Raids Ahead of RNC in Twin Cities

Reports in the independent media Twin Cities Daily Planet of raids on persons planning to demonstrate who are quests in private houses are very chilling. Amy Goodman was among the journalists on the spot. She climbed over a fence with her crew and refused to leave. I look forward to her report on Democracy Now on Monday. It was said that journalists from her organization were among those detained.
An eloquent editorial this morning by Ian Welsh on FireDogLake
comments on the deafening silence of the traditional media and political figures on these probably illegal and certainly specious police actions.
The police repression is chilling. The silence is as bad. On one video Bruce Nestor, a legal observer and past president of the National Lawyers Guild, puts these kinds of police abuses in perspective.
Bruce: We’re not in this country yet where we’re having mass detentions of people like this, so it really is about sending a message. I think what it really is designed to do is to send a message to people who agree with some of the viewpoints of people organizing activity and to say – you know what? You can write an email, it’s okay to write a letter, to vote, but don’t go out in the street, don’t organize public activity, because do you want us bursting into your house? Do you want to be associated with people who are getting arrested? It’s designed to somehow say these aren’t citizens engaged in the exercise of political freedom, but that they’re kooks, they’re freaks, they’re dangerous, stay away from them, don’t get involved.
Glenn: And there’s been no evidence that any actual violence or illegality has been committed, this is all preventative right, it’s all anticipatory?
Bruce: That’s right.
As a veteran of actions myself, I want to thank the legal observers, members of the National Lawyers Guild who appear at protests and demonstrations and such wearing identifying insignia to take note of abuses of rights. I am always grateful to see these lawyers on the scene to help keep the police honest or in the worst case to provide expert witness if necessary.