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Houses of 3 Anarchist RNC Protesters Raided in St. Paul and Minneapolis: 4 Arrests Made

News Type: Event — Seeded on Sat Aug 30, 2008 1:30 PM EDT
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Republican National Convention protesters said police raided three Minneapolis homes on Saturday, just a few hours after Ramsey County sheriff's deputies raided an organizing site of a group seeking to disrupt the convention.

Gina Berglund, an attorney helping to represent protesters, said four people were arrested at two of the Minneapolis homes and booked on probable cause of conspiracy to commit a riot.

"A lot of people in the activist community are really on pins and needles about who's next," Berglund said.

Minneapolis police deferred questions on the raid to a joint media center that was due to open later Saturday.

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Police target protesters at RNC conventionAssociated PressSat Aug 300Comments
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{"commentId":2659753,"authorDomain":"jg2090"}
blinkin

Related Articles:

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{"commentId":2659753,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"jg2090"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#1 - Sat Aug 30, 2008 1:33 PM EDT
{"commentId":2661633,"authorDomain":"caroaber"}
caroaber

I expect the names of the arrestees to appear in the police blotter. Those who cannot afford lawyers will be provided counsel at no cost.

Obviously, the cell was infiltrated by someone. Oops. But judging from what was confiscated, probable cause has been demonstrated. We call this a job well done.

{"commentId":2661633,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"caroaber"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#2 - Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:16 PM EDT
{"commentId":2662029,"authorDomain":"cappiez"}
cappiez

I don't think so. These were objects in houses. I have a machete, and a large sword. I have a flail. I have empty glass bottles. What house doesn't have flammable liquids, and rags?

metal pipes, axes, bolt cutters, sledge hammers

I have everyone of those objects in my house. I have multiple axes and sledge hammers (different uses and weights). Am I committing conspiracy to start a riot? No. I live in a house where I have objects that are useful in my life. (Minus the machete, sword, and flail.. those are things I find interesting. =D)

Some of the objects may be suspicious, but what is a "homemade device used to disable a bus"? That could be a 2x4 with a bunch of nails in it.

{"commentId":2662029,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"cappiez"}
    #2.1 - Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:52 PM EDT
    {"commentId":2662478,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}
    Brian White

    The only object collected that really threw me was the "large amounts of urine". Either they have no plumbing, or they are planning something dastardly with large amounts of urine.

    {"commentId":2662478,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}
      #2.2 - Sat Aug 30, 2008 6:42 PM EDT
      {"commentId":2663064,"authorDomain":"cappiez"}
      cappiez

      Yeah, that threw me off too.

      {"commentId":2663064,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"cappiez"}
        #2.3 - Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:41 PM EDT
        {"commentId":2672912,"authorDomain":"DrKnow"}
        Dr Know

        If you have laundry soap and a can of gas for portable power equipment you are also guilty of having materials to make napalm.

        I agree. Everything they found has legitimate use. I have a machete (I clear brush). I have sledge hammers (build, remodel and tear down houses at times). The list goes on and on.

        {"commentId":2672912,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"DrKnow"}
          #2.4 - Sun Aug 31, 2008 6:55 PM EDT
          {"commentId":2673076,"authorDomain":"cappiez"}
          cappiez

          Or Styrofoam and a can of gas. Yay for back-ass-wards investigations. "Oh my god, you have a half full bottle of beer, and a rag next to it.. molotov cocktail!" "I spilled my beer, you dumbass."

          If only everything in life was as easy as republicans manufacturing excuses for warrants.. or, now that I think about it.. the lack of warrants.

          {"commentId":2673076,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"cappiez"}
            #2.5 - Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:08 PM EDT
            {"commentId":2677831,"authorDomain":"jg2090"}
            blinkin

            Here is a PDF of one of those 'lack of warrants'

            http://www.minnpost.com/client_files/pdfs/Warrant2301A.pdf

            looks like a warrant to me. If you are like others, you will say: hollowed out puppets??? How did they know to look for hollowed out puppets???

            They had an infiltrator in the group. This is not a police conspiracy, it is a criminal investigation. There is a difference.

            {"commentId":2677831,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"jg2090"}
            • 1 vote
            #2.6 - Mon Sep 1, 2008 6:14 AM EDT
            {"commentId":2679515,"authorDomain":"DrKnow"}
            Dr Know

            An infiltrator or someone who is pissed at them.

            {"commentId":2679515,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"DrKnow"}
            • 1 vote
            #2.7 - Mon Sep 1, 2008 11:52 AM EDT
            {"commentId":2683617,"authorDomain":"cappiez"}
            cappiez

            blinkin: I wasn't really talking about the lack of warrants in this case, I was talking the lack of warrants for wiretapping people. :)

            {"commentId":2683617,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"cappiez"}
              #2.8 - Mon Sep 1, 2008 4:47 PM EDT
              {"commentId":2696927,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}
              Brian White

              blinkin, did you read that warrant?

              "the following described property and things:
              * photographs and maps of downtown St. Paul
              * paint and spray paint
              * sticks and poles
              * nails, screws
              * bricks
              ..

              Now therefore the court finds probable cause exists for the issuance of a search warrant on the following grounds:
              2) The possession of the property above constitutes a crime
              3) The property above described was used as a means of committing a crime
              4) The property above described consitutes evidence which tends to show a crime has been commited, or tends to show that a particular person has commited a crime
              5) The property above described is in possession of a person with intent to used such property as a means of committing a crime."

              Doesn't this seem ridiculous? Nails, bricks, and sticks? What crime were they used in? The only thing in the list that seems to apply is that they think the items will be used in some future crime

              {"commentId":2696927,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}
              • 1 vote
              #2.9 - Tue Sep 2, 2008 1:02 PM EDT
              {"commentId":2696987,"authorDomain":"jg2090"}
              blinkin

              The future is here now. Nearly 300 arrested at RNC convention protest

              The article should be called "When Anarchists Attack"

              {"commentId":2696987,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"jg2090"}
              • 1 vote
              #2.10 - Tue Sep 2, 2008 1:04 PM EDT
              {"commentId":2697469,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}
              Brian White

              I responded on your other article - at least 4 of those arrested were journalists doing their job.

              {"commentId":2697469,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}
              • 1 vote
              #2.11 - Tue Sep 2, 2008 1:21 PM EDT
              {"commentId":2697533,"authorDomain":"jg2090"}
              blinkin

              Ok, what about the other 296??

              They were just anarchists doing their job too??

              {"commentId":2697533,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"jg2090"}
              • 1 vote
              #2.12 - Tue Sep 2, 2008 1:24 PM EDT
              Reply
              {"commentId":2661898,"authorDomain":"DrKnow"}
              Dr Know

              The article states that people were held in handcuffs for two hours without charges being made. Another person was placed under house arrest without charges being made while the police got a search warrant. These are clear violations of civil rights. But it is fine in a police state. The article said people were held for a long time at least at one location without any charges being filed.

              {"commentId":2661898,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"DrKnow"}
              • 3 votes
              Reply#3 - Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:40 PM EDT
              {"commentId":2677834,"authorDomain":"jg2090"}
              blinkin

              They were detained while the investigation was proceeding....perfectly legal. Just like a drug dealer being detained while his house is being searched.

              {"commentId":2677834,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"jg2090"}
              • 1 vote
              #3.1 - Mon Sep 1, 2008 6:15 AM EDT
              {"commentId":2679356,"authorDomain":"DrKnow"}
              Dr Know

              It is NOT legal to detain someone for 2 hours. That is imprisonment.

              {"commentId":2679356,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"DrKnow"}
              • 1 vote
              #3.2 - Mon Sep 1, 2008 11:34 AM EDT
              Reply
              {"commentId":2671333,"authorDomain":"EmBees"}
              EmBees

              About the urine, there actually appears to be a reasonable explanation. The National Lawyers Guild (which has been leading the defense of protesters' civil rights in the Twin Cities) issued a statement which is covered on minnesotaindependent.com.

              I'm new so can't post the exact link (google will get you there) but here's the most relevant excerpt: "Sheriff Fletcher does not have three buckets of urine. There are two buckets of gray water in the bathroom that were collected from a downstairs sink. It's part of a permaculture program to minimize impact on the environment. They disconnected the sink drainage from the sewer system and use it for toilet water, to use less water when they flush.

              The other bucket was collected from an illegal garage apartment. The guy had been living there for years, and did not have a working toilet."

              Locally (by neighbors etc.) these raided homes are being described as "young hippie houses".

              {"commentId":2671333,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"EmBees"}
              • 1 vote
              Reply#4 - Sun Aug 31, 2008 4:18 PM EDT
              {"commentId":2677872,"authorDomain":"jg2090"}
              blinkin

              Here it is, EmBees

              National Lawyers Guild seeks to have judge review detentions of six activists by end of day

              {"commentId":2677872,"threadId":"344309","contentId":"1806876","authorDomain":"jg2090"}
              • 1 vote
              #4.1 - Mon Sep 1, 2008 6:36 AM EDT
              Reply
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