and detained dozens of people in the backyard, creating a storm in the independent press. Later authorities cited Arise! Bookstore in Minneapolis, imprisoned activist Sara Jane Olson, and alleged deliveries of weapons that turned out to be vegan outreach literature as reasons for the raid.

Below is a press release from Ted Dooley of the National Lawyer's Guild. The conference is at 3pm on Friday.

Although the RNC Welcoming Committee had an uplifting meeting today in Powderhorn Park with hundred of supporters, ready to regroup and continue action after yesterday's raids, more signs of further conflict with the military state are surfacing.

UPDATE 9:15 AM: From the WC: Three house raids occurring: 2301 23rd Ave. S., 3500 Harriet Avenue, 3240 17th Ave. S. Lawyers and legal observers at each scene.

UPDATE 8:52 AM: 3500 Harriet Avenue MPLS has just been raided by police according to a reliable source.

We are receiving credible reports (just confirmed again) that a house helping with food (Food Not Bombs) has been raided by the police, and possibly another house as well. NLG attorneys are on the way to these houses, and we have heard that the police are using the same search warrants as they did last night.

There will be a press conference @ Harriet Island at 10 A.M. by the flagpole. We have received a report that anti-police brutality activists had their garage broken into:

Last night, CUAPB president Michelle Gross and CUABP vice president Darryl Robinson were among many people detained during the convergence space raid. Upon returning home after the raid, they found their garage and Darryl's car had been broken into. Nothing of value was taken but boxes of documents were clearly opened and gone through and many items were moved around. The activists believe strongly this invasion of their privacy is a direct result of their work and that it was probable that it occurred while they were at the convergence space.

Despite this action and their detention at the convergence space, both activists remain committed to continuing their work through Communities United Against Police Brutality, including copwatch at events throughout the RNC.

We have also heard that the convergence space raid was carried out by the Ramsey County Sheriff's office, not the St. Paul police, and local City Council member Dave Thune was on the scene. Reportedly Thune said that the county had no authority to try to shut down the convergence center on the basis of a fire code violation.

Fresh video from the streets: Submedia Video has put together a new video - 7 minutes:

Looks like another tough day coming up. Everyone needs to stick together & work through this, one hour at a time.

CORRECTION: THE PRESS CONFERENCE AT 10AM SATURDAY IS AT HARRIET ISLAND, BY THE FLAGPOLE - NOT AT CHEROKEE PARK.

The latest we have heard is that police have raided the Convergence Center and we have heard that the NLG, Copwatch and some corporate media are on the scene.

We have heard that generally people are not getting arrested at the Convergence Center, but are instead getting let out 1-by-1 and photographed. Story developing...