Twin Cities Indymedia - Features

Following through with the goal of the strategy around the RNC, we continue to build radical infrastructure in the twin cities and hope that those who came to visit the Twin Cities are doing the same in their local communities (and those that will decide to stick around join in the work that remains). Here are some immediate updates:

Legal

The RNC Welcoming Committee held a joint press conference with the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign regarding the charges announced the day before against eight Welcoming Committee members, the violent tactics of the police to suppress dissent in St. Paul and across America, and the media's role taking the word of the police without question and largely ignoring those who are denied basic resources in our society. One person who had been arrested testifies about having been tortured in the Ramsey County Sheriff's Jail.

The jail vigil needs more support. Perhaps the National Guard will finally go away?

[Politicians will have to answer for the abuse and detainment of journalists, which spectacularly escalated on Thursday evening. --TCIMC]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 4, 2008
Contact: Nancy Doyle Brown, Twin Cities Media Alliance, (612) 374-9380, Jen Howard, Free Press, (202) 265-1490, x22 or (703) 517-6273

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- On Friday morning, local advocates and independent journalists will deliver more than 50,000 petitions to St. Paul City Hall calling on Mayor Chris Coleman and local law enforcement officials to drop all charges against journalists arrested while covering protests outside the Republican National Convention.

WHAT: Delivery of 50,000 letters demanding charges against journalists be dropped
WHEN: Sept. 5, 10 a.m. CT
WHERE: St. Paul City Hall, 15 Kellogg Blvd.
WHO: Local advocates and independent journalists from KFAI Community Radio, National Lawyers Guild, Twin Cities Daily Planet, Twin Cities IndyMedia, Twin Cities Media Alliance and The Uptake.

On Monday, local law enforcement officials arrested Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and two producers from her show, Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke and several independent videographers while they were covering protests outside the Republican National Convention. Other independent journalists have also been pepper-sprayed and even held at gunpoint during "pre-emptive" raids aimed at disrupting protesters.

"The targeting and harassment of journalists that we've seen during the RNC sends the message that the Twin Cities don't value the essential role that journalists play in a democracy," said Nancy Doyle Brown of Twin Cities Media Alliance. "From the pre-convention raids to the ongoing harassment and arrests of journalists, these have been dark days for press freedom in the United States. We're bringing Mayor Coleman more than 50,000 letters from people across the nation demanding that all charges pending against these journalists be dropped."

In a recent affidavit written by Inspector Tony Samec of the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, frequent references to 2 Confidential Reliable Informants (CRI) and an Undercover Investigator are made — a man known as Andy/Panda has been identified as one of the Confidential Reliable Informants. Grounds for this claim — among others — are as follows:

On Tuesday September 2nd, Members of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) of the Dakota Oyate reoccupied Coldwater Spring and the surrounding land. The Coldwater Spring site is an abandoned property of the defunct Bureau of Mines. As Dakota people who consider the spring as essential to our spiritual lifeway and the surrounding land as a part of our homeland of Bdote, we believe that we will be better stewards of the land than either the United States or the State of Minnesota has been.

PRESS ADVISORY:
10am Thursday, 627 Smith Avenue, St. Paul.
Photo and interview opportunities
Contact: rncwcmedia@riseup.net, 202-277-5262

In light of the massive police and military violence playing out each day of the Republican National Convention, the targeting, entrapment, and persecution of protest logistics organizers, the inhumane conditions that continue for the hundreds of people in the Ramsey County Jail, and the harassment of supporters outside the jail, we in the RNC Welcoming Committee are not backing down from our organizing. The Welcoming Committee is working harder than ever to ensure that our friends and comrades are safe and that protesters who are speaking their minds in the face of repression have access to food, housing, bicycles, a meeting space, workshops, legal/jail support, and medical care.

The St Paul Police Department, the City of St Paul, and particularly Bob Fletcher with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department have labeled us a "criminal enterprise", painting a picture of us and other anti-RNC organizers as faceless terrorists. On Thursday, September 4th at 10 AM on the 2nd floor of the RNC Convergence Space at 627 Smith Ave S., we will show the true faces and stories of the RNC Welcoming Committee.

We will show the 2nd floor of the convergence center as it was arranged at the time of the police raid last Friday night. We will give the latest information on the RNC 8, and we will take and answer questions. Afterwards, several members of the Welcoming Committee will be available for interview and photo opportunities.

The joint press conference will also feature the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign.

Important: All media are invited to visit the Convergence Center at 10 AM @ 627 Smith Avenue, wherein the Welcoming Committee has announced they will "unmask" themselves and even grant media interviews. http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/sep/rnc-welcoming-committee-unmask-...
A huge moment in what has actually been - in some respects - one gigantic public relations battle.

Local journalists take note: even though the constant abuse against journalists has been relatively under-reported by you people, FreePress.net has gathered 50,000 signatures to dump on Mayor Coleman sometime Thursday morning, demanding all charges against journalists be dropped. The harassment continued Wednesday, and yet the usual reporters have not really put any context onto this pivotal story. Shame!

Additionally, clear examples of media manipulation - PSYOPS - as innocent arrestees tonight were paraded in front of TV cameras and then released. Same as those fake TV military analysts; you guys are pawns in the Public Relations scheme - at least you'll get paychecks on Friday, eh? (see http://twitter.com/webster for a media arrestee stunt, made to order for the cameras)

Thursday's events:
* Jail vigil continues under harassment: http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/jail-vigil-and-arrestee-support
* http://www.yawr.org : Student walkout against the war criminals: http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/student-strike-against-rnc-marc...
11 AM WALK OUT OF CLASS, 12 PM ANTIWAR RALLY, FESTIVAL AND THEATRE @ STATE CAPITOL
Youth Against War and Racism is calling for a massive student walkout on September 4, the last day of the RNC, followed by a festival of resistance and a huge theatric march to "arrest the war criminals."
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=15454797647 and http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2812201110&ref=ts . 651-210-5342 | against.war@gmail.com | http://myspace.com/yawrMN

* 1 PM Peace Picnic on Harriet Island - yum! http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/peace-island-picnic-harriet-isl... (correction: it is NOT at noon)
* 4 PM March @ State Capitol: Anti-War Committee sponsors No peace for the war makers: http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/no-peace-war-makers-protest-day...
* 7:30 PM Ralph Nader Super Rally @ Orchestra Hall feat. Cindy Sheehan, Nellie McKay, Jesse Ventura, David Rovics . Sure to be entertaining, however ballots will still be rigged against independents & no airtime will be provided. http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/sep/open-debates-rally-ralph-nader-...
* 7 PM Scott Ritter Iran Talks out in Wayzata http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/scott-ritter-iran-talks-1 . Thanks for yr efforts to stave off the warmongers!
* 7:30 PM Mental Health & Decompression sessions @ Sisters Camelot http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/sep/peer-support-group-decompressio... Thanks, this whole police state has been stressful.

Notes for Wednesday:
* More intimidation from riot cops at exit from Ramsey County detention. Reportedly, there is a large Minnesota National Guard presence there with checkpoints, an unprecedented militarization. We are hearing of extreme detainee abuses.
* The RATM show resulted in dozens of arrests (Coldsnap confirms 31 @ 2:30 AM), as well as a photo of some ridiculous 6-wheeled ATV that can apparently fire tear gas: http://twitpic.com/a609 - how much money are they blowing on this kind of garbage? (This is how Bernie Kerik type guys make money - selling stupid homeland security products like this). Why the hell did they decide to bottle up the whole area with riot cops? Another great decision.
* Our friends were able to expose undercover cops at the Tuesday Poor People's March, which seemed infested with provocateurs. Impressive! http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/sep/interview-undercover-infiltrato...
* The Dakota were able to hang onto their Coldwater Springs area all day; there was some police harassment purportedly because campfires are Teh Bad.
* Our Twitter feed @ http://twitter.com/tcimc has been helpful for staying apprised of events.
* Another great SubMedia video dispatch http://twincities.indymedia.org/videos/2008/sep/submedia-dnc-dispatch-5

Events moved around:
* In our events calendar Events have been moved: Our events calendar locked up with many things @ "NOW" which was true but stopped the information flow. Of particular interest, Student Convergence for Thursday:
http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/rnc-student-convergence
8pm - 9pm - Intro to Students for a Democratic Society - Weyerhaeuser Boardroom
8pm - 10pm- Wellness Space - Chapel Basement
9pm - 10pm - Mass Meeting - Kagin
[We are sure Brian Rosenberg is loving it.]
also moved: Convergence Center hours: http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/convergence-space-open-hours
And a duplicate event hidden.

Media spin notes: the realistic perspective on property destruction
* According to mainstream media, smashed windows are the worst thing anyone could possibly do in town; however the housing collapse which equals thousands of smashed windows every day is totally cool & not a crime at all. Way to go, serious adults! Your rationalizations never cease to depress us. [Plus, Wall Street & the Federal Reserve System can launder $100 billion in drug money annually and no one gets in trouble - well done, media!]

Support 300 people arrested in Saint Paul! Demand an end to illegal
detention and brutality in Ramsey County Jail!

9/3/08, St. Paul - Approximately 300 people have been arrested for
participating in demonstrations since the beginning of the Republican
National Convention. The majority of arrestees remain in custody and are
being held in inhumane conditions. Of the 300 arrested, approximately 120
have been accused of trumped-up felony charges by police; many of them are
being held illegally beyond Minnesota’s 36-hour limit on detentions
without formal charges.

I'm not an anarchist. At least I wasn't one of the kids running around the Xcel Energy Center in black handkerchiefs during the St Paul RNC. Nor did I store my urine in a bucket for a week to throw on delegates, and I didn't break any windows either. But, I was one of the people detained by police on Monday. One of my co-workers even saw me on the Channel 11 news, zip-tied like a hog, being led away walking backwards by two riot police. I'm assuming that he knew me well enough to reason I wasn't there with violent intent, but asked nonetheless why I went to downtown St Paul that day.

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.

Without going into all of the supersecret ways that anarchists spot undercover cops in a crowd, these two men were pointed out as infiltrators by reliable sources and then interviewed on camera. The two split up once they realized they were "made" and then one just left the march all together.

Interview conducted at the the March For Our Lives in St. Paul, September 2nd, 2008:

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/03/18532509.php

The RNC Welcoming Committee wants to say thank you to all who have stood with us through these challenging days, to all who have faced the brutal attacks and repressive intimidation of the police, and have still gone back to the streets. Thanks to all who have made calls, sent emails, donated money, and expressed your outrage at these brutal attacks.

"Saturday morning my sister, Monica Bicking, and her boyfriend, Eryn Trimmer, were arrested in Minneapolis. Monica was released on Sunday, but Eryn and others are still in custody, and the police will try to keep them detained as long as possible."

Did you know that anarchists killed several police officers during the 1999 anti-WTO protests in Seattle?

No, you don't know that, because it never happened. But this is the kind of thing that many rank-and-file police believe who have been trained to police summit protests, including the ongoing anti-RNC protests happening this week in St. Paul, Minnesota. There were riots and lots of police violence in Seattle in 1999, but nobody was killed during those protests. Yet, police officers doing anti-protest policing in many American cities have been told this lie about anarchists.