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Buckets of urine, slingshots, anti-bus weapons seized in raid on anti-RNC protesters
 I was tempted to post this under "WoT Operations."Ramsey County sheriff's deputies found weapons and devices to disable buses - among other items - in searches in the Twin Cities last night and today. Authorities said the items came from "key members of the RNC Welcoming Committee," a self-described anarchist group. Five people have been arrested and four properties have been searched, according to the sheriff's office. At 8 a.m. today, the sheriff's office executed search warrants at three Minneapolis homes The FBI, Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County sheriff's office assisted them. "The 'Welcoming Committee' is a criminal enterprise made up of 35 anarchists who are intent on committing criminal acts before and during the Republican National Convention," said Sheriff Bob Fletcher in a statement. "These acts include tactics to blockade and disable delegate buses, breaching venue security and injuring police officers. They have recruited assistance in their criminal conspiracy from other anarchists groups throughout the country. Through their plans and actions they have exhibited a blatant disregard for the law and the safety of others." The statement said the items found in the searches included: { list at the link } I'll put my 12 gauge against any of them. The five people being held at the Hennepin County jail are under arrest on suspicion of conspiracy to riot, conspiracy to commit civil disorder and conspiracy to damage property. Arrested at the 17th Avenue home were Monica Rachel Bicking, 23, Erin Chase Trimmer, 23, and Garrett Scott Fitzgerald, 25, Nestor said. Nathanel David Secor, 26, was arrested at the 23rd Avenue South home. Erik Charles Oseland, 21, was arrested at an undisclosed location, the sheriff's office said. George Soros's hotel room? "Conspiracy to riot was the charge used against the Chicago Eight in 1968 as part of a politically motivated prosecution," said Bruce Nestor, president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. "It is a charge that is essentially used for preventive detention." There is a better chance it will stick this time, since the media can't cover for them anymore, at least not completely. A St. Paul building leased by The RNC Welcoming Committee, where a search warrant was executed Friday night, Is being turned back over to the property owner, the mayor's office said this afternoon. An inspector from the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections secured the former theater on the city's West Side after fire code violations were found during the search, said Bob Hume, Mayor Chris Coleman's spokesman. The violations included a boarded-up fire exit and "sleeping pads everywhere," Hume said. Eegad! Those sleeping pads probably contain vermin as yet unknown to science. The building was secured, pending notification of the property owner, which has happened, Hume said. People planning to protest at the Republican National Convention and St. Paul City Council Member Dave Thune are calling the actions a preemptive strike before the RNC, which starts Monday. St. Paul's mayor said this afternoon that free speech rights are separate from criminal behavior. "We have worked very, very hard to make sure we've protected people's right to exercise free speech," Coleman said. "To pick up a protest sign, that's fine. If you're here to pick up a brick or some other instrument there's a problem." Thune said he called city officials seeking an explanation for why the building, which appeared to be up to code and had a valid lease, was being boarded up at the request of the Ramsey County sheriff's office. Thune said Saturday afternoon that the building has been reopened. "I don't know what happened with the boarding, but they've corrected it, and I'm grateful to our folks at DSI (Department of Safety and Inspections) for seeing the mistake." Thune has been concerned about the conduct of authorities in the last 24 hours regarding activists. "This is all about free speech," Thune said. "It's what my father fought in the war for. To me, this smacks of preemptive strike against free speech." Your lame-ass denials smack of Joseph Goebbels, Thune. Members of various protest groups targeted in last night's raid held a press conference today to express their anger and frustration. The raid was an effort to "derail RNC protest organizing efforts and to intimidate and terrorize individuals and groups converging in the Twin Cities to exercise what are supposed to be their basic civil rights," RNC Welcoming Committee member Tony Jones read from a statement. "We will not be intimidated," Jones exclaimed. The group is demanding re-entry into the convergence space and a guarantee against future raids, the return of all property seized and an end to the "harassment and surveillance." After reading the statement, Jones refused to answer media questions, saying RNC Welcoming Committee members won't talk until they've had a chance to meet with each other. and get their stories straight... There will be another press conference this afternoon at the former Smith Theater, the site of last night's raid. Representatives of other protest groups, such as the Poor People's Economic Rights Campaign, spoke out against local police at the press conference. Cheri Honkala, who's participated in other RNC protests, such as in New York in 2004, compared the St. Paul raid to "terrorism." "We, just like the Republicans, have the right to free speech," Honkala said. One speaker, who said she does not belong to any protest group, but lives in St. Paul and has been helping visiting protesters, said the raid on the convergence center was unprompted and that the people there had done nothing wrong. The whole world really is watching this time, with the net bypassing your media allies, and you look like a bunch of paint-huffing terrorist wannabes. "The place they raided last night, they were showing documentary movies to twenty-somethings in a clean, alcohol free zone after dinner," Nanette Echols said. Lot of Muslim donors there, Nanette? "Today is the biggest day that people are arriving, and we have no place to welcome them," she said, choking up. Sure enough, paint fumes. Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2008-08-31 |
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