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McCollum promises to look into police response to RNC protests
Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-St. Paul) and two of her staff members met for more than 90 minutes this morning with representatives of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and others speaking on behalf of protestors detained and arrested during this week’s Republican National Convention.
During the meeting, McCollum declared that since she played a pivotal role in securing some $50 million for the Twin Cities to help defray the cost of the RNC, including for security, she feels it is her obligation to question how and why the money was spent, in particular for a law enforcement response that many, including the Lawyers Guild, feel has violated the civil and Constitutional rights of protestors.
“Betty is the first public official we’ve met with since this crackdown began who has actually listened,” said Gena Berglund, an attorney who has been active in the Lawyers Guild’s efforts to protect the First Amendment rights of RNC protestors. Berglund said the NLG’s request to meet with Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher, who has been at the center of controversy over alleged police misconduct, or members of his staff was “turned down flat.” The NLG was able to meet this week with a staff person in St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s office, but said Berglund, “That meeting went nowhere. They are not interested in listening to us.”
“At this point, what we should be demanding is that there be an investigation at every level – state, city, country, and federal – into what has happened this past week. It has been a legal outrage and we, as citizens and taxpayers, have the right to hold all officials responsible for law enforcement at the RNC accountable for their actions,” Berglund said.
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Here are some facts about
Here are some facts about the impact of the protestors on one non law enforcment local government agency that had no involvement in the RNC other that being in the West Seventh area. These type of occurrences were undoubtedly shared by some businesses.
Two weeks before the RNC we had an individual stop by our facility and ask questions about our security cameras, particularly those facing a major roadway into downtown. When asked why he wanted to know he responded that it was “confidential”. When a police officer pulled into the property to pickup a package the individual left – very fast. The “why” behind his questions was simple, an intersection that was just beyond the range of several cameras was the scene of a major protest and property damage on Monday.
During the week before and during the RNC we encurred thousands of dollars in payroll expenses having employees on site for security 24/7. There is no recourse for recovery of these costs.
We were fortunate that we had the forsight to take these precautions because on Monday landscaping was ripped from an adjoining property and used to block a major road. The equipment and material on our property would undoubtedly have also been used if staff had not been present and highly visible.
We had 11 tires punctured by roofing nails spread on Randolph Street and Shepard Road by protesters on Monday afternoon. 9 of these tires were unrepariable and 6 of the 9 were new.
Monday evening staff on site had two incidents of individuals attempting to access the property. They did access a yard at an adjoining building. In the 20+ years we have operated from that location we have never had anyone attempt to breach the fences.
I, and many of my friends and co-workers, would have loved to have been able to have expressed our extreme dissatisfaction with the Republican Party, the current administration, and the rampant damage they have inflicted on America. However after monitoring the RNC Welcoming Committee and associated groups for many months it was obvious that the intent was to create chaos through whatever means were necessary. We chose not to become involved in what we believed would be violent protests. These extremists endangered the people of Saint Paul, including our children. As just one example how many tires were damaged by the actions of these individuals, with the potential for blowouts fron a sidewall puncture? Those responsible don’t care. Thank goodness no one was hurt.
Police Manhandle, Arrest Reporters Doing their Job
You will not believe what you are reading. (Partial video of police throwing flash grenades included). These officers need to be fired, and the entire training procedure of police officers in that city needs to be reviewed. This is an absolute outrage!
Interesting comment about
Interesting comment about the tires. My wife had a flat from a roofing nail coming back from school last Tuesday. She uses Warner/Shepard Road. We were lucky and were able to have it repaired. Sure was a mess. What were they thinking spreading nails would gain?
Need for accountability underscored by latest events
Kudos to Representative McCollum for attempting to hold police and others accountable for any misconduct that occurred before and during the RNC.
As a follow up to this meeting, more than a dozen groups signed an open letter to Rep. McCollum urging her to work on independent investigations. That letter can be found here: http://coldsnaplegal.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/open_letter_rnc08.pdf.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s inadequate investigation that, according to the Star-Tribune, won’t address any allegations of police misconduct and rights violations, underscores the need for real accountability. Unfortunately, last week, the Minneapolis City Council refused to hold an investigation and chose instead to hear from police on how they thought they did.
The systematic way in which police and various levels of government worked to suppress dissent in the Twin Cities should not be ignored. Comprehensive and independent investigations are still much needed. Not only to tell the stories of the hundreds negatively impacted and harmed by an over-reaching police force, but also to hold people accountable for the way in which free speech and other rights were completely disregarded.
If people have a question about the level of police-instigated violence, check out this video highlighting victims of police brutality from a press conference held Friday, September 5, 2008: http://blip.tv/file/1251966/.
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